Tinkers' Construct modifiers: slots, upgrades and abilities

Understand upgrade and ability slots, how to apply modifiers, and how to plan a tool without wasting slots.

Published October 20, 2026 3 min read Modifiers
Illustration of a pickaxe surrounded by modifier gems and plus symbols

Modifiers are what turn a plain Tinkers tool into your tool. You add items to a finished tool to give it more speed, durability, fortune, silk touch, combat effects and much more — within the limits of its modifier slots.

What modifiers are

In Tinkers' Construct 3, a modifier is any effect on a tool. Some come from materials as traits (a material's built-in behaviour). Others you add yourself with items at a crafting station. Both show on the tool's tooltip and in the Tinker Station screen.

Upgrade and ability slots

Each tool has a limited number of slots, shown in its stats:

  • Upgrade slots hold smaller stat improvements such as mining speed or attack damage.
  • Ability slots are rarer and hold modifiers that change how a tool behaves.

Different tools start with different numbers of slots, and some materials, traits and special items can add more. Because slots are scarce, deciding what to put in them is the core of building a good tool.

Applying a modifier

  1. Place the finished tool in a Tinker Station or Tinker's Anvil.
  2. Add the modifier item in the input slots.
  3. If the recipe is valid and a slot is free, the preview shows the upgraded tool. Take it from the output.

Many modifiers have levels. Adding the item again (if you have slots and have not reached the cap) raises the level.

Common examples

The modifier list is long and grows with updates, so treat these as examples rather than a complete list:

ModifierWhat it does
HasteFaster mining, added with redstone
LuckFortune on tools or looting on weapons, added with lapis
Diamond / EmeraldExtra durability and related bonuses
SilkySilk touch behaviour for mining tools
NetheriteA late-game upgrade with stat bonuses

For the exact item, slot type and maximum level in your version, check JEI or the in-game book Encyclopedia of Tinkering. Modpacks can also change recipes.

Planning a build

  • Decide the job first. A mining pickaxe and a combat cleaver want different modifiers.
  • Read material traits before choosing parts — a trait may already cover an effect you were going to add.
  • Do not mix conflicting effects. Silk touch and fortune, for example, do not work together on the same block break.
  • Save ability slots for the effect that matters most.

Removing modifiers

Tinkers' Construct 3 includes a Modifier Worktable for removing or adjusting some modifiers, which lets you correct a build without starting over. The recipe and rules depend on your version, so check JEI.

Still building your first tool? Start with tool building in Tinkers' Construct 3, and get metal parts from the smeltery.