How many patterns can a Minecraft banner have?

Six. The loom refuses a seventh layer, so this designer stops at six too.

Why doesn't my /give command work?

The item format changed in 1.20.5. Use the 1.21+ command on modern servers and the 1.13–1.20.4 one on older versions — both are generated here.

Banner designer

Stack up to six pattern layers on a base banner — the same limit the game enforces — then copy the /give command, or follow the loom recipe to craft it in survival.

Preview

2 / 6 pattern layers

Base banner

Dye for new patterns

Layers

1Bottom stripe
2Creeper≈

Add a pattern

Stripes & crosses

Shapes

Edges & texture

Charges

Get your banner

/give — Minecraft 1.21+

/give @p white_banner[minecraft:banner_patterns=[{pattern:"minecraft:stripe_bottom",color:"red"},{pattern:"minecraft:creeper",color:"lime"}]] 1

Uses the modern item-component format.

/give — Minecraft 1.13 – 1.20.4

/give @p white_banner{BlockEntityTag:{Patterns:[{Pattern:"bs",Color:14},{Pattern:"cre",Color:5}]}} 1

Old BlockEntityTag NBT, for older servers.

Loom recipe

Start with a white banner.
1. Add “Bottom stripe” using red dye.
2. Add “Creeper” using lime dye.

Craft it in survival, in this order.

≈ Patterns marked with ≈ are drawn as approximations here — the commands above still produce the exact vanilla pattern in-game.