Bone Knife
The Bone Knife is a player-crafted blade tool and melee weapon in DayZ. It can be crafted from bones, then used to cut clothing into rags, open cans with 10% to 30% food loss, cut bark, gather sticks, harvest firewood, remove rope or duct tape restraints, and skin animals or players.
Quick item summary
Quick answer
The Bone Knife is an early-game survival blade in DayZ. It is not very durable, but it is useful because survivors can craft it from bones and use it for important knife actions before finding a stronger blade.
In-game description
“Once sharpened, this bone has revealed itself to be a decent knife.”
Main Uses
- Cut clothing into rags
- Open canned food with 10% to 30% food loss
- Cut bark from trees
- Cut bushes and shrubs for Long Sticks and Short Sticks
- Chop down small trees for Firewood
- Remove Rope and Duct Tape restraints from players
- Skin and quarter dead animals or players
- Use as an early-game blade melee weapon
How to use this item
Craft a Bone Knife
Bone Knives can be crafted from bones, making them a useful early-game blade when you do not have a real knife.
- Collect bones from an animal, player, or other valid source.
- Hold at least two bones in your hands and use the craft action.
- Alternatively, hold one bone and sharpen it against a static natural rock object.
Cut rags
Use the Bone Knife to cut clothing into rags for emergency bleeding treatment or crafting.
- Place clothing in your hands or on the ground.
- Use the Bone Knife on the clothing.
- Select the cut into rags action.
Open canned food
The Bone Knife can open canned food with moderate food loss.
- Hold the can or the Bone Knife.
- Use the Bone Knife to open the can.
- Expect roughly 10% to 30% food loss.
Cut bark
Use the Bone Knife to cut bark from trees for survival crafting.
- Equip the Bone Knife.
- Look at a valid tree.
- Use the cut bark action.
- Collect the bark.
Harvest sticks
The Bone Knife can cut bushes and shrubs for Long Sticks and Short Sticks.
- Equip the Bone Knife.
- Approach a bush or shrub.
- Use the harvest stick action.
- Collect the Long Sticks or Short Sticks.
Remove restraints
The Bone Knife can cut Rope and Duct Tape restraints off players.
- Approach the restrained player.
- Equip the Bone Knife.
- Use the remove restraints action if available.
Skinning
Use the Bone Knife to skin and quarter dead animals or players.
- Approach a dead animal or player body.
- Equip the Bone Knife.
- Use the skinning / quartering action.
- Collect the meat, pelts, and other resources.
How to get Bone Knife
- Craft from two bones.
- Craft from one bone by sharpening it against a static natural rock object.
- Loot players who have already crafted one.
Spawn info
- • The Bone Knife is player-crafted rather than a normal loot spawn.
- • It is especially useful early because bones can be turned into a working blade before you find a proper knife.
- • Its main drawback is low durability.
Crafting and item conversions
How to craft Bone Knife
Bone Knife
Result: Bone Knife
Hold at least two bones in your hands and use the craft action to make a Bone Knife.
View crafting guideBone Knife from rock surface
Result: Bone Knife
Hold one bone in your hand, look at a static natural rock object, and use the sharpening action to craft a Bone Knife.
View crafting guideUsed in recipes
Improvised Spear
Result: Improvised Spear
Craft Improvised Spear using Long Wooden Stick and Bone Knife.
View crafting guideImportant notes
- The Bone Knife is a crafted blade tool and melee weapon.
- It can be crafted from bones.
- It has low durability, so carrying more than one can be useful early game.
- It can cut clothing into rags.
- It can open canned food, but spills 10% to 30% of the food.
- It can cut bark from trees.
- It can harvest Long Sticks and Short Sticks from bushes and shrubs.
- It can harvest Firewood from small trees.
- It can remove Rope and Duct Tape restraints from players.
- It can skin and quarter dead animals or players.
- The wiki lists no repair item for the Bone Knife.