At this point, coal is a very well-known mineral in Minecraft. Players use coal as fuel, as a crafting ingredient, and in some extreme cases, even as a tradable item. But, there also exists a less known alternative to coal, which can do almost all the same tasks but in a much more efficient way. Yes, we are talking about charcoal, the lesser known but comparatively easier-to-renew alternative to coal, in Minecraft. We will go over how to make charcoal in Minecraft followed by its uses. There’s a lot on the table, so let’s dive in!
How to Make Charcoal in Minecraft (2022)
Please don’t confuse charcoal with coal. We already have a guide in place that you can use to find coal in Minecraft. Moreover, we are also going to cover the differences between the two in a separate section. You can use the table below to remove any confusion before moving to the charcoal crafting recipe.
What is Charcoal in Minecraft
Charcoal is an in-game item that you can obtain by burning wood in Minecraft (the same as in the real world). Charcoal can be used as fuel and also in a couple of crafting recipes. In Minecraft Education edition, you can make charcoal by combining 7 Carbon, 4 Hydrogen, and 1 Oxygen block. It is one of the very few items with an educational crafting recipe.
How are Coal and Charcoal Different
Even though they might look and work in similar ways, charcoal and coal are quite different when it comes to Minecraft. Here’s how they differ:
- Coal is a mineral that spawns in the form of ore blocks, but charcoal doesn’t generate naturally.
- Charcoal is more efficient than coal and lasts longer as fuel for furnaces and blast furnaces.
- Unlike coal, you can’t combine charcoal to make a block of coal/ charcoal.
- Villagers only trade emeralds in exchange for coal and not charcoal.
Because of their differences, Minecraft treats coal and charcoal as different items, and you can’t combine or stack them in your inventory. Though, you can still swap them in some crafting recipes, which we will cover later in this article.
Items Required to Make Charcoal
You need the following items to craft charcoal in Minecraft:
- A Furnace
- Any Fuel
- Any Wood Block
Charcoal is made by smelting wood blocks in Minecraft. The wood blocks can include logs, stripped logs, wood, and stripped wood blocks from any tree in the game. As for the fuel, you can use any wooden item, coal, dried kelp, blaze rod, and even a bucket of lava. We suggest using wooden planks or logs, as they are easier to come across in the world of Minecraft.
Finally, to smelt the wooden blocks, you need a furnace. You can craft a furnace in Minecraft using the linked guide. In the Minecraft Java edition, you can even mix the Cobblestone, Blackstone, or cobbled deepslate blocks while crafting the furnace. Also, it’s worth noting that a blast furnace can’t smelt wood into charcoal, so you have to rely on a regular furnace only.
How to Make Charcoal in Minecraft
Now comes the important part, follow the crafting recipe in the steps below to make charcoal in Minecraft:
1. First, place the furnace on the ground. Then, right-click or use the secondary action key to use the furnace.
2. Then, place any of your wooden blocks (not planks) in the upper cell of the furnace.
3. Finally, put one of the fuel items (preferably wooden planks) in the bottom cell of the furnace.
4. As soon as you put the fuel in, the furnace will start working. And then, the wood will turn into charcoal within a few seconds.
How to Use Charcoal in Minecraft
You can use the charcoal in Minecraft for the following purposes:
- Charcoal acts as fuel to power furnaces and blast furnaces.
- When combined with a stick, the charcoal can be turned into a torch.
- If a block of soul sand is added to the charcoal and stick, it creates a soul touch.
- When combined with blaze powder and gunpowder, charcoal creates a fire charge, which is used to light the Nether portal and fire.
- Just like the torches, charcoal can also replace coal in the crafting recipe of campfires. Though, it doesn’t affect its efficiency.
Interestingly, it is worth noting that you get charcoal when you reverse the crafting of a campfire. That means if you mine a campfire with the help of Silk Touch enchantment in Minecraft, it drops two pieces of charcoal. The campfire doesn’t have to be crafted with charcoal for this mechanic to work.
Make and Use Charcoal in Minecraft
Just like that, you now have access to one of the most efficient fuel sources in Minecraft. You can use charcoal to power furnace-based farms and quickly smelt a variety of Minecraft ores. But if charcoal doesn’t feel enough, you should add some custom fuel sources to the game with the help of the best Minecraft mods. With that said, how are you going to use charcoal in Minecraft? Tell us in the comments below!
