Black Candle is the dyed black variant of the decorative Candle block, added to Java Edition in 1.17 and to Bedrock Edition in 1.17.10. The recipe is shapeless: one plain Candle plus one Black Dye yields exactly one Black Candle, and the plain Candle itself is crafted from one String placed directly above one Honeycomb. Black Candle generates in no structure — ancient cities hold plain and white candles, trial chambers plain and red ones — so crafting is the only supply in survival. A placed Black Candle starts unlit and burns only after ignition with Flint and Steel, a Fire Charge, or any flaming projectile; on Bedrock Edition a burning mob or a Fire Aspect sword works too. A dyed candle never takes a second color, hardness and blast resistance both sit at 0.1, any tool or a bare hand breaks the block, and one stack holds 64 candles.

Up to four Black Candles fit into a single block space, and the light grows with the cluster: one lit candle gives light level 3, two give 6, three give 9, and four give 12, complete with fire particles. When one candle in the block already burns, every candle added later arrives already lit. Builders choose Black Candle for gothic halls, crypt entrances, and dark-themed interiors. A single Black Candle on an uneaten Cake creates a candle cake, and the candle drops back out when the Cake is eaten or destroyed. Water puts the flame out — in Java Edition even a Water Bottle works — a wind charge does the same, and so does simply interacting with the Black Candle; a waterlogged candle refuses to light at all.