Coal — Minecraft block

Coal

Coal is the most common Minecraft furnace fuel — one coal smelts eight items and crafts four torches with a single stick.

Block ID minecraft:coal
Mod Vanilla
Game versions
1.21

Description

Coal is the primary furnace fuel in Minecraft, mined from coal ore and deepslate coal ore with any pickaxe, from wooden tier upward. Coal ore is the most common ore in the game and generates abundantly in mountains and exposed stone from bedrock up to high peaks, with each block dropping one coal (or up to four with the Fortune III enchantment). As a fuel, one coal smelts eight items in a furnace, blast furnace, or smoker, burning for 1600 ticks (80 seconds). Coal does not appear naturally as a renewable resource, so most players stockpile it early for torches and smelting.

Coal is used to craft torches (one coal plus one stick makes four torches), campfires, and a Block of Coal for compact storage and long-burning fuel. Nine coal compress into one Block of Coal, and one Block of Coal can be uncrafted back into nine coal. Coal shares its fuel value with Charcoal, the renewable alternative smelted from logs, but only Coal stacks into the storable Block of Coal. For cave explorers and early-game survival, Coal is the backbone of lighting and ore processing before players transition to lava buckets or a Block of Coal for industrial-scale smelting.

Survival Guide

How to get and use Coal in Minecraft

  1. 1

    Mine coal ore

    Find coal ore in mountains, caves, or exposed stone and break it with any pickaxe, from wooden to netherite. Each block drops one coal, or up to four with a Fortune III pickaxe.

  2. 2

    Fuel a furnace

    Place coal in the bottom fuel slot of a furnace, blast furnace, or smoker. One coal powers eight smelting operations and burns for 80 seconds.

  3. 3

    Craft torches

    Put one coal above one stick in the crafting grid to make four torches for lighting caves and preventing mob spawns.

  4. 4

    Store it as a Block of Coal

    Fill a 3x3 crafting grid with nine coal to make a Block of Coal, which saves inventory space and burns long enough to smelt 80 items.

Coal vs Charcoal

Coal and Charcoal have the same fuel value and both craft torches, but only Coal can be compressed into a Block of Coal. Charcoal is renewable from smelting logs, while Coal must be mined.

How to craft this block

Ingredients: Block of Coal Block of Coal x1
Crafting
Block of Coal
Coal
9
Coal

Used in crafts

Related blocks

Frequently asked questions

How do you get coal in Minecraft?

Coal is mined from coal ore and deepslate coal ore with any pickaxe. Each block drops one coal, increased up to four with the Fortune III enchantment.

How many items does one coal smelt?

One coal smelts eight items in a furnace, blast furnace, or smoker, burning for 1600 ticks (80 seconds).

What is the difference between coal and charcoal?

Coal and charcoal share the same fuel value and both craft torches, but only coal stacks into a Block of Coal. Charcoal is renewable from smelting logs; coal is mined.

Can you craft coal?

You cannot craft raw coal directly, but you can uncraft one Block of Coal back into nine coal. Coal itself comes from mining or smelting coal ore.

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