Composter — Minecraft block

Composter

Composter converts plant matter into bone meal — feed it crops and saplings, watch the level rise, harvest renewable fertilizer.

Block ID minecraft:composter
Mod Vanilla
Game versions
1.21

Description

Composter is crafted from seven wood slabs arranged in a U-shape on the crafting grid, yielding one block per recipe. The crafted item is a sturdy wooden bin with an open top that accepts compost-eligible items via right-click — most plant matter qualifies, including saplings, leaves, seeds, food crops, fruit, and certain mushrooms. Each accepted item has a probability of advancing the internal compost level, with high-value foods like cookies and bread offering higher fill chances than seeds.

The block has eight visual fill levels. Once the seventh level is reached, the next valid item triggers the final state, after which a single right-click harvests one bone meal item from the bin and resets the level. This mechanic creates a renewable bone-meal source that requires no skeleton hunting and is the backbone of village-based farming automation: villagers with the farmer profession automatically use this block to convert their excess crop yields into bone meal, completing a fully passive farming loop without any player input.

Java Edition Guide

How to use a Composter in Minecraft

  1. 1

    Craft the Composter

    Place 7 wooden slabs (any wood type) in a U-shape: left column, right column, and bottom row of the 3x3 crafting grid. Yields 1 Composter.

  2. 2

    Place the block

    Put the Composter on any solid surface. The empty bin opens at the top to receive compost items.

  3. 3

    Feed compostable items

    Right-click with seeds, saplings, leaves, crops, fruit, or food in hand. Each item has a different fill chance — cookies (85%) work much faster than seeds (30%).

  4. 4

    Harvest bone meal at level 7

    When the bin reaches level 7 and you add one more valid item, it advances to level 8. Right-click to collect 1 bone meal and reset the level to 0.

  5. 5

    Automate with hoppers

    Place a hopper above the Composter to auto-feed items, and another hopper below to auto-collect harvested bone meal — fully passive bone meal production.

Tip

A Composter near an unemployed villager turns them into a farmer, who will automatically dump excess crops into the Composter and produce bone meal without any input.

How to craft this block

Ingredients: Oak Slab Oak Slab x7
Crafting
Oak Slab
Oak Slab Oak Slab
Oak Slab Oak Slab Oak Slab Oak Slab
Composter
1
Composter

Used in crafts

Related blocks

Frequently asked questions

How do you craft a Composter?

Place 7 wooden slabs (any wood type) in a U-shape on the crafting grid: left column, right column, and bottom row. Yields one Composter per craft.

What items can you put in a Composter?

Composters accept most plant matter: saplings, leaves, seeds, food crops (wheat, carrots, potatoes, beetroots), fruit (apples, melon slices), flowers, mushrooms, cookies, cake, and bread.

How do you get bone meal from a Composter?

Feed items until the bin reaches level 7. The next valid item advances it to level 8, and a single right-click harvests 1 bone meal, resetting the level to 0.

Can a Composter be automated?

Yes. A hopper on top feeds items into the Composter automatically, and a hopper underneath collects harvested bone meal — together they form a fully passive bone meal farm.

Which Composter input has the highest fill rate?

Cake gives 100% fill chance per slice, cookies and pumpkin pies fill ~85%, baked goods are best. Seeds and leaves fill only ~30%.

Does a Composter make a villager a farmer?

Yes. A Composter is the farmer villager profession workstation. Place it near an unemployed villager and they will take up the farmer job, trading and using crops automatically.

Minecraft and all related materials are trademarks and copyrights of Mojang Studios © 2009–2026. This site is not an official Minecraft product and is not affiliated with or endorsed by Mojang Studios or Microsoft Corporation.