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How to Make Coal Ball in Minecraft

Coal Ball — Minecraft block

Coal Ball

Coal Ball is an IC2 crafting intermediate made from 8 Coal Dust and 1 Flint, used to produce Industrial Diamonds in the Compressor.

Block ID ic2:coal_ball
Mod Industrial Craft 2
Game versions
1.19.2 1.12.2 1.11.2 1.11 1.10.2 1.10 1.9.4 1.8.9 1.7.10 1.7.2 1.6.4

Description

Coal Ball is a crafting intermediate in IndustrialCraft 2 (IC2) used exclusively in the Industrial Diamond production chain. Coal Ball is produced by combining 8 Coal Dust and 1 Flint in a shapeless crafting recipe, where Coal Dust comes from macerating coal in the IC2 Macerator (1 Coal yields 1 Coal Dust). Coal Ball itself is an item that cannot be placed in the world, but it occupies a key step in IC2's renewable diamond pipeline. Placing 1 Coal Ball in the IC2 Compressor produces 1 Compressed Coal Ball; 8 Compressed Coal Balls arranged around 1 Obsidian on the crafting grid yield 1 Coal Chunk, and compressing that Coal Chunk produces 1 Industrial Diamond, which substitutes for vanilla diamonds in nearly all IC2 machine recipes such as Advanced Machines, MFE storage units, and the Diamond Drill. The full chain — 64 Coal → Macerator → 64 Coal Dust + 8 Flint → 8 Coal Balls → Compressor → 8 Compressed Coal Balls + 1 Obsidian → Coal Chunk → Compressor → Industrial Diamond — lets players manufacture one diamond from 64 coal, 8 flint, and 1 obsidian, removing the dependency on rare ore. Coal Ball has no fuel value, no smelting use, and no other vanilla or IC2 interactions outside this chain.

Guide

How to craft Coal Ball and make Industrial Diamonds in IC2

  1. 1

    Macerate coal into Coal Dust

    Place coal in the IC2 Macerator; each coal yields 1 Coal Dust. One Coal Ball needs 8 Coal Dust, and one Industrial Diamond needs 64.

  2. 2

    Gather Flint

    Break gravel until a Flint drops (1 per Coal Ball, 8 per diamond); Flint binds the Coal Dust in the shapeless recipe.

  3. 3

    Craft the Coal Balls

    In the crafting grid place 8 Coal Dust and 1 Flint in any pattern to produce 1 Coal Ball; repeat 8 times for one diamond.

  4. 4

    Compress into Compressed Coal Balls

    Put each Coal Ball into the IC2 Compressor — every pass yields 1 Compressed Coal Ball, and one Industrial Diamond needs 8 of them.

  5. 5

    Craft a Coal Chunk and compress it

    On the crafting grid, place 8 Compressed Coal Balls around 1 Obsidian in the center to make 1 Coal Chunk, then run the Coal Chunk through the Compressor to produce 1 Industrial Diamond.

Tip

Industrial Diamonds substitute for vanilla diamonds in most IC2 recipes such as MFE, Advanced Machines, and the Diamond Drill.

How to craft this block

Ingredients: Coal Coal x8 Flint Flint x1
Crafting
Coal Coal Coal Coal Flint Coal Coal Coal Coal
Coal Ball
1
Coal Ball

Related blocks

Frequently asked questions

How do I craft a Coal Ball in IC2?

Place 8 Coal Dust and 1 Flint anywhere in the crafting grid; the shapeless recipe yields 1 Coal Ball. Coal Dust comes from the IC2 Macerator at a 1:1 ratio per coal.

What is a Coal Ball used for?

Coal Ball is compressed in the IC2 Compressor into a Compressed Coal Ball; 8 of them plus 1 Obsidian craft into a Coal Chunk, and compressing the Coal Chunk yields 1 Industrial Diamond.

Can Coal Ball be placed as a block?

No. Coal Ball is an item and exists only as a crafting intermediate; it cannot be placed in the world.

Is Coal Ball usable as fuel?

No, Coal Ball has no fuel value. Use raw coal or coal blocks if you need a generator fuel.

How many coal does one Industrial Diamond cost?

Each Coal Ball needs 8 Coal Dust and one diamond needs 8 Coal Balls: 64 coal, 8 flint, and 1 obsidian in total, plus 9 Compressor passes (8 Coal Balls and 1 Coal Chunk).