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.
1.19.2
1.12.2
1.11.2
1.11
1.10.2
1.10
1.9.4
1.8.9
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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 (also called Coal Chunk in older IC2 builds). Feeding that Compressed Coal Ball back into the Compressor yields 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 — Coal → Macerator → 8 Coal Dust + 1 Flint → Coal Ball → Compressor → Coal Chunk → Compressor → Industrial Diamond — lets players manufacture diamonds renewably from coal, 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
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1
Macerate coal into Coal Dust
Place coal in the IC2 Macerator; each coal yields 1 Coal Dust. You need at least 8 Coal Dust per Coal Ball.
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2
Gather 1 Flint
Break gravel until a Flint drops; Flint binds the Coal Dust in the shapeless recipe.
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3
Craft the Coal Ball
In the crafting grid place 8 Coal Dust and 1 Flint in any pattern to produce 1 Coal Ball.
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4
Compress into a Coal Chunk
Put the Coal Ball into the IC2 Compressor to get 1 Compressed Coal Ball, also called Coal Chunk.
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5
Compress again into an Industrial Diamond
Place the Coal Chunk back into the Compressor; the second pass produces 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
Crafting
Coal Ball
1
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.
What is a Coal Ball used for?
Coal Ball is compressed twice in the IC2 Compressor — first into a Coal Chunk, then into an 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, so one Industrial Diamond costs 8 coal plus 1 flint and two Compressor passes.