Empty Cell — Minecraft block
Empty Cell
Empty Cell is a single-use fluid container from IC2 Classic that harvests water and lava by right-clicking a source block.
Description
Right-click a water or lava source with an Empty Cell and it works like a stackable bucket, storing the liquid inside; the stored fluid cannot be poured back into the world. Empty Cell is also a crafting ingredient: combined with a Water Bucket or Lava Bucket it becomes a Water Cell or Lava Cell, and it builds Bio Cells, H. Coal Cells, uranium fuel cells, and Weed-EX. In modern IC2 Experimental the reusable Universal Fluid Cell replaced Empty Cell, but many legacy recipes still require it, and vanilla Minecraft has no equivalent.
Guide
How to craft and use Empty Cell in Industrial Craft 2
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1
Gather Tin Ingots
Mine Tin Ore and smelt the raw tin into Tin Ingots in a Furnace. Tin is the only material the Empty Cell recipe needs.
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2
Arrange the diamond
Open a 3x3 crafting grid and place one Tin Ingot in the top-center, middle-left, middle-right, and bottom-center slots, leaving the center and the four corners empty.
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3
Collect 16 cells
Confirm the craft to receive 16 Empty Cells from one recipe. In IC2 1.7.10 the Metal Former in extruding mode turns one Tin Plate into 3 Empty Cells.
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4
Fill the cell
Right-click a water or lava source to store the liquid inside the Empty Cell like a stackable bucket, or combine the cell with a Water Bucket or Lava Bucket in a crafting grid.
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5
Use in IC2 recipes
Spend Empty Cells on uranium fuel cells for Nuclear Reactors, Bio Cells, H. Coal Cells, Weed-EX, and Compressed Air Cells — classic IC2 automation runs on them.
Empty Cell belongs to IC2 Classic: modern IC2 Experimental replaced it with the reusable Universal Fluid Cell, but many legacy recipes still call for Empty Cells.
Frequently asked questions
How do you craft an Empty Cell in IC2?
Place four Tin Ingots in a diamond on a 3x3 grid — top-center, middle-left, middle-right, and bottom-center — and one craft yields 16 Empty Cells. In IC2 1.7.10 the Metal Former extrudes 3 cells from one Tin Plate.
What fluids can an Empty Cell hold?
Water and lava. Right-clicking a source block fills the Empty Cell like a stackable bucket, and the stored fluid cannot be placed back into the world.
Where do you fill an Empty Cell with liquid?
No machine is needed: right-click a water or lava source directly, or combine the Empty Cell with a Water Bucket or Lava Bucket on a crafting grid to get a Water Cell or Lava Cell.
Is Empty Cell the same as the Universal Fluid Cell?
No. Empty Cell is the single-use container from IC2 Classic, while the Universal Fluid Cell of modern IC2 Experimental is reusable and replaced it.
Does vanilla Minecraft have an Empty Cell?
No, Empty Cell exists only with the Industrial Craft 2 mod installed. Vanilla Minecraft uses Buckets for water and lava.