How to Make Iron in Minecraft
Iron
Iron is the vanilla Minecraft metal behind nearly every Industrial Craft 2 recipe, smelted from ore and hammered into plates, casings, and cables.
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
Iron is a metal resource from vanilla Minecraft and an ingredient in nearly every Industrial Craft 2 recipe in one form or another. Ore processing carries the raw ore through crushed and purified forms into dust, and metal shaping adds ingots, plates, dense plates, item casings, shafts, and HV Cables. Any pre-ingot form except the tiny pile of Iron Dust smelts into an ingot, but smelting anything but dust wastes resources that full ore processing recovers. Nine tiny piles of dust combine into one full dust with no reverse recipe, while 9 ingots pack into a Block of Iron that crafts back into ingots on demand.
A Forge Hammer turns one ingot into an Iron Plate, and a second hammering splits the plate into 2 item casings. The Iron Plate is also the one plate a Cutter cannot cut. Machine shaping extends the range: one ingot extrudes into 4 HV Cables, a plate into an empty Fuel Rod, a casing into an Iron Fence, and a block into an Iron Shaft. The Compressor presses 9 plates into one dense plate. The first Iron of a new base goes into the Forge Hammer and metal plates on the way to the first Generator. Very few Industrial Craft 2 recipes skip Iron entirely. The exceptions are mostly subcomponents or Steel, an upgrade of Iron.
A Forge Hammer turns one ingot into an Iron Plate, and a second hammering splits the plate into 2 item casings. The Iron Plate is also the one plate a Cutter cannot cut. Machine shaping extends the range: one ingot extrudes into 4 HV Cables, a plate into an empty Fuel Rod, a casing into an Iron Fence, and a block into an Iron Shaft. The Compressor presses 9 plates into one dense plate. The first Iron of a new base goes into the Forge Hammer and metal plates on the way to the first Generator. Very few Industrial Craft 2 recipes skip Iron entirely. The exceptions are mostly subcomponents or Steel, an upgrade of Iron.
Guide
How to process and shape Iron in Industrial Craft 2
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1
Crush the ore
Run Iron Ore through a Macerator to get 2 Crushed Iron Ore per ore instead of one directly smelted ingot.
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2
Wash and centrifuge
Clean the Crushed Iron Ore in an Ore Washing Plant and finish it in a Thermal Centrifuge — the full chain returns 2 Iron Dust, 4 Tiny Piles of Iron Dust, and 2 Tiny Piles of Gold Dust per ore.
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3
Combine the tiny piles
Craft 9 Tiny Piles of Iron Dust into 1 Iron Dust on a crafting table; the reverse recipe does not exist.
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4
Smelt and hammer
Smelt Iron Dust into Iron Ingots, then hammer 1 ingot with a Forge Hammer for 1 Iron Plate and hammer the Iron Plate a second time to split off 2 Iron Item Casings.
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5
Store in blocks
Craft 9 Iron Ingots into 1 Block of Iron for compact storage and decompose the Block of Iron back into 9 ingots when machines need them.
Tip
Every pre-ingot form except the Tiny Pile of Iron Dust smelts directly into an Iron Ingot, but smelting anything but Iron Dust wastes resources — full ore processing protects the yield.
How to craft this block
Ingredients:
Iron
x9
Iron
x9
Crafting
Iron
16
Ingredients:
Small Pile of Iron Dust
x9
Small Pile of Iron Dust
x9
Crafting
Iron
1
Crafting
Iron
2
Crafting
Iron
1
Used in crafts
Related blocks
Frequently asked questions
What is Iron used for in Industrial Craft 2?
Iron is an ingredient in nearly every Industrial Craft 2 recipe; the first Iron goes into a Forge Hammer and metal plates on the way to the first Generator.
Which forms of Iron smelt into ingots?
Iron Ore, Crushed Iron Ore, Purified Crushed Iron Ore, and Iron Dust all smelt into Iron Ingots — only the Tiny Pile of Iron Dust cannot be smelted.
Can a Cutter cut an Iron Plate?
No, the Iron Plate is the one plate a Cutter cannot cut; one Iron Ingot extrudes into 4 HV Cables instead.
How many Tiny Piles of Iron Dust make a full dust?
Nine Tiny Piles of Iron Dust craft into one Iron Dust, and no recipe splits an Iron Dust back into tiny piles.
Is Steel better than Iron in IC2?
Steel is an upgrade of Iron; very few Industrial Craft 2 recipes skip Iron, and most of the exceptions are subcomponents or Steel.