How to Make Charcoal in Minecraft

Surviving the first night in the dark can be terrifying, but with some torches, you can light up nearby areas to keep monsters at bay. Do not worry if you fail to find some coal, as this article will help you make charcoal in Minecraft.

Minecraft is one of the most successful and iconic titles of the past decade. Minecraft has reached unimaginable feats starting as a solo indie project and has become a phenomenal name in the video game industry. Minecraft gameplay is centered around exploring vast sandbox worlds, gathering resources, and building things.

One of the essential resources in Minecraft is coal. Several fuel options are available, but coal is the most well-known and used. Some players might not know about coal’s alternative option, charcoal, and how to get it in Minecraft.

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How to make and get charcoal in Minecraft

To make charcoal in Minecraft, you need wood, fuel, and a furnace. Chop down a tree to obtain wood, find some fuel, and make a furnace using eight cobblestones. Next, place the furnace and add wood and fuel to it. The furnace will now burn the items and make charcoal.

Here’s a detailed step-by-step guide on how to get charcoal in Minecraft.

Charcoal is probably the best alternative to coal in Minecraft. It has similar properties and uses to coal, making it a versatile resource. Unlike coal, which comes mainly from mining coal ore blocks, you can get charcoal in Minecraft without requiring you to visit mountains or caves.

To make charcoal in Minecraft, you need only three items:

Any type of log or wood
Any type of fuel
One furnace

1. Find a tree and break it to get logs

The first step is to obtain a piece of log or wood.

Trees are the best source of wood in Minecraft. You can find them in most of the overworld biomes. You can break a tree with anything but using axes would be faster.

You can get logs/wood by chopping down trees. For creating charcoal, all types of logs are usable. Stripped logs and woods can also do the job. You can finally make use of all the accidentally stripped logs.

2. Make a furnace

To make charcoal, you will need a furnace. Make a furnace using eight cobblestones on a crafting table. You cannot use a blast furnace or smoker to make charcoal.

3. Get fuel

To make charcoal, you will need some type of fuel. In Minecraft, there are a plethora of different fuel items. The most accessible fuel source is coal. If you don’t have coal, you can use wooden items or other fuel items like a bucket of lava, blaze powder, etc.

4. Time to make charcoal

Place the furnace and add wood or log to it. Next, you have to fuel the furnace to burn wood/log. After a few seconds, the furnace will burn the item completely and create charcoal.

Other than the above method, there is another way to get charcoal in Minecraft. You can get these charred fuels by breaking campfires without Silk Touch enchantment. A campfire drops two charcoal when broken with bare fists or without Silk Touch.

Even if the campfire is made of coal, you will still get charcoal every time one is destroyed. If you urgently need charcoal, try breaking some from campfires naturally generated in snowy or taiga villages. You may also buy campfires from apprentice-level fishermen in exchange for some shiny emeralds.

Uses of charcoal Minecraft

Now that we have explained different ways to get charcoal. Here are some ways in which you can use Minecraft charcoal:

Campfire: Charcoal is the key ingredient for crafting campfires in Minecraft. You will require one charcoal, three sticks, and three logs/wood to make one campfire.
Fire charge: Charcoal is also needed for crafting fire charges. You can make three fire charges by putting blaze powder, charcoal, and gunpowder together on a crafting table.
Torch and soul torch: While making torches and soul torches, players can replace coal with charcoal and get the same products.

Minecraft Charcoal FAQ

What is the burn time for charcoal?

As blatant from its name, charcoal is an alternative to coal in Minecraft. It has the same burn time as coal. One charcoal lasts for 1 minute and 20 seconds in a furnace. You will need eight pieces of charcoal to burn an entire stack of items.

What is the difference between coal and charcoal in Minecraft?

Coal and charcoal both are somewhat precisely the same in Minecraft. The significant difference is that players can make charcoal, but coal is only obtainable via mining, chest loot, or mob drops.

Is charcoal better than coal in Minecraft?

As a fuel, charcoal and coal have the same performance inside furnaces. However, coal is much easier to obtain in large amounts and is usually recommended to use over charcoal.

What can you do with charcoal in Minecraft?

You can use charcoal to craft fire charges, torches, soul torches, campfires and soul campfires. You can also use charcoal as fuel for furnaces, smokers, and blast furnaces.

What is the charcoal Minecraft recipe?

To make one piece of charcoal, you need to place a block of wood or log into a furnace and burn it using any fuel item. Once it is burnt, you will get charcoal as the product.

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