Coal
A common fuel and crafting item mined from coal ore. It is used to make torches and to power furnaces.
Stack Size
Stack Size64
Durability
DurabilityN/A
Category
CategoryMiscellaneous
Version Added
Version AddedAlpha
Item ID
Item IDcoal
Overview
Coal is an item in the Miscellaneous category of Minecraft, obtained through mining, mob drops, and chest loot. A single inventory slot holds a full stack of 64 Coal. It doubles as furnace fuel, good for 8 smelts before it is used up.
Coal is also a hub ingredient, feeding into 5 different recipes in this catalogue, so keeping a stock on hand unlocks a wide range of crafts. Of the 13 kinds of generated chest that can hold it, small underwater ruin chests are the best bet at about 82% per chest.
Used to Craft
Coal is a crafting ingredient for 5 other items in Minecraft. Each one links to its own recipe and details page.
Block of Coal
Campfire
Fire Charge
Soul Torch
TorchHow to Obtain
- Mining
- Mob drops
- Chest loot
Fuel Value
Burns for 80 seconds (1600 ticks), enough to smelt 8 items
Notes
Dropped by wither skeletons. As fuel it smelts 8 items; nine coal craft into a Block of Coal.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do you get Coal in Minecraft?
Coal is obtained through mining, mob drops, and chest loot. You never craft Coal; 5 recipes spend it.
What is Coal used for?
Coal is a crafting ingredient used to make Block of Coal, Campfire, Fire Charge, Soul Torch, and Torch.
How many Coal can you stack?
Coal stacks up to 64 per inventory slot, so a full stack is 64 and a double chest holds 3,456 of them.
Where do you find Coal in chests?
Coal is chest loot in small underwater ruin chests (about 82%, 1 to 4 at a time), large underwater ruin chests (about 79%, 1 to 4 at a time), igloo basement chests (about 70%, 1 to 4 at a time), and ancient city chests (about 47%, 6 to 15 at a time). It shows up in 13 kinds of chest in total. Those odds come from the loot tables themselves, so they are per chest, without any Luck.
Can Coal be used as fuel?
Yes. Coal burns for 80 seconds in a furnace, which is 8 items smelted before it is used up.