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Redstone Comparator
RedstoneCraftable

Redstone Comparator

A redstone component that compares signal strengths or subtracts them. Can also read container fill levels.

Stack Size

64

Durability

N/A

Category

Redstone

Version Added

1.5

Item ID

comparator

Redstone Comparator at a glance

Redstone Comparator comes from crafting, and Redstone is where it sits as a redstone component. A slot of Redstone Comparator holds 64, nine slots hold 576, and 1728 fill a chest.

As a redstone component, Redstone Comparator is wired into contraptions and circuits, and what it does with a signal is what gives builders the logic and timing behind automatic farms, doors and machines. It breaks the instant you touch it. It sits between Piston and Redstone Comparator in Redstone, number 16 of 29 there.

Crafting recipe

Crafting
Redstone TorchRedstone Torch
Redstone TorchRedstone Torch
Nether QuartzNether Quartz
Redstone TorchRedstone Torch
StoneStone
StoneStone
StoneStone
Redstone ComparatorRedstone Comparator
Recipe data from Astroworld Crafting, where Redstone Comparator has the grid for Redstone Comparator

How to obtain

  • Crafting

Notes

Two modes: compare (front torch off) and subtract (front torch on). Can read container fullness levels.

Frequently asked questions about Redstone Comparator

  1. Redstone Torch, Nether Quartz, Stone going into Redstone Comparator, the recipe this answer describes

    How do you get Redstone Comparator in Minecraft?

    Redstone Comparator is crafted from Redstone Torch, Nether Quartz, and Stone at a Crafting Table, in a single step.

  2. Redstone Comparator on its own, since nothing in the game is crafted from it

    What is Redstone Comparator used for?

    A redstone component that compares signal strengths or subtracts them. Can also read container fill levels.

  3. Redstone Comparator coming forward out of the past, in the game since 1.5

    When was Redstone Comparator added to Minecraft?

    Redstone Comparator was added in version 1.5.

  4. 64 Redstone Comparator drawn together, the full slot the answer counts

    How many Redstone Comparator can you stack?

    64 Redstone Comparator fill one slot, and filling it costs 192 Redstone Torch, 64 Nether Quartz, and 192 Stone: 64 crafts. A double chest of Redstone Comparator comes to 3,456, spread over 54 slots.

Building with it

Three redstone torches, one quartz and three stone make a comparator, and it reads things nothing else can: how full a chest is, what is in a cauldron, which item sits in an item frame. That is how automatic sorters and empty-barrel alarms know what they know.

In practice

In compare mode the output matches the back input unless a side input is stronger, in which case nothing comes out. In subtract mode the side input is taken off the back input instead. Those two modes plus its container reading are all a sorter or a level meter really needs.

Related Astroworld Resources

Redstone Comparator in a redstone circuit

Timing, signal strength and wiring for Redstone Comparator on Astroworld Redstone

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Full Crafting Guide

Step-by-step crafting recipe for Redstone Comparator

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