Coal
Coal is a rock item mainly obtained by harvesting coal ore blocks. It is used as fuel, for crafting torches and campfires, or for trading with villagers. Charcoal is used the same way, but the two cannot stack together.
Contents
Obtaining[edit]
Natural generation[edit]
Item | Structure | Container | Quantity | Chance |
---|---|---|---|---|
Java Edition | ||||
Coal | Dungeon | Chest | 1–4 | 26.6% |
Mineshaft | Chest | 3–8 | 31.6% | |
Igloo | Chest | 1–4 | 70.4% | |
Shipwreck | Supply chest | 2–8 | 40% | |
Stronghold | Storeroom chest | 3–8 | 34.3% | |
Underwater ruins | Small ruins chest | 1–4 | 84.2% | |
Big ruins chest | 1–4 | 81% | ||
Village | Butcher's chest | 1–3 | 27.9% | |
Toolsmith's chest | 1–3 | 9.9% | ||
Fisherman's chest | 1–3 | 43% | ||
Snowy house chest | 1–4 | 41.2% | ||
Woodland mansion | Chest | 1–4 | 26.6% | |
Bedrock Edition | ||||
Coal | Dungeon | Chest | 1–4 | 26.6% |
Mineshaft | Chest | 3–8 | 31.6% | |
Igloo | Chest | 1–4 | 70.4% | |
Shipwreck | Supply chest | 2–8 | 40% | |
Stronghold | Storeroom chest | 3–8 | 28.5% | |
Underwater ruins | Big ruins chest | 1–4 | 81% | |
Small ruins chest | 1–4 | 84.2% | ||
Village | Snowy house chest | 1–4 | 41.2% | |
Toolsmith's chest | 1–3 | 9.9% | ||
Butcher's chest | 1–3 | 27.9% | ||
Woodland mansion | Chest | 1–4 | 26.6% |
Mining[edit]
Coal ore mined using a pickaxe drops 1 unit of coal. If the pickaxe is enchanted with Fortune, it may drop an extra unit per level of Fortune, up to a maximum of 4 with Fortune III.
Mob loot[edit]
Wither skeletons have a 1⁄3 chance of dropping a single coal upon death. The maximum amount of coal is increased by 1 per level of Looting. The chance of a wither skeleton not dropping any coal can be found using the formula 2 / (Looting Level + 3)
. For example, Looting III gives a 1⁄3 chance of not dropping any coal. All other amounts have an equal chance of occurring.
Crafting[edit]
Name | Ingredients | Crafting recipe |
---|---|---|
Coal | Block of Coal |
Smelting[edit]
Ingredients | Smelting recipe |
---|---|
Coal Ore + Any fuel |
Usage[edit]
Crafting ingredient[edit]
Name | Ingredients | Crafting recipe |
---|---|---|
Block of Coal | Coal | |
Campfire | Stick + Coal + Any Log or Stem or Any Stripped Log or Stem or Any Wood or Hyphae or Any Stripped Wood or Hyphae |
|
Fire Charge | Blaze Powder + Coal + Gunpowder |
|
Soul Torch | Coal + Stick + Soul Soil or Soul Sand |
|
Torch | Coal + Stick |
Fuel[edit]
When used in a furnace as a fuel, a piece of coal lasts 80 seconds (smelting up to 8 items), like charcoal. Coal used as fuel lasts more than 5 times longer than wood planks or wood logs used as fuel, being more efficient than any other use of wood for smelting in Java Edition, but outstripped by wooden slabs in Bedrock.
Coal and charcoal are also the only fuels accepted by powered minecarts. They provide approximately four minutes of transit each.
Trading[edit]
Novice-level fisherman villagers have a 50% chance to buy 10 coal for an emerald.
In Java Edition, novice-level armorer and toolsmith villagers have a 40% chance of offering to buy 15 coal for one emerald. Novice-level weaponsmith villagers and apprentice-level butcher villagers have 2⁄3 chance of offering to buy 15 coal for one emerald.
In Bedrock Edition, novice-level armorer, toolsmith, and weaponsmith villagers and apprentice-level butcher villagers buy 15 coal for an emerald.
Data values[edit]
ID[edit]
Name | Namespaced ID | Item tags (JE) | Form | Translation key |
---|---|---|---|---|
Coal | coal | coals | Item | item.minecraft.coal |
Name | Namespaced ID | Numeric ID | Form | Translation key |
---|---|---|---|---|
Coal | coal | 263 | Item | item.coal.name |
Achievements[edit]
Icon | Achievement | In-game description | Actual requirements (if different) | Gamerscore earned | Trophy type (PS) | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
![]() | Renewable Energy | Smelt wood trunks using charcoal to make more charcoal. | Smelt a wooden log with charcoal as the fuel. | 10G | Bronze |
History[edit]
Java Edition Classic | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
May 21, 2009 | Notch shows interest in adding coal, commenting that it might be combined with iron ore to make steel. | ||||
Java Edition Indev | |||||
0.31 | January 28, 2010 | ![]() | |||
Mining coal ore blocks drops 2-5 pieces of coal. | |||||
January 29, 2010 | Coal can be used to craft torches. | ||||
? | Mining coal ore now drops 1 piece of coal (down from 2-5). | ||||
February 19, 2010 | ![]() | ||||
Java Edition Beta | |||||
1.8 | Pre-release | Coal can now be found in the brand-new mineshaft chests and stronghold storeroom chests. | |||
Java Edition | |||||
1.0.0 | ? | Coal can be now obtained by smelting coal ore. | |||
1.2.1 | 12w04a | Coal and charcoal are now used to craft fire charges. | |||
1.3.1 | 12w21a | Blacksmith and butcher villagers now buy 16–23 of either coal or charcoal for 1 emerald. | |||
1.3 | ![]() ![]() | ||||
1.4.2 | 12w36a | Coal is now dropped by wither skeletons, making it renewable. | |||
1.6.1 | 13w18a | Coal can now be used to craft coal blocks. | |||
1.8 | 14w02a | Fisherman, armorer, tool smith, weapon smith and butcher villagers now buy 16–24 coal for 1 emerald. | |||
1.9 | 15w43a | Coal may now be found in igloo basement chests. | |||
15w44a | The average yield of coal from mineshaft chests has been decreased, and added to dungeon chests. | ||||
1.11 | 16w39a | Coal can now be found in the new woodland mansion chests. | |||
1.13 | 17w47a | The different data values for the coal ID have been split up into their own IDs.
| |||
Prior to The Flattening, this item's numeral ID was 263. | |||||
18w09a | Coal can now be found in the loot chests of underwater ruins. | ||||
18w11a | Coal now generates in shipwreck chests. | ||||
1.14 | 18w43a | ![]() ![]() | |||
19w02a | Coal and charcoal can now be used to craft campfires. Destroying a campfire returns 2 charcoal. | ||||
Pocket Edition Alpha | |||||
v0.3.0 | ![]() | ||||
Coal can be used to craft torches. | |||||
v0.8.0 | build 2 | ![]() ![]() | |||
Coal can now be crafted to make a block of coal. | |||||
v0.12.1 | build 1 | Coal is now dropped by wither skeletons. | |||
v0.14.0 | build 1 | Coal can now be found inside chest minecarts in mineshafts. | |||
v0.15.0 | build 1 | Coal and charcoal are now used to craft fire charges. | |||
Pocket Edition | |||||
1.0.0 | alpha 0.17.0.1 | Coal can now be found in the stronghold storeroom chests. | |||
Coal may now be found in igloo basement chests. | |||||
1.0.4 | alpha 1.0.4.0 | Fisherman, armorer, toolsmith, weaponsmith and butcher villagers now buy 16–24 coal for 1 emerald. | |||
1.1.0 | alpha 1.1.0.0 | Coal is now found in woodland mansion chests. | |||
Bedrock Edition | |||||
1.4.0 | beta 1.2.14.2 | Coal can now be found inside shipwreck chests. | |||
beta 1.2.20.1 | Coal can now be found inside underwater ruins chests. | ||||
1.10.0 | beta 1.10.0.3 | Coal and charcoal can now be used to craft campfires. Destroying a campfire returns 2 charcoal. | |||
![]() ![]() | |||||
1.11.0 | beta 1.11.0.1 | Coal can now be found in snowy tundra village house chests and in village butcher and toolsmith chests. | |||
beta 1.11.0.4 | Armorer, weaponsmith, toolsmith, and butcher villagers now buy 15 coal for an emerald. | ||||
Fishermen villagers now have a 50% chance to buy 10 coal for an emerald as part of their first tier trade. | |||||
1.16.0 | beta 1.16.0.51 | Coal and charcoal are now used to craft soul fire torches. | |||
Legacy Console Edition | |||||
TU1 | CU1 | 1.0 | Patch 1 | 1.0.1 | ![]() ![]() |
? | ![]() ![]() | ||||
1.90 | ![]() ![]() | ||||
New Nintendo 3DS Edition | |||||
0.1.0 | ![]() ![]() |
Issues[edit]
Issues relating to "Coal" are maintained on the bug tracker. Report issues there.