To learn how to make a torch on Minecraft, place 1 coal or charcoal above 1 stick in a crafting grid. The recipe creates 4 torches. You can use either a 2×2 inventory grid or a crafting table, and the coal or charcoal must sit directly above the stick.
How to make a torch on Minecraft
A regular torch is one of the first items you should craft because it lights caves, prevents many hostile mobs from spawning in dark areas, marks paths, and helps you work safely underground. The recipe is simple and works in both Java Edition and Bedrock Edition.
| Ingredient | Quantity | How to get it |
|---|---|---|
| Coal or charcoal | 1 | Mine coal ore or smelt a log in a furnace |
| Stick | 1 | Craft from two wooden planks |
| Torches produced | 4 | Output from the recipe |
Place the ingredients in a vertical line: put 1 coal or charcoal in the top slot and 1 stick directly below it. The lower slots can remain empty. The same layout works in the 2×2 crafting area in your inventory and in the 3×3 crafting table.
Crafting a torch in your inventory
- Open your inventory crafting grid.
- Place 1 coal or charcoal in one slot.
- Place 1 stick in the slot directly underneath.
- Move the 4 torches from the result slot into your inventory.
Crafting a torch on PC
On PC, open your inventory with the inventory key, usually E, then place the ingredients in the 2×2 grid. You can also interact with a crafting table to open its 3×3 grid. If the recipe book is enabled, select the torch recipe after you have coal or charcoal and sticks available.
What you need before crafting
You need only one fuel item and one stick for the torch recipe. Coal is usually the fastest option during your first mining trip, but charcoal is just as useful for crafting torches.
How to make sticks
Turn any wooden log into planks, then place 2 planks vertically in the crafting grid. This creates 4 sticks. The planks can come from any standard overworld tree, and different wood types do not change the torch recipe.
How to get coal
Coal ore commonly appears in stone and deepslate areas underground and can also be exposed on cliffs and mountains. Mine coal ore with a pickaxe to collect coal. A single coal item can make 4 torches when combined with one stick.
How to make charcoal
If you have wood but cannot find coal, place a log in the top slot of a furnace and fuel in the bottom slot. The smelting result is charcoal. Charcoal works in the regular torch recipe exactly like coal, so it is a reliable early-game substitute.
- 1 log smelted in a furnace produces 1 charcoal.
- 1 charcoal plus 1 stick produces 4 torches.
- Coal and charcoal cannot be combined into a single ingredient stack, but either one works separately in the recipe.
How to make a soul torch in Minecraft
A soul torch is the blue-flame version of a regular torch. It requires one extra ingredient and produces 4 soul torches per craft. You need to reach the Nether to collect soul sand or soul soil.
| Ingredient | Quantity | Possible substitute |
|---|---|---|
| Coal or charcoal | 1 | Either one works |
| Stick | 1 | None |
| Soul sand or soul soil | 1 | Either one works |
| Soul torches produced | 4 | Output from the recipe |
Use a vertical three-item layout: place coal or charcoal in the top slot, a stick in the middle slot, and soul sand or soul soil in the bottom slot. You can use a crafting table because the recipe has three ingredients, although they fit in one vertical column.
- Collect coal or charcoal and a stick.
- Find soul sand or soul soil in the Nether.
- Open a crafting table.
- Place the coal or charcoal above the stick, with soul sand or soul soil beneath the stick.
- Take the 4 soul torches from the result slot.
Soul sand and soul soil can be found in the soul sand valley biome. Soul torches give off blue light and are useful for Nether builds, spooky interiors, and areas where you want a cooler lighting color. Their light is weaker than that of regular torches.
How to get a torch without crafting
You can find regular torches already placed in several generated structures. Break them by hand or with a tool, then collect the dropped items. This is useful when you are exploring before you have coal or charcoal.
- Mineshaft corridors
- Village houses and lamp posts
- Strongholds
- Igloo basements
- Woodland mansions
- Pillager outposts
- Some structure chests and minecart chests
Soul torches can also appear as loot in ancient city chests. However, crafting is usually more dependable because you can make four at once from common materials once you have entered the Nether.
How to use torches effectively
Place torches on the floor, walls, or other valid surfaces to light an area. They remain lit permanently and do not need fuel. You can also use them as visual markers while exploring caves, ravines, mineshafts, and the Nether.
Marking a path
Choose one consistent side of a tunnel for your torches. For example, place torches on the right wall as you travel deeper. When you want to return, keep the torches on your left. This simple system prevents many cave trips from turning into dead ends.
Lighting a base
Use torches in dark corners, stairwells, storage rooms, and mine entrances. Place enough light to remove dark patches rather than spacing torches only along the center of a room. You can later replace them with lanterns, glowstone, sea lanterns, or other decorative light sources.
Using soul torches near piglins
Soul torches repel piglins, making them useful around Nether bases and pathways. They are not as bright as regular torches, so use them for atmosphere or piglin control rather than as your only source of strong illumination.
Java Edition and Bedrock Edition differences
The regular torch and soul torch recipes are the same in Java Edition and Bedrock Edition. Both editions use coal or charcoal, sticks, and the same vertical crafting layouts. The main difference is how you interact with the interface: Java Edition commonly uses keyboard and mouse controls, while Bedrock Edition may use a controller, touchscreen, or keyboard depending on your device.
The recipe book can also look different between platforms, but it does not change the ingredients or the number of torches produced. If the recipe does not appear, confirm that you have the correct ingredients and that the recipe book is not filtered to craftable or uncraftable items in a way that hides it.
Common torch crafting mistakes
- Putting the stick beside the coal instead of directly underneath it.
- Using a torch, redstone torch, or lantern when the recipe requires coal or charcoal.
- Trying to make a soul torch without soul sand or soul soil.
- Using a regular 2×2 inventory grid for a recipe that requires three vertical ingredients.
- Forgetting that one recipe creates 4 torches, not 1.
If you have no coal, make charcoal from a log and use it with sticks. If you have already found a mineshaft or village, collect existing torches while exploring, then craft your own supply once you return to safety.
