How to Get Coal in Minecraft

Guide Java Bedrock

Quick answer: Mine coal ore with any pickaxe (a wooden one works): it drops 1 coal, or 1-4 with Fortune I-III, plus 0-2 XP. Wither skeletons also drop 0-1 coal.

What you need

Any pickaxe (wood works)
A furnace and logs (charcoal backup)
Torches to place as you mine
Looting III sword (wither skeleton option)

Step by step

Mine coal ore with a wooden pickaxe or better. Without Silk Touch it drops 1 coal; Fortune I, II and III give 1-2, 1-3 and 1-4. It also drops 0-2 XP.
Deepslate coal ore is a variant that rarely generates at the top of the deepslate layer, with hardness 4.5 (coal ore is 3).
Kill wither skeletons: Java Edition gives 0-1 coal at 33.33% (Looting III raises it to 88.89% for 0-4).
Loot chests: ancient city chests (6-15 coal, ~47%), shipwreck supply chests (2-8, ~37%), mineshaft chests (3-8, ~27%), stronghold storerooms (3-8, ~34% in Java), igloo chests (1-4, ~70%) and ocean ruin chests (1-4, ~79-82%).
Use it: crafts torches, campfires, fire charges and soul torches, and works as furnace fuel.

Java vs Bedrock

Wither skeleton coal drop chance is 33.33% in Java Edition and 50% in Bedrock Edition (0-1 coal without Looting). Stronghold storeroom chests show ~34.3% in Java and ~28.5% in Bedrock.

Versions: Describes the current Java and Bedrock releases. See the edition note above for differences.

Frequently asked questions

How much coal does Fortune give?

Coal ore drops 1-2, 1-3 or 1-4 coal with Fortune I, II and III. Silk Touch drops the ore block itself.

Which pickaxe do I need for coal ore?

A wooden pickaxe or better.

Do wither skeletons drop coal?

Yes, 0-1 coal: 33.33% in Java and 50% in Bedrock without Looting.

Which chests hold the most coal?

Ancient city chests, with 6-15 coal at ~47%.