How to Make a Carpet in Minecraft

Guide Java Bedrock

Quick answer: Place 2 wool of the same color side by side in a crafting grid to get 3 carpets of that color. Re-dye white carpets by surrounding a dye with 8 carpets, and use carpets for decoration, fuel-free floor mob-proofing tricks and llama saddles.

What you need

2 wool of one color per craft (sheep or string crafting)
Optional: dyes to recolor white carpets
A crafting table (or the 2x2 inventory grid - it fits)

Step by step

Get wool: shear sheep for 1-3 wool without killing them, or craft 4 string into 1 wool.
Place 2 wool of the same color anywhere side by side in a crafting grid.
Take the 3 carpets from the output - each craft turns 2 wool into 3 carpets.
All 16 colors work: the carpet color always matches the wool you used.
To recolor: dye the sheep before shearing (permanent colored wool), or craft white carpets and surround 1 dye with 8 carpets to dye all 8 at once.
Place carpets on any solid surface. They sit one pixel above the block - mobs cannot spawn on carpet-covered floors, and you can hide light sources or hoppers underneath.
Extras: carpets decorate llamas like saddles (each color gives a different pattern), work as fuel for 0.33 smelts each, and let you walk over fences (jump onto a carpet on top of a fence, while animals cannot pass).

Java vs Bedrock

Identical in Java and Bedrock.

Versions: Carpets have existed since Java 1.6.1 and Bedrock Alpha 0.8.0. Recipe and behavior are the same everywhere.

Frequently asked questions

Can mobs spawn on carpets?

No - carpets are non-spawnable blocks, so a carpeted floor is a spawn-proof floor that still looks soft. This makes them great for dark builds and mob-farm interiors.

What is the most efficient carpet color?

All colors cost the same. For large floors, dye the sheep instead of the wool: one dye colors a sheep forever, and every shearing after that gives colored wool for free.

Why can I jump a fence with carpet but my horse cannot?

A carpet on top of a fence gives players a step up but mobs read the fence as a full 1.5-block wall. It is the classic animal-pen door: you hop over, livestock stays in.