How to Make Bricks in Minecraft

Guide Java Bedrock

Quick answer: Smelt clay balls in a regular furnace to make brick items, then put four brick items in a 2×2 square to make one brick block. A blast furnace cannot smelt clay. Breaking one clay block gives the four balls needed for one brick block.

What you need

4 clay balls per brick block
Regular furnace and fuel
Any pickaxe to recover placed brick blocks

Step by step

Collect clay from shallow water or lush cave ponds. A shovel is fastest.
Break each clay block without Silk Touch to get four clay balls. Fortune does not increase this drop.
Smelt the balls in a regular furnace with fuel: one clay ball makes one brick item. A blast furnace does not work.
Put four brick items in a 2×2 square in your inventory or a crafting table to make one brick block.
Use finished brick blocks in a stonecutter for stairs, slabs or walls. Mine placed brick blocks with any pickaxe.
Keep individual brick items for flower pots: three in a V shape make one pot.

Java vs Bedrock

The clay-to-brick recipe works in Java and Bedrock. Clay balls make brick items; whole clay blocks smelt into terracotta instead. Novice mason villagers also sell brick items, not finished brick blocks.

Versions: javabedrock

Frequently asked questions

Can a blast furnace make bricks?

No. Use a regular furnace. A blast furnace does not accept clay balls.

How much clay makes 64 brick blocks?

64 clay blocks drop 256 clay balls. Smelt all 256 balls into brick items, then craft them into 64 brick blocks.

Do masons sell brick blocks?

They sell individual brick items at novice level. Craft four items together to make a block.

Why did my clay become terracotta?

You smelted a whole clay block. Break the block into clay balls first if you want bricks.