How to Make Dyes in Minecraft (All 16 Colors)

Guide Java Bedrock

Quick answer: All 16 dyes come from flowers, plants, sea creatures, smelting, or mixing two other dyes. Bone meal (white), ink sacs (black), lapis lazuli (blue) and cocoa beans (brown) work directly as dyes without crafting.

What you need

Flowers (each color family has one)
Squid or glow squid (ink sacs)
Cactus + furnace (green), sea pickles (lime)
Lapis lazuli, cocoa beans, bone meal

Step by step

Primary dyes from the world: red from poppies, red tulips, rose bushes or beetroot; yellow from dandelions or sunflowers; blue from lapis lazuli or cornflowers; white from bone meal or lilies of the valley; black from ink sacs (squid, glow squid) or wither roses; brown from cocoa beans (jungle pods).
Smelted dyes: green comes from smelting cactus in a furnace; lime from smelting sea pickles.
Craft mixed dyes: orange = red + yellow; purple = red + blue; cyan = blue + green; light gray = gray + white (or black + 2 white); gray = black + white; light blue = blue + white; lime = green + white; magenta = purple + pink (or allium / lilac flowers); pink = red + white.
Flower shortcuts: orange tulips give orange directly, pink tulips and peonies give pink, azure bluets, oxeye daisies and white tulips give light gray, blue orchids give light blue, alliums and lilacs give magenta.
Trade for dyes: wandering traders sell dyes and dye plants, and shepherd villagers trade wool-related items for emeralds.
Use dyes on: wool, sheep, beds, carpets, banners, glass, terracotta, concrete powder, leather armor (Java: in the grid; Bedrock: in a cauldron), shulker boxes, candles, and firework stars.

Java vs Bedrock

Dye sources and mixing recipes are the same in Java and Bedrock. The difference is leather armor dyeing: Java dyes armor in the crafting grid, while Bedrock uses a cauldron filled with dyed water.

Versions: Classic (dyes since Beta)1.14 (wither rose black dye, cornflower blue dye)1.17 (glow squid ink)

Frequently asked questions

How do you make green dye in Minecraft?

Smelt cactus in a furnace with any fuel: 1 cactus gives 1 green dye. Cactus farms make this the easiest dye to mass-produce.

What is the rarest dye?

Black from wither roses is the grindiest (wither roses come from mobs killed by the wither), but ink sacs from squids are the easy black source. For flowers, blue orchids only grow in swamps, making light blue surprisingly rare early.

How do you make magenta dye?

Combine purple + pink, or red + blue + pink, or craft it directly from an allium or lilac flower. The flowers are the cheap route.

Can you dye leather armor in both editions?

Yes, but differently: Java dyes leather armor in the crafting grid (armor + dyes, combinable for any RGB blend), while Bedrock dyes it by dipping armor in a cauldron of dyed water.