How to Make a Lodestone in Minecraft

Guide Java Bedrock

Quick answer: Craft 8 chiseled stone bricks around 1 iron ingot - the recipe used to cost a netherite ingot but was made cheap in the Spring to Life update. Use a compass on the lodestone and that compass points to it forever, in any dimension.

What you need

8 chiseled stone bricks (stone bricks, then 2 slabs stacked in the crafting grid each)
1 iron ingot
1 compass per waypoint (4 iron + 1 redstone)
Optional: find one free in ruined portal chests

Step by step

Smelt cobblestone into stone, craft stone bricks, then stack 2 stone brick slabs into chiseled stone bricks - you need 8.
Craft the lodestone: chiseled stone bricks filling every slot except the center, which takes 1 iron ingot.
Place the lodestone at your base, your portal hub, or any landmark you never want to lose.
Hold a compass and right-click the lodestone: it becomes a lodestone compass with an enchantment glint.
That compass now points to this exact block - even in the Nether and the End, where normal compasses spin uselessly.
Make one compass per lodestone; a bundle of them in your ender chest is a waypoint network.

Java vs Bedrock

Identical in Java and Bedrock. If the lodestone is broken or you change dimension... wait: the compass only fails if the lodestone is broken or sits in a different dimension than the one you are in. Re-placing a lodestone at the exact same spot while the compass is stored keeps the link alive.

Versions: Added in 1.16 with a netherite ingot recipe; the Spring to Life update (1.21.5) swapped the center slot to an iron ingot, making lodestones cheap. Old worlds keep their placed lodestones either way.

Frequently asked questions

Why does my lodestone compass spin in circles?

Either the lodestone was broken, or it is in a different dimension from you. A lodestone compass only tracks while its block exists in your current dimension.

Did the lodestone recipe change?

Yes. Before the Spring to Life update it cost a netherite ingot; it now costs a single iron ingot plus 8 chiseled stone bricks.

Can I have multiple lodestone compasses?

Yes - each compass locks to the lodestone you clicked it on, so you can carry waypoints for base, village and portal hub at once.