Charcoal
Material Stack: 64 Since Beta 1.2
Quick answer: Smelt any log or wood block in a furnace: 1 log becomes 1 charcoal with 0.15 XP.
How to get it
- Smelt any log or wood block in a furnace: 1 log becomes 1 charcoal with 0.15 XP
- Break a campfire without Silk Touch and it drops 2 charcoal
- Your first tree is a fuel factory: smelt logs with planks, then charcoal with charcoal
Uses
- Everything coal does except trading: torches (1 charcoal + 1 stick), campfires and fire charges
- Fuel furnaces for 8 items each - identical burn time to coal
- Power your first nights before you ever find a coal vein
- Craft soul torches and jack o'lantern alternatives for mood lighting
Renewability
Renewable: trees grow back, so charcoal never runs out.
Java vs Bedrock
Charcoal cannot be traded to villagers or crafted into blocks, unlike coal.