How to Make a Blast Furnace in Minecraft (March 2026) Quick Guide

Updated by Rudra Sethi
November 19, 2025
Gaming Guides

Have you ever found yourself sitting in front of your regular furnace, watching ores slowly smelt while wishing there was a faster way? I’ve been there countless times, and trust me, discovering the blast furnace completely transformed my Minecraft gameplay. After spending hundreds of hours in various Minecraft worlds, I can confidently say that crafting a blast furnace is one of the best upgrades you’ll ever make in your survival journey.

The blast furnace isn’t just another block – it’s a game-changing utility that smelts ores, metal tools, and armor at twice the speed of a regular furnace. Imagine cutting your smelting time in half! Whether you’re returning from a deep mining expedition with stacks of iron ore or need to quickly repair your equipment by recycling old gear, the blast furnace is your best friend.

In this comprehensive guide, I’ll walk you through everything you need to know about making and using a blast furnace in Minecraft. From gathering the required materials to mastering advanced tips, you’ll become a blast furnace expert by the end of this article.

What is a Blast Furnace in Minecraft?

Property	Details
Primary Function	Smelts ores and metal items at 2x speed
Job Site Block	Converts unemployed villagers to Armorers
Light Level	Emits light level 13 when active
Mining Tool	Requires pickaxe (any tier)
Fuel Efficiency	Uses fuel 2x faster but smelts 2x faster
Added Version	Java 1.14 / Bedrock 1.11.0

A blast furnace is a specialized smelting block that processes metal-related items significantly faster than a regular furnace. While it can’t cook food or smelt items like glass or bricks, it absolutely dominates when it comes to processing ores, raw metals, and metal equipment.

Here’s what makes the blast furnace special:

Double Speed Smelting: Completes smelting operations in just 5 seconds instead of 10 seconds
Metal Specialization: Only works with iron, gold, copper ores, and chainmail armor/tools
Villager Job Block: Turns unemployed villagers into Armorers who trade valuable items
Recycling Station: Convert worn-out metal tools and armor into nuggets
Hopper Compatible: Works seamlessly with automated systems

The blast furnace was introduced during the Village & Pillage update (version 1.14 for Java Edition and 1.11.0 for Bedrock Edition) in early 2019, and it’s been an essential tool for efficient players ever since.

Materials Required to Make a Blast Furnace

Before we jump into the crafting process, let’s break down exactly what you’ll need. The good news? All materials are readily available in the Overworld, and you can gather everything in a single mining session if you know where to look.

Complete Materials List

Material	Quantity	How to Obtain
Furnace	1	Craft with 8 cobblestone blocks
Iron Ingots	5	Smelt iron ore or raw iron in a furnace
Smooth Stone	3	Smelt stone (not cobblestone) in a furnace

Step-by-Step Material Gathering Guide

1. Crafting a Regular Furnace

The furnace is the heart of your blast furnace, so you’ll need one before anything else. Here’s how to make it:

Gather 8 Cobblestone Blocks: Mine any stone block with a wooden pickaxe or better. Stone is everywhere underground and on mountain surfaces.
Open Your Crafting Table: Right-click on a crafting table to access the 3×3 crafting grid.
Place Cobblestone in a Hollow Square: Fill all outer squares of the crafting grid, leaving the center empty. This creates your furnace.

Pro Tip: You can also use 8 blackstone blocks instead of cobblestone in Java Edition, giving you a darker aesthetic furnace!

2. Obtaining Iron Ingots

Iron is one of the most crucial resources in Minecraft, and you’ll need 5 ingots for your blast furnace.

Finding Iron Ore:

Best Y-Levels: Iron generates most commonly between Y-levels 16 and 232, with peak generation at Y=16 and Y=232
Mining Tool Required: At least a stone pickaxe
Where to Look: Caves, ravines, underground tunnels, and exposed mountainsides

Smelting Process:

Mine iron ore blocks with your stone pickaxe (you’ll get raw iron)
Place raw iron in the top slot of your furnace
Add fuel (coal, charcoal, wood planks) to the bottom slot
Wait for the smelting to complete
Collect your iron ingots

Each iron ore yields one iron ingot, so you’ll need to mine at least 5 iron ore blocks. I always mine extra because iron is incredibly useful for tools, armor, and countless other recipes.

Quick Tip: If you’re playing in Minecraft 1.21 or later, iron generates in larger veins, making it easier to collect multiple ores at once.

3. Creating Smooth Stone

Smooth stone is the tricky part because it requires a two-step smelting process. Many players miss this detail and wonder why cobblestone doesn’t work!

The Two-Step Process:

Step 1: Cobblestone → Stone

Place cobblestone in your furnace’s top slot
Add fuel to the bottom slot
Smelt to create regular stone blocks

Step 2: Stone → Smooth Stone

Take your newly created stone blocks
Place them back in the furnace’s top slot
Smelt again with fuel
Collect your smooth stone

You’ll need at least 3 smooth stone blocks, but I recommend making 6-9 extra for other crafting recipes like blast furnaces for friends or brewing stands.

Important: Don’t confuse smooth stone with stone bricks or polished stone – they’re different blocks! Smooth stone has a lighter, more uniform texture.

How to Craft a Blast Furnace?

Now that we’ve gathered all our materials, it’s time for the exciting part – actually crafting your blast furnace! The pattern is specific, so follow along carefully.

Crafting Recipe Pattern

[Iron] [Iron] [Iron]
[Iron] [Furnace] [Iron]
[Smooth Stone] [Smooth Stone] [Smooth Stone]

Detailed Crafting Steps

Step 1: Open Your Crafting Table

Right-click (or use secondary action button) on your crafting table
You’ll see a 3×3 crafting grid appear

Step 2: Place Materials in the Correct Pattern

Here’s exactly where each item goes:

Top Row:

Left square: Iron Ingot
Middle square: Iron Ingot
Right square: Iron Ingot

Middle Row:

Left square: Iron Ingot
Middle square: Furnace (this is crucial!)
Right square: Iron Ingot

Bottom Row:

Left square: Smooth Stone
Middle square: Smooth Stone
Right square: Smooth Stone

Step 3: Collect Your Blast Furnace

Once all items are placed correctly, the blast furnace will appear in the result box
Click on it and drag it to your inventory
Congratulations! You’ve just crafted a blast furnace!

Alternative Method: Finding Blast Furnaces in Villages

If crafting seems like too much work (I totally understand the feeling after a long mining session), you can find naturally generated blast furnaces in villages!

Where to Look:

Armorer Houses: These are village buildings where the Armorer villager works
Trail Ruins: Rare archaeological sites that sometimes contain blast furnaces
Both Biomes: Villages generate in plains, desert, savanna, taiga, and snowy biomes

How to Mine It:

Use any pickaxe (wood, stone, iron, diamond, or netherite)
Java Edition: You MUST use a pickaxe or the blast furnace won’t drop
Bedrock Edition: You can use your hand or any tool

Pro Tip: If you’re “borrowing” a blast furnace from a village, wait until the Armorer villager isn’t looking, or they might get grumpy! Just kidding – villagers don’t actually care, but it adds to the role-playing fun.

How to Use a Blast Furnace in Minecraft?

Crafting the blast furnace is only half the battle. Now I’ll show you how to use it effectively to maximize your smelting efficiency.

Placing Your Blast Furnace

Select the blast furnace in your hotbar
Position your crosshair where you want to place it
Right-click (or use secondary action button) on the block surface
The blast furnace will be placed facing toward you

Placement Tips:

Place it near your storage chests for easy access
Position it alongside regular furnaces for a complete smelting station
Keep it away from flammable materials (though it won’t actually cause fires)
Consider placing it near your smithing table and anvil for a complete metalworking area

Operating the Blast Furnace Interface

Right-click on your placed blast furnace to open its interface. You’ll see three slots:

Slot Position	Purpose	What Goes Here
Top Slot	Input	Ores, raw metals, metal tools/armor
Bottom Slot	Fuel	Coal, charcoal, wood, lava buckets, etc.
Right Slot	Output	Smelted items appear here

What Can You Smelt in a Blast Furnace?

The blast furnace is specialized, which means it only accepts specific items. Here’s the complete list:

✅ Accepted Items:

Ores: Iron ore, gold ore, copper ore, nether gold ore
Raw Materials: Raw iron, raw gold, raw copper
Deepslate Variants: Deepslate iron ore, deepslate gold ore, deepslate copper ore
Metal Equipment: Iron tools, gold tools, chainmail armor
Metal Armor: Iron armor, gold armor
Special Items: Ancient debris (becomes netherite scrap)

❌ Items That DON’T Work:

Food items (use a furnace or smoker instead)
Sand/glass (use a regular furnace)
Clay/bricks (use a regular furnace)
Stone blocks (use a regular furnace)
Wood/charcoal (use a regular furnace)

Fuel Options for Blast Furnaces

Your blast furnace accepts the same fuels as regular furnaces, but remember – it uses fuel twice as fast because it smelts twice as fast!

Best Fuel Choices (By Efficiency):

Fuel Type	Items Smelted	Burn Time	Efficiency Rating
Lava Bucket	50 items	1000 seconds	⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Excellent
Block of Coal	40 items	800 seconds	⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Excellent
Dried Kelp Block	10 items	200 seconds	⭐⭐⭐⭐ Good
Coal	4 items	80 seconds	⭐⭐⭐ Average
Charcoal	4 items	80 seconds	⭐⭐⭐ Average
Wood Planks	0.75 items	15 seconds	⭐⭐ Poor

My Personal Recommendation: I always use coal or blocks of coal because they’re easy to obtain while mining. Lava buckets are technically more efficient, but you’ll lose the bucket slot.

Advanced Blast Furnace Tips and Tricks

Now that you know the basics, let me share some pro strategies I’ve learned from extensive gameplay.

1. Recycling Old Equipment

One of my favorite blast furnace uses is recycling worn-out tools and armor. When your iron sword is down to 1 durability or your gold helmet is about to break, don’t throw them away!

Recycling Returns:

Each iron tool/armor piece → 1 iron nugget
Each gold tool/armor piece → 1 gold nugget
9 nuggets combine into 1 ingot

Pro Strategy: Even though you only get 1 nugget per item (not much), it’s better than nothing. I keep a “recycling chest” next to my blast furnace for all nearly-broken equipment.

2. Setting Up Automation with Hoppers

Want to smelt automatically while you’re away? Set up a hopper system!

Basic Automation Setup:

Place a hopper on top of the blast furnace (feeds items into top slot)
Place a hopper underneath (collects smelted items from output)
Connect input hopper to a chest filled with ores
Connect output hopper to a chest for collecting ingots
Manually add fuel (or use a third hopper system for auto-fueling)

This setup lets you dump hundreds of ores and come back to find them all smelted! Perfect for large mining hauls.

3. Creating a Villager Armorer Trading Hall

Blast furnaces serve as job site blocks for villagers, turning unemployed villagers into Armorers.

Why Armorers Are Valuable:

Enchanted Diamond/Iron Armor: Available at higher trading levels
Emerald Trades: Trade iron ingots or coal for emeralds
Chainmail Armor: The only way to obtain chainmail legitimately in survival mode
Bell Trades: Purchase bells for your village

How to Create an Armorer:

Place a blast furnace near an unemployed villager (one without a profession)
The villager will claim it and become an Armorer (you’ll see their outfit change)
Start trading immediately!

Pro Tip: If the trades aren’t good, break the blast furnace before trading, and the villager will reset to unemployed. Place it again to get new trades!

4. Optimizing Your Smelting Station Layout

After countless hours optimizing my base designs, here’s my ideal smelting station layout:

[Chest] [Chest] [Chest]
   ↓       ↓       ↓
[Furnace] [Blast Furnace] [Smoker]
   ↓       ↓       ↓
[Chest] [Chest] [Chest]

Benefits of This Layout:

Input chests on top hold raw materials
Output chests on bottom collect finished items
All three smelting blocks in one convenient location
Easy to manage and visually organized

5. Experience Farming Consideration

Here’s something many players don’t realize: Blast furnaces give LESS experience than regular furnaces when collecting smelted items.

Experience Comparison:

Regular Furnace: Standard XP for smelted items
Blast Furnace: Reduced XP (approximately 50% less)

When Speed Matters More Than XP:

Processing large quantities of ore quickly
Mid-game when XP isn’t critical
Preparing for building projects needing lots of iron

When XP Matters More Than Speed:

Early game leveling
Preparing for enchanting sessions
When you specifically need experience points

My strategy? I use blast furnaces for bulk processing and regular furnaces when I’m specifically trying to gain levels.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

Let me save you some frustration by highlighting mistakes I’ve made (and seen others make) when working with blast furnaces.

Mistake #1: Using Stone Instead of Smooth Stone

The Problem: Trying to craft with regular stone or stone bricks instead of smooth stone
The Solution: Remember the two-step process! Cobblestone → Stone → Smooth Stone

Mistake #2: Trying to Cook Food

The Problem: Putting raw meat or fish in the blast furnace
The Solution: Use a regular furnace, campfire, or smoker for food items. The blast furnace only accepts metal items!

Mistake #3: Forgetting to Use a Pickaxe

The Problem: Breaking a blast furnace with your hand or wrong tool in Java Edition
The Solution: Always use a pickaxe (any tier works) when mining blast furnaces in Java Edition

Mistake #4: Not Managing Fuel Efficiently

The Problem: Adding too much fuel and wasting it when you’re done smelting
The Solution: Calculate roughly how much you need. Remember, one coal smelts 4 items in a blast furnace!

Mistake #5: Placing Near Villagers Accidentally

The Problem: Placing a blast furnace near villagers and accidentally changing their profession
The Solution: Be mindful of unclaimed blast furnaces in villages, as nearby unemployed villagers will immediately claim them

Blast Furnace vs. Regular Furnace vs. Smoker

Understanding when to use each smelting block will make you a more efficient Minecraft player.

Feature	Blast Furnace	Regular Furnace	Smoker
Smelting Speed	2x faster (5 sec)	Standard (10 sec)	2x faster (5 sec)
Fuel Consumption	2x faster	Standard	2x faster
Can Smelt Ores	✅ Yes	✅ Yes	❌ No
Can Cook Food	❌ No	✅ Yes	✅ Yes
Can Smelt Stone	❌ No	✅ Yes	❌ No
Experience Given	Lower	Standard	Standard
Job Site For	Armorer	None	Butcher
Best Used For	Metal processing	All-purpose	Food only

My Usage Pattern:

Blast Furnace: 90% of my ore smelting
Regular Furnace: Glass, bricks, stone, pottery, and when I need XP
Smoker: All food cooking (so much faster than regular furnaces!)

Platform-Specific Information

The blast furnace works on all Minecraft platforms, but there are some minor differences worth noting.

Java Edition Features

Version: Added in 1.14 (April 2019)
Breaking: Must use pickaxe or it won’t drop
Customization: Can be named using an anvil before placing
Data Commands: Can be locked using /data command
Redstone: Cannot be pushed by pistons

Bedrock Edition Features

Version: Added in 1.11.0 (April 2019)
Breaking: Can be broken with any tool or hand
Pistons: CAN be pushed by pistons
Cross-Platform: Works on Xbox, PlayStation, Switch, Mobile, Windows 10

Important Note: Despite these minor differences, the core functionality (smelting speed, fuel usage, accepted items) is identical across all platforms.

Creative Uses and Building Ideas

Beyond just smelting, blast furnaces can be incorporated into creative builds:

1. Medieval Blacksmith Shop

Place multiple blast furnaces with anvils and smithing tables
Add armor stands displaying iron armor
Use iron blocks and iron bars for decoration
Perfect for village-themed builds or roleplay servers!

2. Industrial Factory Theme

Row of blast furnaces with hopper automation
Iron block walls and iron doors
Create a “factory floor” using stone bricks
Add redstone lamps for industrial lighting

3. Dwarven Forge

Built into mountain caves
Surrounded by anvils and lava
Stone brick and deepslate construction
Perfect for underground bases

4. Steampunk Aesthetic

Combine with copper blocks (especially oxidized copper)
Mix with gold blocks for contrast
Add chains and lanterns for details

Integration with Minecraft Updates

The blast furnace has remained consistent since its introduction, but it integrates well with newer features added in subsequent updates.

Compatibility with March 2026 Features

Works Great With:

Copper Equipment (Copper Age Update): Smelt copper ore faster
Ancient Debris: Process netherite scrap efficiently
Deepslate Ores: Smelt deepslate variants at double speed
Archaeology Finds: Process any metal items discovered

Future-Proof Investment:
The blast furnace will continue working with any metal-based content Mojang adds to Minecraft, making it a permanent staple in your base.

Troubleshooting Common Issues

Issue: Blast Furnace Not Working

Possible Causes & Solutions:

✅ Check Item Type: Only metals and ores work
✅ Verify Fuel: Make sure fuel is in bottom slot
✅ Wait Time: Remember it still takes 5 seconds (not instant)
✅ Check Quantity: Need at least one item to smelt

Issue: Not Getting Much Experience

This Is Normal! Blast furnaces give reduced experience compared to regular furnaces. It’s the trade-off for faster smelting.

Issue: Villager Won’t Become Armorer

Possible Causes:

Villager already has a different profession
Another villager already claimed that blast furnace
Not enough space around the blast furnace
It’s nighttime and villagers aren’t working

Solution: Use an unemployed villager (green coat, no profession) during daytime hours.

Issue: Blast Furnace Disappeared After Breaking

Java Edition Problem: You must use a pickaxe or it won’t drop. Always use the right tool!

Frequently Asked Questions

How long does a blast furnace take to smelt items?

A blast furnace smelts items in exactly 5 seconds (100 game ticks), which is twice as fast as a regular furnace’s 10 seconds (200 game ticks). However, it also consumes fuel at double the rate, meaning the number of items you can smelt per fuel unit remains the same as a regular furnace.

Can you use a blast furnace for everything?

No, blast furnaces are specialized for metal items only. You can only use them to smelt ores (iron, gold, copper), raw metals, metal tools, metal armor, chainmail items, and ancient debris. They cannot cook food, smelt stone, make glass, or process clay – use a regular furnace, smoker, or campfire for those items instead.

What’s the difference between a blast furnace and a smoker?

Both smelt at double speed, but they’re specialized for different items. A blast furnace handles metal-related items (ores, raw metals, metal equipment), while a smoker only cooks food items. Think of the blast furnace as your industrial metalworking station and the smoker as your kitchen appliance. Regular furnaces can do both but take twice as long.

Can you smelt diamond ore in a blast furnace?

No, blast furnaces cannot smelt diamond ore because diamonds aren’t a metal – they’re a gem. Attempting to place diamond ore in a blast furnace simply won’t work. You also can’t smelt coal ore, lapis lazuli ore, redstone ore, emerald ore, or any other non-metal ores. These must be smelted in a regular furnace if needed, though most are better used directly with Fortune enchantment.

How much iron do you need for a blast furnace?

You need exactly 5 iron ingots to craft a blast furnace. This means you’ll need to mine at least 5 iron ore blocks (or find 5 raw iron) and smelt them in a regular furnace first. I always recommend mining extra iron since you’ll need it for so many other recipes – tools, armor, anvils, iron blocks, and more.

Does a blast furnace give less experience?

Yes, collecting items from a blast furnace gives significantly less experience points compared to a regular furnace – approximately 50% less. This is the trade-off for faster smelting speed. If you’re specifically trying to gain experience levels for enchanting, use a regular furnace instead. However, for bulk ore processing when XP doesn’t matter, the blast furnace is unbeatable.

Can hoppers feed into blast furnaces?

Yes, hoppers work perfectly with blast furnaces! You can place a hopper on top to automatically feed items into the input slot, place one underneath to collect smelted items from the output slot, and even use a side hopper for fuel if you want full automation. This makes blast furnaces excellent for automated ore processing systems in advanced bases.

What happens if you break a blast furnace while it’s smelting?

When you break a blast furnace (using a pickaxe in Java Edition), all items inside – including the item being smelted, any remaining fuel, and partially smelted items – will pop out as item entities. Nothing is lost, but the smelting progress is reset. The same happens if a blast furnace is destroyed by an explosion or other means.

Can you move a blast furnace with a piston?

In Bedrock Edition (Xbox, PlayStation, Switch, Mobile, Windows 10), yes – blast furnaces can be pushed by pistons, though any items inside will pop out. In Java Edition, no – blast furnaces cannot be moved by pistons at all. If you need to relocate a blast furnace in Java Edition, you must break it with a pickaxe and place it in the new location.

Why won’t my blast furnace smelt cobblestone?

Blast furnaces are specialized for metal items only – they cannot process stone, cobblestone, sand, or any non-metal blocks. If you need to smelt cobblestone into stone (or stone into smooth stone for crafting), you must use a regular furnace. This specialization is intentional game design to make each smelting block have a specific purpose.

Final Thoughts: Making the Most of Your Blast Furnace

After covering everything from basic crafting to advanced automation, you’re now equipped with complete blast furnace mastery! This seemingly simple block has become one of my most-used utilities in every Minecraft world I play.

Key Takeaways to Remember:

✅ Blast furnaces smelt ores and metal items twice as fast as regular furnaces
✅ They require 5 iron ingots, 1 furnace, and 3 smooth stone to craft
✅ Only metal-related items can be smelted (no food, stone, or glass)
✅ They give less experience but save tremendous amounts of time
✅ Perfect for automation with hoppers
✅ Turn unemployed villagers into valuable Armorer traders

The blast furnace perfectly represents what I love about Minecraft – it rewards preparation and efficiency while offering multiple creative applications beyond its primary function. Whether you’re building an industrial sorting system, running a village trading hall, or simply want to process your mining hauls faster, the blast furnace delivers.

My personal tip? Make at least 3-4 blast furnaces for your main base. I keep one near my mining entrance for immediate ore processing, another in my main storage room hooked up to hoppers, one in my villager trading hall, and a spare for outdoor expedition bases. You can never have too many!

Now it’s your turn to craft your blast furnace and experience the satisfaction of watching those ore stacks melt away in record time. Trust me, once you start using a blast furnace regularly, you’ll wonder how you ever managed with just regular furnaces.

What creative ways have you found to use blast furnaces in your worlds? Share your setups and automation systems – I’d love to hear how other players are maximizing this incredible block!

Related Guides You Might Enjoy:

Happy smelting, and may your furnaces burn bright! 🔥