To create bricks in Minecraft, smelt clay balls in a furnace into brick items, then place four bricks in a square on a crafting grid to get one bricks block.
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Mud bricks use a different chain with no furnace: mud plus wheat makes packed mud, and four packed mud make four mud bricks.
The fastest way to make bricks in Minecraft
A single brick item cannot be placed in the world. It only becomes a building block once four of them are combined.
- Find clay at the bottom of a lake, river or swamp and break it; a shovel is fastest, but any tool works.
- Collect the clay balls it drops; each clay block breaks into four of them.
- Place a furnace and load the clay balls as the item to smelt, with coal or charcoal as fuel.
- Wait for the progress bar to complete, then collect the brick items.
- Open a crafting grid and place four bricks in a two-by-two square.
- Take the bricks block from the result slot and place it like any other block.
Bricks or mud bricks: which should you make?
| Your situation | Make this | Why |
|---|---|---|
| You want classic red brick buildings, stairs or slabs | Bricks block | Clay balls smelted into bricks, four bricks per block |
| You have no furnace fuel yet | Mud bricks | The mud brick chain needs only a crafting grid, no smelting |
| You live near a mangrove swamp | Mud bricks | Mud covers the swamp floor and digs up quickly with a shovel |
| You have a wheat farm and dirt but no clay nearby | Mud bricks | A water bottle turns dirt into mud, so the supply never runs out |
| You want a decorated pot or a flower pot | Brick items | Both pots are made from brick items, not from mud bricks |
| You want a Masoned banner pattern | Bricks block | Bricks and dye on a banner create the checkerboard Masoned background |
Items required to make bricks and mud bricks
| Item | Needed for | How to get it |
|---|---|---|
| Clay balls | Bricks | Break clay blocks found underwater in lakes, rivers and swamps |
| Furnace and fuel (coal or charcoal) | Bricks | Build the furnace from mined stone |
| Crafting table | Mud brick stairs, slabs and walls | Make it from wood collected from trees |
| Mud | Mud bricks | Dig it in a mangrove swamp, or use a water bottle on a dirt block |
| Wheat | Mud bricks | Farm it in the Overworld; one wheat per packed mud |
| Water bottle | Mud bricks (optional) | Turns dirt into mud by hand or from a dispenser |
| Stonecutter | Brick stairs and slabs; mud brick stairs, slabs and walls (optional) | Craft it from three stone and one iron ingot |
How to craft mud bricks in Minecraft
Making mud bricks in Minecraft takes two crafting steps and no furnace. Mud on its own does not turn into mud bricks; it has to become packed mud first.
- Get mud by digging it up in a mangrove swamp with a shovel, or by using a water bottle on a dirt block.
- Open a crafting grid and combine one mud with one wheat to make one packed mud.
- Repeat until you have four packed mud.
- Place the four packed mud in a two-by-two square on the crafting grid.
- Take the four mud bricks from the result slot.
- Craft the mud bricks onward into mud brick stairs, slabs or walls if you need them.
Mud and mud bricks arrived in the Wild Update in June 2022, version 1.19 on Bedrock Edition, so a world running an older version will not have the recipe.
Getting a stonecutter for mud bricks
Crafting stairs always gives four at once, while a stonecutter turns one block into one stair with no waste. It accepts bricks for stairs and slabs, and mud bricks for stairs, slabs and walls.
- Craft a stonecutter from three stone and one iron ingot at a crafting table, or take one from a stonemason's house in a village.
- Place the stonecutter and open it.
- Put bricks or mud bricks in the slot on the left.
- Choose a recipe in the center: stairs or slabs for bricks, stairs, slabs or walls for mud bricks.
- Take the result from the slot on the right; a full block always becomes two slabs.
All uses of bricks and mud bricks in Minecraft
| Item | Use | Detail |
|---|---|---|
| Brick (item) | Bricks block | Four bricks in a square make one bricks block |
| Brick (item) | Flower pot | Smelted clay becomes bricks that shape into a pot for a flower |
| Brick (item) | Decorated pot | Four bricks or pottery sherds in a diamond pattern; brick faces stay plain, and breaking the pot drops the parts used |
| Bricks block | Building | Same blast resistance as other stone, so it holds up against creepers |
| Bricks block | Stairs and slabs | Cut one at a time in a stonecutter |
| Bricks block | Banner pattern | Bricks and dye on a banner give the checkerboard Masoned background |
| Mud bricks | Building | Building block crafted from packed mud, four at a time |
| Mud bricks | Stairs, slabs and walls | Crafting table or stonecutter |
Where to find mud bricks and clay in Minecraft
Mud bricks come from crafting, so finding them means finding mud; regular bricks start with clay.
| Material | Where it is | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Mud | Mangrove swamp biomes | Covers the swamp floor; a shovel digs it fastest |
| Mud | Any dirt block | Use a water bottle on dirt, by hand or with a dispenser |
| Clay | Bottoms of lakes and rivers, and swamps | Almost always underwater; drops four clay balls |
| Clay | Mud above pointed dripstone | Place mud on a block with pointed dripstone under it and it slowly turns into clay |
| Bricks block | Trail ruins | The buried road between the ruined shacks is made of cobblestone and bricks |
| Mud and terracotta | Trail ruins | The shacks and tower are mostly mud and terracotta, buried under forested biomes |
How to check you made the right brick block
- Hold the result and try to place it; a single brick item cannot be placed, while the bricks block places like any other block.
- Count the mud bricks: four packed mud in a square should return four mud bricks.
- Put the block in the left slot of a stonecutter; stair and slab recipes appearing in the center confirm a bricks or mud bricks block.
Fix brick recipes when they do not work
The brick will not place
A brick is an item, not a block.
- Open a crafting grid.
- Put four bricks in a two-by-two square.
- Take the bricks block and place that instead.
The furnace does not turn clay into bricks
The furnace has no fuel or the clay is not loaded as the item to smelt.
- Load the clay balls as the item to smelt.
- Add coal or charcoal as fuel.
- Watch for the progress bar to start moving.
The furnace gives a different block instead of bricks
Clay blocks were smelted instead of clay balls; a clay block bakes into terracotta.
- Break clay blocks into clay balls before smelting.
- Smelt only the clay balls for bricks.
The mud brick recipe shows nothing
Plain mud was used; only packed mud makes mud bricks.
- Combine one mud with one wheat to make packed mud.
- Place four packed mud in a two-by-two square.
- Take the four mud bricks.
No clay anywhere near your base
Clay generates mostly underwater.
- Make mud with a water bottle on dirt.
- Place the mud on a block with pointed dripstone underneath.
- Wait for the mud to turn into clay, then break it for clay balls.
Minecraft bricks FAQ
How many bricks make a brick block in Minecraft?
Four. Smelt clay balls into brick items in a furnace, then place four bricks in a two-by-two square on a crafting grid. The result is one bricks block that you can place, build with or cut into stairs and slabs.
Can you place a single brick in Minecraft?
No. A brick is a crafting item and cannot be placed in the world by itself. Combine four bricks in a square on a crafting grid to get the bricks block, which is the version you can build with.
How do you make mud bricks in Minecraft?
Combine one mud with one wheat to make packed mud, then place four packed mud in a two-by-two square on a crafting grid. That gives four mud bricks, which can also be crafted into mud brick stairs, slabs and walls.
Do mud bricks need a furnace?
No. Mud bricks are made entirely on a crafting grid: mud and wheat become packed mud, and four packed mud become four mud bricks. Only regular red bricks need a furnace, because clay balls have to be smelted first.
Where do you get clay for bricks in Minecraft?
Clay sits at the bottom of lakes, rivers and swamps, almost always underwater. Break it with any tool, a shovel being fastest, and it drops four clay balls. Mud placed above pointed dripstone also slowly turns into clay.
How do you get mud in Minecraft?
Dig it up in a mangrove swamp biome, where a shovel is the best tool, or use a water bottle on a dirt block. The water bottle method works anywhere and can be automated with a dispenser, so mud is fully renewable.
What happens if you smelt a clay block instead of clay balls?
A clay block baked in a furnace becomes hardened clay, now called terracotta, not bricks. Break the clay block into its four clay balls first and smelt those to get brick items for a bricks block.
Are bricks blast resistant in Minecraft?
Yes. Bricks have the same blast resistance as other types of stone, which makes them a good choice for creeper-proof walls. Brick stairs and slabs, cut in a stonecutter, carry the same material into other shapes.
Can you use a stonecutter on bricks and mud bricks?
Yes. Put bricks or mud bricks in the left slot of a stonecutter and pick the shape you want, such as stairs or slabs. It cuts one block at a time with no waste, though a full block always becomes two slabs.
