Obtaining a Barrel is a goal players have had for a long time, since it is, in some ways, superior to crafting a Chest in Minecraft. We’ll discuss all of the differences another time. For now, you should know that this is an item that has found its use among the minimalist Minecraft players. It’s compact, can be crafted with materials that are easy to obtain, and, if you stumble upon the right biome, even found in the open world. All of this makes a Barrel valuable and worth keeping around as you prepare to make a door for your first Minecraft house. With that said, let’s show you how to make a barrel in Minecraft.
Materials required to make a Barrel
Based on the version of Minecraft, you’ll need to gather these materials to craft one Barrel:
1. Minecraft Java Edition
These are the materials necessary to produce a Barrel in Java Edition of Minecraft:
- 6x Dark Oak Plank
- 6x Spruce Plank
- 6x Jungle Plank
- 6x Crimson Plank
- 6x Birch Plank
- 6x Acacia Plank
- 6x Oak Plank
- 6x Warped Plank
- 2x Dark Oak Slab
- 2x Spruce Slab
- 2x Jungle Slab
- 2x Crimson Slab
- 2x Birch Slab
- 2x Acacia Slab
- 2x Oak Slab
- 2x Warped Slab
Clarification: There’s no need to collect all of the Plank or Slab items in either Java or Bedrock Edition. Only a sufficient number of any type of wood is required. You can also mix them up, and use 6 different Planks/Slabs in the recipe.
2. Minecraft Bedrock Edition
Gather these materials to manufacture a Barrel in Bedrock Edition of Minecraft:
- 6x Sticks
- 2x of any Wood Slab listed above
How to make a Barrel in Java Edition of Minecraft
First, you must create and open a Crafting Table menu. After you do that, follow these steps to begin making a Barrel in Minecraft Java Edition:
- In the 3×3 crafting grid, place items from your inventory in this order:
- First row. Place a Plank of your choice in the first and third empty box. Place a Slab of your choice in the middle (second) box.
- Second row. Once again, fill the first and third box with a Plank. Leave the second (middle) box empty.
- Third row. Identical to the first row.
- If you followed the instructions correctly, you’ll see a Barrel appear in the empty block on the right side.
- Move it to an empty slot in your inventory.
Tip. If you place more than one item into each of the required boxes, you can make multiple Barrels at once.
How to create a Barrel in Minecraft Bedrock Edition
Creating a Barrel in the Bedrock Edition of Minecraft works identical to the Java Edition, except that the Planks are replaced by Sticks. To clarify, after you place and open the Crafting Table, put items down in this order:
- First row. Put a Stick into the first and third box. Put a slab of your choice in the box in the middle.
- Second row. Put a Stick into the first and third box while leaving the second box empty.
- Third row. Do the same as the first row.
Alternative ways to get a Barrel in Minecraft
If you don’t like to hunt for resources nor villagers, you can make it easy on yourself. Here are two other methods to acquire a Barrel in Minecraft:
1. Obtain the Barrel in the open world
You can find Barrels in fisher cottages in Minecraft villages. You can mine them with any tool or with your hands, but using an ax is the quickest way.
2. Spawn the Barrel
Use one of these 2 techniques to spawn a Barrel:
1. Transition to Creative Mode
In contrast to Survival Mode, Creative Mode allows you to pick up and spawn unlimited blocks, Barrel included. Later Minecraft versions have a search bar in the top right corner to easily scour the item database.
2. Utilize a Minecraft cheat or command.
It doesn’t require changing game mode or looking through the database. You only need a short cheat code and appears in your inventory. Before you begin, you must enable Minecraft cheats. Afterward, open chat and enter this command based on the game version:
- For Minecraft Java Edition 1.14 to 1.17, enter:
/give @p barrel 1 - For Minecraft Java Edition 1.8 and after, Bedrock Edition, and other versions of Minecraft, enter this:
/give @p barrel 1 0
Tip. The number 1 represents the number of items you’ll give. You can use numbers between 1 and 64.