A candle is a light source, which exists in an uncolored variant and 16 dyed ones. Candles can be lit with flint and steel and extinguished by water or with the use of a bowl. They can also be waterlogged, but cannot be lit while waterlogged.
Obtaining
Candles can be mined using any tool, or without a tool.
| Block | Candle | |
|---|---|---|
| Hardness | 0.1 | |
| Breaking time (secs) | ||
| Default | 0.15 | |
Crafting
| Name | Ingredients | Crafting recipe |
|---|---|---|
| Candle | String + Honeycomb |
|
| Dyed Candle | Candle + Matching Dye |
Usage
Light
Candles can be used as a light source, emitting light like a sea pickle. A single candle emits a light level of 3. Up to four similarly-colored candles may be placed in one block, with each candle increasing the emitted light level by 3, for a maximum light level of 12. They also emit fire particles.
Candles are not lit when they are placed, and must be lit using flint and steel, fire charge, or any flaming projectile. Candles may be waterlogged, but waterlogged candles cannot be lit. Lit candles can be extinguished using water or by the player interacting with the candle.
Cakes
A single candle of any color may be used onto an uneaten cake, turning it into a candle cake, which acts as a normal single candle. Only one candle may be placed on a cake. If the candle cake is eaten, the candle falls off. Currently, this feature is unstable and can be used to duplicate candles. This will most likely change in the future.
Sounds
| Sound | Subtitles | Source | Description | Resource location | Translation key | Volume | Pitch | Attenuation distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cake squishes | Blocks | Placing the block on cake | block | subtitles | ? | ? | 16 | |
| Candle crackles | Blocks | Random | block | subtitles | ? | ? | 3 | |
| Block broken | Blocks | Breaking the block | block | subtitles | ? | ? | 16 | |
| Fire extinguished | Blocks | Candle gets put out | block | subtitles | ? | ? | 8 | |
| None[sound 1] | Blocks | Falling on the block with fall damage | block | None[sound 1] | ? | ? | 16 | |
| Block breaking | Blocks | Mining the block | block | subtitles | ? | ? | 16 | |
| Block placed | Blocks | Placing the block | block | subtitles | ? | ? | 16 | |
| Footsteps | Blocks | Walking on the block | block | subtitles | ? | ? | 16 |
Data values
ID
| Name | Identifier | Translation key |
|---|---|---|
| Candle | candle | item.minecraft.candle |
| White Candle | white_candle | item.minecraft.white_candle |
| Orange Candle | orange_candle | item.minecraft.orange_candle |
| Magenta Candle | magenta_candle | item.minecraft.magenta_candle |
| Light Blue Candle | light_blue_candle | item.minecraft.light_blue_candle |
| Yellow Candle | yellow_candle | item.minecraft.yellow_candle |
| Lime Candle | lime_candle | item.minecraft.lime_candle |
| Pink Candle | pink_candle | item.minecraft.pink_candle |
| Gray Candle | gray_candle | item.minecraft.gray_candle |
| Light Gray Candle | light_gray_candle | item.minecraft.light_gray_candle |
| Cyan Candle | cyan_candle | item.minecraft.cyan_candle |
| Purple Candle | purple_candle | item.minecraft.purple_candle |
| Blue Candle | blue_candle | item.minecraft.blue_candle |
| Brown Candle | brown_candle | item.minecraft.brown_candle |
| Green Candle | green_candle | item.minecraft.green_candle |
| Red Candle | red_candle | item.minecraft.red_candle |
| Black Candle | black_candle | item.minecraft.black_candle |
Block states
| Name | Default value | Allowed values | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| candles | 1 | 1234 | Number of candles. |
| lit | false | falsetrue | Whether or not these candles are lit. |
| waterlogged | false | falsetrue | Whether or not there's water in the same place as these candles. |
| Name | Metadata Bits | Default value | Allowed values | Values for Metadata Bits |
Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| candles | 0x10x2 | 0 | 0123 | 0123 | Number of candles, starting from 1 to 4. |
| lit | 0x4 | false | falsetrue | 01 | Whether or not these candles are lit. |
History
| October 3, 2020 | | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Upcoming Java Edition | |||||
| 1.17 | 20w45a | ||||
| 20w46a | |||||
| 20w48a | |||||
| Candles can no longer be placed on blocks that are not solid, such as chests and cobwebs. | |||||
Trivia
- Candles are similar to the concept of burnt-out torches from the Halloween Update.
- Using the command
/setblock ~ ~ ~ minecraft:candle[lit=true,waterlogged=true]allows for a both lit and waterlogged candle.

