Coal Ore

For other coal-related objects found in Minecraft, see Coal (disambiguation).

Coal Ore is the most common ore, with the largest vein, in Minecraft, and it can be found on the surface in caves and cliffs while it can also be found anywhere underground from the dirt layer to Bedrock. On the surface, they are usually found in veins of 3 or 4, but they can have as many as 17 per vein and are extremely common underground. Coal looks like stone (as seen below) but with black marks in it, so it is easier to distinguish from the surrounding stone blocks.

Overview

Coal is one of the most important resources in Minecraft (despite being extremely common, and also able to spawn in veins of 30 or more if two veins are spawned next to each other), and it is essential for a player's first days in a World, as coal can be placed on top of a stick in a crafting table to make torches, which will prevent monsters from spawning in a player's house and help a player see in a cave.

Uses

Coal, similar to Redstone, cannot be compressed into an ore block without the help of the Silk Touch enchantment on a pickaxe. Coal is also the fourth longest-lasting fuel for furnaces after lava buckets, blocks of coal, and Blaze Rods, respectively, with each piece of coal one able to smelt 8 items and lasting for 80 seconds before burning out. Since lava buckets are hard to obtain and require 3 iron ingots, and acquiring blaze rods requires a player to kill Blazes, coal is the most efficient fuel to use to smelt items.

Drops

Incorrect tool	Correct tool	Fortune I	Fortune II	Fortune III	Silk Touch
Nothing (100%)	1 Coal (100%)	1 Coal (67%) 2 Coal (33%)	1 Coal (50%) 2 Coal (25%) 3 Coal (25%)	1 Coal (40%) 2 Coal (20%) 3 Coal (20%) 4 Coal (20%)	1 Coal Ore (100%)
	0–2 XP	0–2 XP	0–2 XP	0–2 XP

Mining

Coal Ore requires a pickaxe to harvest, otherwise it will drop nothing.

Tool
Hardness	3
Breaking time[note 1]
Default	15
Wood	2.25
Stone	1.15
Iron	0.75
Diamond	0.6
Netherite	0.5
Gold	0.4

1. ↑ Times are for unenchanted tools in seconds.

Gallery

Trivia

• In Minecraft Indev, when it was destroyed without a pickaxe, it would drop a single piece of coal, and three when mined with a pickaxe. Now, destroying coal ore without a pickaxe yields nothing, while destroying it with a pickaxe yields 1 piece of coal.
• If obtained in the inventory, coal ore can not be smelted in a furnace.
• Coal can come in veins of up to 17, and with the Fortune enchantment, can yield up to 1–2 stacks from these large veins.
• When mined, coal ore has a chance to give Experience to a player.
• In Minecraft Classic and Survival Test, a player got Stone Slabs by mining the coal ore. This might happened because coal did not exist in Minecraft Classic, and stone slabs were a placeholder.

Blocks
Natural	Air • Stone • Granite • Andesite • Diorite • Bedrock • Clay ( Terracotta) • Cobblestone ( Moss) • Cobweb • Dirt • Gravel • Coarse Dirt • Bone • Ice ( Packed • Blue) • Spawner • Sand ( Red) • Sandstone ( Red) • Obsidian • Snow • Sponge • Wet Sponge • Stone Bricks ( Cracked • Mossy • Chiseled) • Prismarine ( Dark • Brick) • Sea Lantern • Pumpkin • Bee Nest • Grass Path • Infested Block • Snowier Snow
Manufactured	Bookshelf • Bricks • Wool ( Carpet) • Concrete( Powder) • Conduit • Dried Kelp Block • Fence • Glass ( Pane) • Stained Glass ( Pane) • Glazed Terracotta • Hay Bale • Iron Bars • Jack o' Lantern • Ladder • Painting • Scaffolding • Slab • Smooth Stone • Cut Sandstone • Smooth Quartz • Smooth Red Sandstone • Slime • Snow • Stairs • Walls • Wood Planks • Wood • Beehive • Honey Block • Honeycomb Block • Polished Diorite • Polished Granite • Polished Andesite • Red Nether Brick
Ore	Coal Ore • Diamond Ore • Emerald Ore • Gold Ore ( Nether) • Iron Ore • Lapis Lazuli Ore • Redstone Ore • Ruby Ore • Nether Quartz Ore • Ancient Debris
Mineral Blocks	Block of Diamond • Block of Emerald • Block of Gold • Block of Iron • Lapis Lazuli Block • Block of Quartz • Block of Redstone • Block of Coal • Block of Netherite • Block of Ruby
Utility	Bed • Brewing Stand • Cake • Cauldron • Chest • Shulker Box • Crafting Table • Enchantment Table • Furnace • Jukebox • TNT • Anvil • Blast Furnace • Barrel • Bell • Campfire • Cartography Table • Composter • Fletching Table • Grindstone • Lantern • Lectern • Loom • Smithing Table • Smoker • Stonecutter • Target • Respawn Anchor • Lodestone
Trading/Bartering only	Crying Obsidian
Redstone/Travel	Button • Dispenser • Redstone Lamp • Door • Fence Gate • Lever • Note • Piston ( Sticky) • Pressure Plate • Rail ( Powered • Detector • Activator) • Redstone ( Wire • Torch • Repeater • Comparator) • Trapdoor ( Iron Trapdoor) • Trapped Chest • Hopper • Dropper • Daylight Detector • Tripwire Hook • Observer • Redstone Ore • Block of Redstone
Plants	Cactus • Dead Bush • Chorus Plant • Flowers • Wither Rose • Grass( Grass • Fern) • Leaves • Lily Pad • Melon • Mushrooms( Huge)  • Mycelium • Podzol • Nylium • Pumpkin • Saplings • Sugar Cane • Vines • Cocoa Pods • Wheat • Log • Corals • Kelp • Sweet Berry Bush • Nether Roots • Fungus • Weeping Vines • Twisting Vines
Liquids	Lava • Water
Non-Solid	Fire ( Soul Fire) • Sign • Torch ( Soul Fire) • Banner
The Nether	Glowstone • Shroomlight • Netherrack • Nylium • Nether Brick ( Fence) • Nether Quartz • Nether Gold • Ancient Debris • Nether Wart • Nether Roots • Weeping Vines • Twisting Vines • Fungus • Soul Sand • Soul Soil • Basalt • Magma Block
The End	Dragon Egg • End Stone • Purpur( Purpur Pillar) • Endstone Brick • End Rod • Dragon Head • Ender Crystal
Creative only	Barrier • Structure Block • Jigsaw • Command Block ( Repeating • Chain)
Bedrock Edition only	Stonecutter (old) • Nether Reactor • Light Block • Glowing Obsidian
Technical	Piston Arm • Block 36 • Burning Furnace • Glowing Redstone Ore • Off-state Redstone Torch • Active Redstone Repeater • Flowing Water • Flowing Lava • Farmland • Pumpkin Stem • Melon Stem • Block 97 • Portal • End Portal Frame • End Portal • End Gateway (block) • Missing Texture Block
Unused	Locked Chest
Removed	Cog • Dirt Slab • Cyan Flower • Camera(BE) • Wax Block
Unimplemented	Crying Obsidian (old) • Wax Block
Education Edition only	Element Constructor • Material Reducer • Compound Creator • Hardened Glass • Border • Underwater TNT