Torch
Renewable |
Yes |
---|---|
Stackable |
Yes (64) |
Tool |
Any tool |
Blast resistance |
0 |
Hardness |
0 |
Luminant |
Torches: Yes (14) |
Transparent |
Yes |
Flammable |
No |
Catches fire from lava |
No |
Torches are non-solid blocks that emit light.
Soul torches are turquoise variants crafted with the addition of soul soil or soul sand.
Contents
Obtaining[edit]
Natural generation[edit]
Torches can be found randomly generated among the supports in a mineshaft's corridors, various rooms in strongholds, as part of village lamp posts, in the basements of igloos, in woodland mansions, and in pillager outposts. Torches generate around bonus chests if each side has a block at the same height around it. In The End, torches generate as part of the exit portal, around the second pillar block from the top. Whenever the Ender Dragon dies or respawns, these torches regenerate.
Breaking[edit]
Torches can be broken instantly using anything, and drop themselves as an item.
A torch is removed and drops itself as an item if:
- its attachment block is moved, removed, or destroyed
- water or lava flows into its space
- a piston pushes it or moves a block into its space
Chest loot[edit]
Item | Structure | Container | Quantity | Chance |
---|---|---|---|---|
Java Edition | ||||
Torch | Mineshaft | Chest | 1–16 | 65.7% |
Village | Savanna house chest | 1–2 | 11.3% | |
Bedrock Edition | ||||
Torch | Mineshaft | Chest | 1–16 | 65.7% |
Village | Savanna house chest | 1–2 | 11.3% |
Crafting[edit]
Name | Ingredients | Crafting recipe |
---|---|---|
Torch | Coal or Charcoal + Stick |
|
Soul Torch | Coal or Charcoal + Stick + Soul Soil or Soul Sand |
Usage[edit]

Torches can be placed on the top or the sides of most solid blocks, although some blocks require sneaking. Being non-solid, torches have no collision box. More information about placement can be found at Opacity/Placement.
Gravity-affected blocks like sand and gravel cannot fall if space immediately beneath is occupied by a torch. These blocks break if they fall onto a torch.
Light[edit]
Torches give off a light level of 14. Torches also melt snow layers within 2 blocks and ice within 3 blocks (taxicab distance).
Soul torches give off a light level of 10. Due to their lower light level, soul torches do not melt snow or ice.
Piglins[edit]
Soul torches repel piglins.
Crafting ingredient[edit]
Name | Ingredients | Crafting recipe | Description |
---|---|---|---|
Blue Torch or Red Torch or Purple Torch or Green Torch |
Cerium Chloride or Mercuric Chloride or Potassium Chloride or Tungsten Chloride + Torch |
Cerium Chloride: Blue Mercuric Chloride: Red Potassium Chloride: Purple Tungsten Chloride: Green [Bedrock and Education editions only] | |
Jack o'Lantern | Carved Pumpkin + Torch |
||
Lantern | Iron Nugget + Torch |
||
Soul Lantern | Iron Nugget + Soul Torch |
||
Underwater Torch | Magnesium + Torch |
[Bedrock and Education editions only] |
Sounds[edit]
Sound | Subtitle | Source | Description | Namespaced ID | Translation key | Volume | Pitch | Attenuation distance |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Block broken | Blocks | Once the block has broken | block.wood.break | subtitles.block.generic.break | 1.0 | 0.8 | 16 | |
None[sound 1] | Blocks | Falling on the block with fall damage | block.wood.fall | None[sound 1] | 0.5 | 0.75 | 16 | |
Block breaking | Blocks | While the block is in the process of being broken | block.wood.hit | subtitles.block.generic.hit | 0.25 | 0.5 | 16 | |
Block placed | Blocks | When the block is placed | block.wood.place | subtitles.block.generic.place | 1.0 | 0.8 | 16 | |
Footsteps | Blocks | Walking on the block | block.wood.step | subtitles.block.generic.footsteps | 0.15 | 1.0 | 16 |
Sound | Source | Description | Namespaced ID | Volume | Pitch |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
? | Blocks | Once the block has broken | dig.wood | 1.0 | 0.8 |
? | Blocks | Falling on the block with fall damage | fall.wood | 0.4 | 1.0 |
? | Blocks | While the block is in the process of being broken | hit.wood | 0.23 | 0.5 |
? | Blocks | Jumping from the block | jump.wood | 0.12 | 1.0 |
? | Blocks | Falling on the block without fall damage | land.wood | 0.18 | 1.0 |
? | Blocks | Walking on the block | step.wood | 0.3 | 1.0 |
? | Blocks | When the block is placed | use.wood | 1.0 | 0.8 |
Data values[edit]
ID[edit]
Name | Namespaced ID | Block tags (JE) | Item tags (JE) | Form | Translation key |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Torch | torch | wall_post_override | None | Block & Item | block.minecraft.torch |
Soul Torch | soul_torch | piglin_repellents wall_post_override | piglin_repellents | Block & Item | block.minecraft.soul_torch |
Wall Torch | wall_torch | None | — | Block | block.minecraft.wall_torch |
Soul Wall Torch | soul_wall_torch | piglin_repellents | — | Block | block.minecraft.soul_wall_torch |
Name | Namespaced ID | Numeric ID | Form | Translation key |
---|---|---|---|---|
Torch | torch | 50 | Block & Item | tile.torch.name |
Soul Torch | soul_torch | 523 | Block & Item | tile.soul_torch.name |
Metadata[edit]
In Bedrock Edition, torches use the following data values:
DV | Description | |
---|---|---|
0 | (unused) | |
1 | Facing east (attached to a block to its west) | |
2 | Facing west (attached to a block to its east) | |
3 | Facing south (attached to a block to its north) | |
4 | Facing north (attached to a block to its south) | |
5 | Facing up (attached to a block beneath it) |
Block states[edit]
Java Edition:
Wall
Name | Default value | Allowed values | Description |
---|---|---|---|
facing | north | east north south west | The direction the top of the torch is facing. |
Name | Default value | Allowed values | Description |
---|---|---|---|
torch_facing_direction | top | east north south top unknown west | The direction the top of the torch is facing. |
History[edit]
Java Edition pre-Classic | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
May 16, 2009 | Notch suggests adding torches, which would "light up a 3×3 tile" area. | ||||
Java Edition Indev | |||||
0.31 | 20091223-2 | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() | |||
Torches can be placed in the air without any block supporting them and do not have a top texture. | |||||
![]() | |||||
When removing a block, a torch now moves to another available block.[1] | |||||
20091231-1 | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() | ||||
![]() | |||||
20100109 | Torches are now slightly dimmer. | ||||
20100124-2 | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() | ||||
20100125-2 | Torches now have particle effects. | ||||
20100129 | Torches have been made craftable. | ||||
Unknown | |||||
? | Torches no longer snap to other potential valid attachments once their supporting block is removed. | ||||
Java Edition Alpha | |||||
v1.1.0 | Torches can no longer be placed on tree leaves, but only in fast mode. | ||||
October 4, 2010 | Notch originally planned for torches to become temporary light sources that would eventually burn out and require re-lighting with flint and steel. This was planned to add with the Halloween Update. | ||||
v1.2.0 | ? | Torches are now used to craft jack o'lanterns. | |||
Java Edition Beta | |||||
1.2 | Torches can now be crafted using charcoal, making them the first renewable light source in the game that is also obtainable and permanent. | ||||
1.6.6 | Torches can now be placed on glowstone. | ||||
1.7 | Torches can no longer be placed on leaves, whether they are found naturally on a tree or placed after being trimmed with shears. | ||||
Torches and redstone torches can now be placed on top of fences. | |||||
1.8 | Pre-release | Torches now generate in mineshafts. | |||
Java Edition | |||||
1.2.1 | 12w07a | Torches can now be placed on top of glass blocks. | |||
1.3.1 | 12w19a | Torches now spawn around bonus chests if each side has a block at the same height around it. | |||
12w25a | Torches can now be placed on top of upside down slabs and stairs. | ||||
1.4.2 | 12w42b | Falling sand now properly "pops" when falling on torches. | |||
1.4.4 | 1.4.3 | Torches now have a bottom texture, visible on wall torches or torches placed on top of glass.[2] | |||
Minecraft 2.0 (2013 April Fools') | Torches now burn out after a random amount of ticks. | ||||
They can be relit with flint and steel. | |||||
Features added in this version were not implemented in subsequent updates. | |||||
1.8 | 14w07a | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() | |||
14w18a | Torches can now be placed on stained glass. | ||||
? | Torches, as part of the exit portal, now generate incorrectly and fall into the portal as items.[3] | ||||
14w25a | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() | ||||
14w33c | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() | ||||
1.9 | 15w43a | Torches can now generate within igloo basements. | |||
15w44a | Torches can now be found inside minecart with chests in mineshafts. | ||||
1.11 | 16w39a | Torches now generate in woodland mansions. | |||
1.12 | ? | Redstone torches can now be placed on the side of jack o'lanterns. Whether this also affects normal torches is unknown. | |||
1.13 | 17w47a | The non-up facing block states for the torch ID have been split up into wall_torch .
| |||
Prior to The Flattening, this block's numeral ID was 50. | |||||
17w48a | Redstone torches can now be placed on the top of jack o' lanterns. Whether this also affects normal torches is unknown. | ||||
1.14 | 18w43a | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() | |||
18w46a | Torches can now be used to craft lanterns. | ||||
18w47a | Torches now generate in pillager outposts. | ||||
1.14.3 | pre3 | Torches can now be placed on iron bars and glass panes. | |||
1.16 | 20w06a | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() | |||
20w15a | Soul fire torches can now be crafted using soul sand. | ||||
20w17a | "Soul Fire Torch" has now been renamed to "Soul Torch". | ||||
The IDs of soul torches have been changed from soul_fire_torch to soul_torch and soul_fire_wall_torch to soul_wall_torch . | |||||
Pocket Edition Alpha | |||||
Pre-release | ![]() ![]() ![]() | ||||
v0.3.0 | Survival players no longer start out with an infinite amount of torches in the inventory. | ||||
v0.8.0 | build 2 | Torches are now used to craft jack o'lanterns. | |||
v0.9.0 | build 1 | Torches now spawn naturally in villages, mineshafts and strongholds. | |||
build 2 | Torches can now be placed on spawners. | ||||
build 5 | The placing speed of torches has been improved. | ||||
build 6 | The lighting from torches is now brighter and more PC-like. What exactly this means is unknown. | ||||
v0.14.0 | build 1 | Torches can now be found inside minecart with chests in mineshafts. | |||
Pocket Edition | |||||
1.0.0 | alpha 0.17.0.1 | Torches now generate within igloo basements. | |||
Four torches now generate as part of the exit portal after the ender dragon dies. | |||||
1.1.0 | alpha 1.1.0.0 | Torches now generate in mansions. | |||
Bedrock Edition | |||||
1.2.0 | beta 1.2.0.2 | Up to four torches can now generate in bonus chests. | |||
1.4.0 | beta 1.2.20.1 | Torches can now be used to craft underwater torches and colored torches. | |||
1.10.0 | beta 1.10.0.3 | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() | |||
Torches now generate in pillager outposts. | |||||
Torches can now be used to craft lanterns. | |||||
1.11.0 | beta 1.11.0.1 | Torches can now be found in savanna village house chests. | |||
1.16.0 | beta 1.16.0.51 | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() | |||
beta 1.16.0.57 | "Soul Fire Torch" has now been renamed to "Soul Torch". | ||||
Soul torches can now be crafted using soul sand. | |||||
beta 1.16.0.63 | Soul torches can now be crafted using charcoal. | ||||
Legacy Console Edition | |||||
TU1 | CU1 | 1.0 | Patch 1 | 1.0.1 | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
TU54 | CU44 | 1.52 | Patch 24 | 1.0.4 | Torches can now be placed on the full-block side of stairs. |
1.90 | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() | ||||
Torches can now be used to craft lanterns. | |||||
1.91 | Torches now generate in pillager outposts. | ||||
New Nintendo 3DS Edition | |||||
0.1.0 | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |