Torch

This article is about the common light-emitting torch. For other uses, see Torch (disambiguation).

Torch

Renewable	Yes
Stackable	Yes (64)
Tool	Any tool
Blast resistance	0
Hardness	0
Luminant	Torches: Yes (14) Soul torches: Yes (10)
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.

Obtaining

Natural generation

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

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

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

Name	Ingredients	Crafting recipe
Torch	Coal or Charcoal + Stick	4
Soul Torch	Coal or Charcoal + Stick + Soul Soil or Soul Sand	4

Usage

Torches in various positions on chiseled stone bricks.

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

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

Soul torches repel piglins.

Crafting ingredient

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

Java Edition:

Sound	Subtitles	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	Blocks	Falling on the block with fall damage	block.wood.fall	None	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

Bedrock Edition:

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

ID

Java Edition:

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

Bedrock Edition:

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

See also: Data values

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

See also: Block states

Java Edition:
Wall

Name	Default value	Allowed values	Description
facing	north	east north south west	The direction the top of the torch is facing.

Bedrock Edition:

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

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			Added torches.
					Torches can be placed in the air without any block supporting them and do not have a top texture.
					Torches currently have a dark icon in the inventory.
					When removing a block, a torch now moves to another available block.
		20091231-1			The top red section from the torch has been removed. However, torches still do not have a top texture.
					Torches have now become shorter.
		20100109			Torches are now slightly dimmer.
		20100124-2			Torches now have a top texture.
		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, villages and strongholds.
Java Edition
1.0.0		Beta 1.9 Prerelease 4			Torches now generate as part of the exit portal structure.
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.
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			Torches placed on walls are now rotated cuboids rather than a parallelpiped. Their top texture now also rotates accordingly.
		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.
		14w25a			Torches are now incorrectly affected by ambient occlusion.
		14w33c			Torches are no longer affected by ambient occlusion.
1.9		15w31a			Torches on the exit portal now regenerate when the ender dragon is re-summoned.
		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			The texture of torches has been changed.
		18w46a			Torches can now be used to craft lanterns.
		18w47a			Torches now generate in pillager outposts.
		18w48a			With the update of plains villages, houses are generally better lit with torches.
		18w49a			With the update of savanna villages, houses are generally better lit with torches.
					Torches can now be found in chests in savanna village houses.
		18w50a			With the update of desert and taiga villages, houses are generally better lit with torches.
1.14.3		pre3			Torches can now be placed on iron bars and glass panes.
1.16		20w06a			Added soul fire torches.
		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					Added torches.
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			The texture of torches has been changed.
					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			Added soul torches.
		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	Added torches.
TU54	CU44	1.52	Patch 24	1.0.4	Torches can now be placed on the full-block side of stairs.
		1.90			[verify] The texture of torches has been changed.
					Torches can now be used to craft lanterns.
		1.91			Torches now generate in pillager outposts.
New Nintendo 3DS Edition
0.1.0					[verify] Added torches.

See also

• Redstone Torch
• Redstone Lamp
• Underwater torch
• Colored torch
• Lantern