Minecraft Wiki
Advertisement

The Torch is a type of block found in Indev onwards since the support for dynamic lighting. It is one of the many blocks that emit light. In addition, it adjusts its model in relation to how it is placed on a block, so that it can be made to attach to any side of a block except the bottom side. They look similar to Redstone Torches in appearance.

From just one log and eight pieces of coal or charcoal 32 torches can be made, making them an easily obtainable item. Since the Adventure Update, torches have warmer light when placed. They can also be found naturally in Abandoned Mine Shafts, Strongholds and NPC Villages.

Properties

File:2012-03-01 19.49.54.png

Torches in various positions on Stone Bricks.

Torches act as a full block, for the purpose of placing other objects or torches in the same area. Being treated as a block by sand and gravel this prevents them from falling down past a block with a torch on it. Sand or gravel break when they fall on a torch. If they are placed directly above a torch they act as if they were on any other solid material, allowing them to be used as environmental triggers, such as airlocks. Players can pass through torches, and therefore a torch can be placed directly under the player without the player needing to move or jump. Torches also melt nearby snow and ice, making them useful to keep skylights from being snowed over and lakes from freezing in snow biomes. The torches will however only melt snow and ice from a radius of 2 blocks from the torch. Since monsters spawn in darkness, it is common to use torches as light sources. However, some people use alternatives, such as fire and lava lighting. The smoke from a torch extends up 2½ blocks. So if you are building a secret room with torches, be sure to put them down at least 3 blocks from the roof. Torches require 1 Coal and 1 Stick to make 4 torches. Also, if you like mining a lot, they are very useful for nightmining and can light the way.

Torch placement

Block Name Torch Place-able
Bedrock Yes
Obsidian Yes
Water No
Brick Yes
Cobblestone Yes
Diamond Block Yes
Gold Block Yes
Iron Block Yes
Jukebox Yes*
Moss Stone Yes
Cobblestone Stairs No
Double Slab Yes
Single Slab No
Stone Yes
Iron Door No
Mob Spawner Yes
Furnace Yes*
Coal Ore Yes
Diamond Ore Yes
Wooden Door No
Fence Yes**
Gold Ore Yes
Torch No
Block Name Torch Place-able
Iron Ore Yes
Redstone Ore Yes
Wooden Stairs No
Wooden Planks Yes
Chest Yes*
Workbench Yes
Log Yes
Bookshelf Yes
Jack-O-Lantern Yes
Pumpkin Yes
Melon Yes
Sign Post No
Wall Sign No
Wool Yes
Rails No
Clay Yes
Farmland No
Grass Yes
Gravel Yes
Sponge Yes
Dirt Yes
Ice No
Lever No
Pressure Plates No
Sand Yes
Block Name Torch Place-able
Soul Sand Yes
Stone Button No
Cactus No
Ladders No
Netherrack Yes
Glass Yes**
Glowstone No
Leaves No
Snow Block Yes
Snow No
Crops No
Red rose No
Yellow flower No
Fire No
Lava No
Brown Mushroom No
Red Mushroom No
Portal No
Redstone Wire No
Redstone Torch No
Sugar Cane No
Sapling No
TNT No
Torches on a chest

Torches on a chest.

* Torches may be placed on the sides of openable blocks such as chests by having another block which a torch cannot be placed on (such as leaves another torch) also facing the cube where the torch should be placed, and attempting to place a torch on it. Or trying to place the torch on a ceiling next to a wall. The torch will instead attach to an acceptable block such as the chest.

** Torches may only be placed on the top of fences or glass, not on the sides.

Crafting

Ingredients Input » Output Description
Stick +
Coal/
Charcoal
Template:Grid/Crafting Table Used to generate light. Torches also melt snow and ice.

As a Crafting Ingredient

Ingredients Input » Output
Pumpkin + Torch Template:Grid/Crafting Table

Video

Torch/video


History

Jigsaw Block (top texture) JE2 BE2
This section needs expansion. 
You can help by expanding it.
  • As of Beta 1.7, torches cannot be placed on leaves, whether they are found naturally on a tree or placed after being trimmed with shears.

Notch announced that torches would become temporary sources of light that would eventually go out.[1] They would need to be relit with flint and steel. The permanent torch would be replaced with Lanterns, and all torches that exist already in saved games whether placed, stored or in inventory would become lanterns. This was supposed to take effect on October, 31st 2010 with the Halloween Update, but it was postponed until a later update.[2]

Trivia

  • When a torch is placed in water, it will be detached, as if you had destroyed it. The block it was placed in will have no water in it afterwards, unless two adjacent water sources cause a third to be created. This can also be used to regain air while underwater.
  • If you jump on a placed torch, you will hear a sound of stepping on a wooden block. This is only the sound effect however, so you will not actually stand on it. You must also be moving in a horizontal direction as well, so running and jumping on them is the way to check it.
  • It would take 1.26018466 × 1014 torches to light the entire surface of a minecraft map. It would take approximately double that number to cover everything in a minecraft map, caves and all, counting the 12 million blocks as the edge of the map.
  • If a block falls onto a torch (Sand or Gravel), it breaks the block and gives the player the resource, but the gravel will not drop Flint. However, if the torch is placed quickly enough after removing the base of a stack of falling blocks, the stack remains in place.
  • Because torches emit a light level of 14 and hostile mobs require a light level of 7 or less to spawn, you can seperate them by up to 12 blocks and still prevent hostile mobs spawning.
  • Torches, interestingly, are created when the Enderdragon is defeated.
  • If you place a torch underwater it can create a very short timed air pocket to not drown.
  • It is possible to temporarily disable a Monster spawner by placing a torch on all four sides.

Bugs

  • Any torches placed before the Beta 1.6.4 update will emit no light, even while still showing the smoke and flame animations.
  • If you place a torch on a block where lava is or has been placed, the lava will temporarily go away. After, the lava flows back into the same place. This can be a used as a frantic technique to get rid of lava or to spare time for you or other players.
  • Removing a wall-mounted torch on a server and placing a new torch on another wall-block or floor block (with the torch itself in the same block) before the item has "Dropped" will place the new torch on the same wall block, regardless of where it is placed.
  • Sometimes, torches generated in, for example, an Abandoned Mine Shaft, won't emit light until destroyed and replaced.
  • In 1.1, if a water bucket is placed directly above a torch that has been placed directly on top of a block, the torch will disappear forever. It is unknown if this is a bug or intentional.
  • In 1.2.3, when placing a torch that's surrounded by blocks except for the bottom, the block that the torch occupies will be at the lowest lighting level. However, only that block will not light up; light will travel out from it. This is also true for Redstone Torches.
  • In 1.2.3, placing a torch on glass does not show the bottom of the torch.
  • If you destroy a torch which has generated in an Abandoned Mineshaft, it won't drop as an Item, only if you don't have any torches in your inventory.
  • If you walk or run at a torch and jump over it, you will hear the noise of a single footstep on wooden planks (tested in version 1.2.5 in SSP).
  • Sometimes torches will appear floating in Stronghold libraries, Torch stands in strongholds, or on lampposts in NPC Villages; Torches will also float in Level Save Bugs where the level is not saved correctly or structures that were not made or generated previously.
  • Sometimes a torch will not provide light unless you walk into the room.
  • In Indev, regardless of light level provided by torch or not, whenever the player enters a area that has a cover over it with no torches, the player will appear as a black figure.

Example:


|-| - Player will appear black |-/| - Player will not appear Black

| = Wall - = Ceiling / = Torch

Gallery

See also

References

Advertisement