How to Use the New Blast Furnace in Minecraft?

What Is A Blast Furnace Used For In Minecraft?

Minecraft is an endless game with hundreds of opportunities where players can play different roles and perform various tasks. Surely, crafting is the most important activity. To craft new items for your houses and challenges, you may need a blast furnace in Minecraft at some point. How to make it and what it can do for you – the following article from the Asami Games team will reveal the answers.

Minecraft players can use the Blast Furnace to improve their metal processing (smelting) recipes. The Mojang team released the Blast Furnace feature in the Village & Pillage update of 2019 to help players melt items twice as fast compared to basic furnaces and smokers. 

The Blast Furnace functions as a specialized block that looks like a regular furnace. Its major task is to double the speed of iron-related smelting compared to typical furnaces. The item/block works differently from other furnaces with the focus on smelting metals. Also, the Blast Furnace in Minecraft functions differently than other smelting tools because it handles only metal items such as ores and raw metals.

According to the official lore of Minecraft, Blast Furnace is more of a workstation for villagers than the specialized block, at least when it comes to multiple uses. Basically, this furnace turns inexperienced villagers into expert armor crafters who can trade metal merchandise with other settlements.

Uses of Blast Furnace in Minecraft

In Minecraft, players can use a blast furnace because it provides unique and fast smelting features:

• The Blast Furnace smelts the following items twice as fast as a standard furnace:
• The furnace turns iron ore, gold ore, and copper ore into their individual ingot materials;
• This device works with unprocessed Iron, Gold, and Copper ores, which were added to Minecraft in Update 1.17 Caves & Cliffs (Part I);
• The Blast Furnace processes metal tools and armor faster than other furnaces through its production of nuggets from iron tools and gold equipment;
• The Chainmail Armor is crafted from iron nuggets through the furnace melting process;

The Blast Furnace has clear limits on its capability to process materials. The Blast Furnace is different from normal furnaces because it can’t work with eating products such as raw beef or non-metal items such as sand and clay. The machine works best for the metal processing of ores and recycled materials.

Its main benefit is dual-speed smelting operations. On the Blast Furnace, one iron ore melts into an ingot at half the time needed by a standard furnace at 5 seconds. Using the Blast Furnace for bulk smelting tasks saves workers half their normal waiting time.

Blast Furnace Minecraft Recipe – How to Craft It?

1) Gather All Necessary Materials:

• Arrange 8 cobblestone blocks in a circular pattern to make the 1 Furnace through a crafting table;
• You need 5 Iron Ingots from iron ore smelting in a classic furnace when fueling it with any burnable item.
• By putting stone into your furnace, you can get 3 Smooth Stones melted from 8 cobblestones.

2) Craft In Such Sequence:

• Open your 3×3 crafting table;
• Top Row – Iron Ingot| Iron Ingot| Iron Ingot;
• Middle Row – Iron Ingot | Regular Furnace | Iron Ingot;
• Bottom Row – Smooth Stone | Smooth Stone | Smooth Stone;
• After setting up the items correctly, the Blast Furnace will show in the output area. Drag it to your inventory;

As with all things in Minecraft, how to craft a blast furnace is better to find out from watching the video made by the experienced players. It is really quite simple to craft and then use. Do not neglect this block since it really saves time.

How to Use a Blast Furnace in Minecraft?

The Blast Furnace offers an easy system for players who used standard furnace models before. Left-click (tapping on mobile) sets the Blast Furnace down in your chosen location.

Click the Blast Furnace to open its user interface that contains 3 available slots:

• The Top Slot contains the items that the furnace will heat into their final form (it accepts raw iron, gold ore, and more);
• The Middle Slot is the fuel slot (we’ve covered this section below);
• The Bottom Slot shows ready iron ingots and other items smelted inside the furnace;

Place the fuel in the corresponding slot of the furnace. Then, place the raw materials one above the other into the top slot. The furnace starts working and shows progress as fuel burns in it. The produced items are displayed automatically on the right side when the entire process ends.

Unlike a normal furnace setup, this furnace works faster and solely on specific materials. Three connected hoppers accept the items automatically while supplying the fuel from the middle slot and collecting smelted output from the bottom slot.

What Fuel Does a Blast Furnace Use in Minecraft?

If you wonder what fuel to use for the Minecraft Blast Furnace, then check the fuel sources for any other furnace in the game. There are no unique requirements. We suggest that you use such fuel sources: 

• Lava Bucket: 1000 seconds (100 items smelted);
• Block of Coal: 800 seconds (80 items);
• Dried Kelp Block: 200 seconds (20 items).
• Blaze Rod: 120 seconds (12 items);
• Coal/Charcoal: 80 seconds (8 items);
• Wooden Items (planks, logs, tools): 15-60 seconds (1.5-6 items);

Despite the fact that the Blast Furnace in Minecraft produces items faster than a regular furnace, the Blast Furnace uses the same amount of fuel for each transformed product. In a Blast Furnace, one coal block melts faster through its system because it smelts 8 items during 40 seconds compared to 80 seconds of a regular furnace’s processing time. The recipes are the same for both furnaces, but the blast furnace needs more fuel.

Blast Furnace vs Smoker in Minecraft

In Minecraft, the Blast Furnace and Smoker were both introduced in the popular Village & Pillage update (1.14). Both are used for smelting tasks but have unique features. Many beginner players are wondering about the differences between these two similar items in Minecraft. We’ll try to explain the difference.

The Blast Furnace was added for smelting ores, raw metals, and certain metal items like tools or armor into ingots. Its key advantage is speed – this furnace device can craft the items twice as fast as a regular Furnace — smelting an item in 5 seconds (100 ticks) compared to 10 seconds (200 ticks). However, this efficiency comes with a catch: it can only smelt ore-related items and can’t “cook” food or “process” other materials like sand into glass. It’s ideal for miners or players handling large quantities of ore, especially when paired with fuel like coal or lava buckets.

Conversely, the Smoker is the chef’s best friend. It exclusively cooks food items—such as raw pork chops, beef, or fish—at double the speed of a standard Furnace. Like the Blast Furnace in Minecraft, it’s limited to its niche. It won’t smelt ores or other materials. This makes it perfect for players focused on food production, especially in farms or villages where raw meat is always available.

Both blocks use the same fuel as a Furnace but burn it at the same rate, so the efficiency is in time, not fuel cost. Crafting requires a Furnace and 4 iron ingots (Blast Furnace) or 4 logs/stems (Smoker). For specialized tasks, smokers outshine the Furnace. Otherwise, the classic Furnace remains the versatile all-rounder. Choose the device based on your priorities—mining or dining!

What do gamers prefer? It depends on the specific tasks since both devices can craft cool stuff. Check the Reddit discussion where gamers discuss how to use smokers and blast furnaces. 

Tips for Using a Blast Furnace in Minecraft

• Mass smelting. This setup lets you process iron or gold mines faster by half their normal time.
• Recycling. Old iron swords or gold helmets? Smelt them into nuggets for reuse.
• Good for placing in any village. Placing this block in a village lets you hire an Armorer who provides chainmail, shield, and enchanted armor services;
• It’s a nice look in any interface. This item helps projects look more steampunk or middle age because of their modern industrial appearance.
• Saves time. Players with many raw ore stacks will save plenty of time through this tool, so it becomes essential for late-stage bases;
• Not for food. This tool can’t process food materials or sand in addition to metals, so you must use regular kitchen or processing units;
• Reduced coal usage. Separating metal at faster speeds does not reduce your coal usage, so you expend the fuel just as quickly;
• Worth the effort and materials. 5 iron ingots and 3 smooth rocks cost higher than 8 cobblestones but are still worth purchasing for crafting a blast furnace;

Interesting Fan Facts About Blast Furnace in Minecraft

• Added in 1.14 alongside smokers and cartography tables, the Blast Furnace reflects Minecraft’s push toward specialized workstations.
• Armorers use it as their job block, often seen “working” at it in villages;
• Its design mimics real-world blast furnaces, with a rugged, metallic look;

We hope to see the changes made to the blast furnace in Minecraft for 2025, since so many huge updates are coming.

Frequently Asked Questions

How to make a blast furnace in Minecraft?

To make a blast furnace in Minecraft, you will need a crafting table, 5 iron ingots, 1 special furnace block, and 3 smooth stone blocks. Insert the furnace at the grid center, then put iron ingots in the top row and side positions and smooth stone at bottom row spots. After crafting, put the blast furnace in your game area to fasten the ore smelting processes.

What does a blast furnace do in Minecraft?

In Minecraft, the Blast Furnace transforms ores and materials into metals twice faster than standard furnaces (doesn’t related to food items). The device runs on coal or wood fuel to produce ingots and nuggets from iron ore, gold ore, and chainmail materials. This device handles only metal materials for transformation into nuggets – do not try to produce other categories of items.

What can you smelt in a blast furnace?

You can input iron, gold raw ores, and raw iron blocks in addition to the tools or armor made of metal materials into the blast furnace. You can bake iron swords, along with gold pickaxes and chainmail plates, into metal ingots and nuggets. The device works exclusively for metals and operates at top speed while refusing other materials – that is the major drawback.

Conclusion

Players interested in metal gameplay in Minecraft will greatly benefit from the Blast Furnace device. People who craft the furnace with these materials achieve better production of metal blocks.

Since 1.14, Minecraft’s Blast Furnace design has not changed its key features until March 10, 2025, due to no significant updates in the 1.20+ patches. Start working with your iron materials and coal fuel through your blast furnace to reach better Minecraft performance right away.

The Asami Games team will continue to follow the news about the additions, updates and new items in Minecraft. Make sure to follow and bookmark our website for these updates.