how to make a barrel in minecraft

Barrels are an alternative form of storage that you can craft in Minecraft. However, they have a few quirks that set them apart from chests. They can be used as a Jobsite block for villagers, they do not require an open space above them to open, and they can also be placed sideways or right-side-up and still function normally. This guide will show you the required materials to make a barrel, how to make a barrel, and how to use a barrel in Minecraft.

How to make a Barrel in Minecraft

In a Nutshell:

To make a barrel in Minecraft, open the crafting table containing the 3x3 grid. Place 3 sticks each in the first and third columns. Finally, place oak slabs in the 1st and 2nd boxes of the second column. Now that a barrel has been made, simply drag it to your inventory.

Required Materials to Make a Barrel in Minecraft

Barrels have two different recipes depending on which version of Minecraft you are playing on, the Java edition, or the Bedrock edition.

6 Wooden Planks (Java)
2 Wooden Slabs (Java)
6 Sticks (Bedrock)
2 Wooden Slabs (Bedrock)

For the Java edition of Minecraft, you will need 6 wooden planks of any type. You can mix and match the types of wood if you want to. This is the case for the wooden slabs as well. Regardless of the type of wood you choose, the barrels will always remain the same visually. In the Bedrock editions of Minecraft, you will need 6 sticks and 2 of any wooden slab.

Steps showing you How to Make a Barrel in Minecraft

Barrels are a relatively cheap recipe as it takes even less wood than chests. You can easily have the materials to craft a barrel by chopping down a tree. Once you have collected all your wood, convert your logs to planks, and if you are playing on the Bedrock edition convert your planks to sticks.

How to Make a Barrel in Minecraft

Save a couple of wooden planks to make slabs as you will need them in either version. To make slabs, line a row of your crafting menu with wooden planks.

How to Make a Barrel in Minecraft

In the Java edition of Minecraft, you can line the sides of the crafting table with wooden planks, in the Bedrock Edition of Minecraft line the sides of the crafting menu with sticks. Fill in the bottom middle and top middle piece with a wooden slab of any kind to make your barrel.

How to Make a Barrel in Minecraft- Java Edition

In the Java edition of Minecraft, just replace the sticks with wooden planks to make the barrel you want.

How to Use a Barrel in Minecraft

Once your barrel is made you can place it wherever you would like it to be. It functions as a single chest, but not restricted by requiring a block of air above it. You can easily fill a wall with barrels to have some extra storage space.

How to Use a Barrel in Minecraft

You can also use barrels as a job site block for villagers. They will become fishers and buy fish for emeralds or sell fish for emeralds. This can be a good way to obtain many emeralds for powering your beacon or supporting other trades as you can easily stockpile plenty of fish.

Using barrels as a job site block for villagers

If the villager is not buying an easy fish in its first level, you can break the barrel it is assigned to and replace it to have the villager reset its trade inventory.

Breaking the barrel it is assigned to

Barrels can hold 27 inventory spaces. They cannot be expanded like chests can, but they can fit into walls and be tilted on either side.

Barrels can hold 27 inventory spaces

It does not matter if the barrel's open end is covered by a block, you can still open it.

FAQ

What profession do Barrels give Villagers in Minecraft?

Barrels are the Jobsite block of fisherman. They will purchase string, coal, and various fish for emeralds. They will also cook your fish for emeralds and the raw fish. In the later levels of their profession, you can simply sell salmon, pufferfish, and tropical fish for emeralds, or even boats for emeralds. Since tropical fish does not have many uses, each tropical fish you catch can eventually be traded for one emerald.

How much Space does a Barrel Hold?

Barrels will hold 27 inventory slots, similar to a single chest. They are different from a single chest by being able to be placed differently, as well as not requiring an open space at the top of the barrel.

Do Barrels burn-in Lava in Minecraft?

Barrels can catch on fire, as they are made of wood, but the items inside your barrel and the barrel itself will be safe from fire or lava burning. You can rest assured that barrels placed near fire or lava will never burn down.

Conclusion

Barrels are an alternative method of storing items in Minecraft. They also come with the quirk of being the fisherman's Jobsite block. You can keep breaking and placing the barrel to make the villager hold the stock you are looking for a level one and two tradings. Barrels will hold 27 inventory spaces which makes them useful for filling out a wall in a house for extra storage.

Congratulations, you now know the required materials to make a barrel, the process of making one, as well as what barrels can be used for. You ought to be using barrels primarily for storage or for being selective about a villager's profession. Since barrels are the Jobsite blocks for fisherman you can use any spare fish you have caught and convert them into emeralds.