Barrels in Minecraft provide an inviting design, a cheaper recipe, and greater functionality compared to chests. Not to forget, as solid blocks, they can even be used to craft multi-functional structures. But, they are still criminally underrated, with most players discovering them only in villages. Let's change that and explore how to make a barrel in Minecraft to unlock its potential!

How to Make a Barrel in Minecraft

Our guide covers barrels in Minecraft: spawning, crafting, and uses. Explore each section thoroughly to learn everything you need to know about this better-looking alternative to chests.

What is a Barrel in Minecraft

Barrels are nonflammable storage blocks made out of wood, featuring a hole-like opening at the top. They serve as an attractive and practical solution for your building and storage needs in Minecraft. But, unlike chests, you cannot combine them or place them on top of mules.

Moreover, these same barrels also act as a job site block for fisherman villagers. They offer a variety of interesting trades including emeralds, in exchange for fishes.

Minecraft: Barrel vs Chest

While the two storage blocks have essentially the same function, they are quite different at their cores. Here's how:

• Storage: While both chests and barrels have 27 inventory slots, only chests can be combined with other chests. Though, you can expand the storage limits of a barrel using a bundle in Minecraft.
• Placement: Unlike a chest, barrels can be opened even if there is a solid block above them. This turns them into a major asset for building structures.
• Functionality: While chests are only good for storage, barrels also function as a job site block in Minecraft.
• Portability: You can combine a chest with boats, rafts, mules, and llamas in Minecraft to make them portable. Barrels don't support this mechanic.
• Cost: Barrels are slightly cost-effective in creation. Though, both chests and barrels can smelt up to 1.5 items as fuel for furnaces.

Where to Find Barrels in Your World

In terms of natural spawning, barrels are one of the rarest storage items in the game. They only spawn in the cottages of fishermen within the villages of Minecraft. You can find up to three barrels within a single cottage.

If you want to try your luck, there is no better place than our list of best Minecraft 1.20 village seeds. Meanwhile, picking up a barrel is much easier than finding it. Use any tool or your hands to break the barrel. The barrel drops itself as an item and also empties out all the content that was inside it.

Items to Make Barrels in Minecraft

You need to collect the following items to craft a barrel in Minecraft:

• 6 Planks
• 2 Wooden Slabs
• Crafting Table

Planks are one of the easiest items to collect in Minecraft. All you need to do is break the log of a tree and place it in the crafting grid to turn them into planks. While crafting a barrel, you can use any type of wood in Minecraft including the one from the pink trees of Cherry Grove biome.

Crafting Table

Making a crafting table in Minecraft is quite easy. Place four planks in a square format inside the crafting and your crafting table is ready. This recipe works in your 2x2 inventory grid and a proper crafting table.

Moreover, this functional block also spawns inside the villages of Minecraft. You can break it using any tool or use your hands to pick it up. However, most players stick with crafting due to its simple recipe.

How to Make Slabs in Minecraft

The crafting recipe for wooden slabs is quite simple. To create them, simply place three planks of the same type of wood in a row on a crafting table. This recipe works with all wood types, including bamboo wood in Minecraft. Furthermore, in the crafting recipe of a barrel, the slabs don't even have to be of the same wood type.

How to Make a Barrel in Minecraft

After collecting all the key ingredients, follow these simple steps to create a barrel in Minecraft:

1. First, open your crafting table by right-clicking or using the secondary action key on it.

2. Then, fill up the left and right columns of the crafting grid by placing planks in them. You can use any type of plank for this step and they don't even have to be the same.

3. Finally, place one slab in the middle cell of the top and bottommost row of the grid. With that, your barrel is ready to use.

Make and Use Barrels in Minecraft Today

Now that you know how to make a barrel in Minecraft, it's time to get creative with its usage. The obvious choice would be to recreate some of the best Minecraft barn ideas, complete with domestic animals. Though, if you are playing on the best Minecraft 1.20 servers, your barn cannot be complete without a Sniffer. But the versatility of barrels goes beyond barns. So, it's your turn to come up with some creative ways to use this iconic block. Share your ideas on our Discord server and collaborate with other talented builders.