Updated 25 October 2026. Facts on this page come from minecraft.wiki, minecraft.net and the live Artemis PvP server; sources are listed at the bottom.
Bricks and Nether Bricks in Minecraft
Bricks are made by smelting clay balls into brick items, then crafting 4 bricks into a block. Nether bricks come from smelting netherrack into nether brick items and crafting 4 of those. Both are sturdy building blocks with stairs, slabs and walls. Nether bricks do not burn and stand up to ghast fireballs, and Nether fortresses are built from them.
How do you make them?
| Block | Recipe |
|---|---|
| Bricks | Smelt clay balls into bricks, then 4 bricks make 1 block |
| Nether bricks | Smelt netherrack into nether bricks, then 4 make 1 block |
| Red nether bricks | 2 nether wart and 2 nether bricks |
| Cracked and chiseled nether bricks | Smelting and stonecutting variants |
Clay: sand, gravel and clay. Netherrack: netherrack.
Where are they found?
Bricks appear in ocean ruins, plains village armorer houses and trail ruins. Nether bricks make the walls and bridges of every Nether fortress; blazes and wither skeletons can spawn on them inside a fortress's area. See Nether fortresses.
What else are brick items used for?
- Flower pots (3 bricks).
- Decorated pots, from 4 bricks or pottery sherds; see decorated pots.
- Nether brick fences, which do not connect to wooden ones.
- Masons buy clay and sell bricks; see mason trades.
Building tips
Bricks suit chimneys, houses and old towns; Nether bricks give dark castles and Nether bases. Nether brick walls are safe against ghasts, which makes them a good Nether shelter. Brick blocks resist explosions about as well as stone, and both kinds need a pickaxe to drop. Wall versions: walls.
Frequently asked questions
How do you make Nether bricks?
Smelt netherrack into nether bricks, then craft 4 into a block.
Sources
Every fact on this page was checked against these pages; the wording is ours.