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.
Campfires in Minecraft: Cooking, Smoke Signals and Bees
A campfire is a light-15 block that cooks up to 4 raw foods at once with no fuel, sends up a column of smoke (taller with a hay bale under it), and calms bees so you can harvest honey safely. It hurts anything standing on it, and its fire never spreads. Mine it without Silk Touch and you get 2 charcoal.
How do you make a campfire?
3 sticks around a piece of coal or charcoal, with 3 logs (or stems, or wood) along the bottom. A soul campfire uses soul sand or soul soil instead of coal and gives light 10. Campfires are lit when placed; light them again with flint and steel, a fire charge or a flaming arrow, and put them out with water or a shovel.
How does campfire cooking work?
Use raw meat, fish or potatoes on it to place up to 4 items; each cooks in 30 seconds and pops off when done. It is slower than a smoker but needs no fuel at all, so it is the best early-game kitchen. See food and hunger and smelting.
How do campfires help with bees?
A campfire within 5 blocks below a beehive or bee nest, with clear air between them, lets you take honey bottles and honeycomb without the bees attacking. Copper grates and carpets (Java) can sit between them. See bees and honey.
What else are campfires good for?
- Light that never spreads fire, unlike real fire.
- Smoke signals: the smoke column rises much higher with a hay bale beneath.
- Traps: it damages mobs and players standing on it, even underwater, and hoppers below collect the drops.
- Found naturally in taiga villages, ancient city camps, trail ruins and abandoned camps; see abandoned camps.
Can you buy food on ArtemisPvP?
Frequently asked questions
How do you make a campfire?
3 sticks, 1 coal or charcoal and 3 logs.
Why put a campfire under a beehive?
So you can take honey without angering the bees.
Sources
Every fact on this page was checked against these pages; the wording is ours.