How to Make a Ladder in Minecraft: 7 Sticks for 3 Ladders
Seven sticks in an H shape make 3 ladders, for less than one log. How to make a ladder in Minecraft, climb it safely, and when to use scaffolding.
You need 7 sticks. On a crafting table, fill the left and right columns with sticks (three each) and put the seventh in the center square, so the shape looks like a capital H. That gives you 3 ladders. Seven sticks cost less than one log: a log makes 4 planks, and those 4 planks make 8 sticks.
Placing them
A ladder has to go on the side of a full, solid block. Hold the ladder, look at a wall and use it; the ladder sticks flat against that face. Stack the next one above it and keep going. Glass, stone, wood and most full blocks work. Slabs, stairs and fences don’t.
If the block behind a ladder is broken, the ladder pops off and drops as an item. Keep that in mind when you mine next to a shaft you climbed down.
Climbing
- Walk into the ladder to climb up; walk away or don’t press forward to slide down slowly.
- Hold sneak to stop and hang in place. You can mine and place blocks while hanging, which is how people build up the walls of a tall shaft.
- Sliding down a ladder never causes fall damage, no matter the height.
- Ladders can be waterlogged and still work, so they’re fine in flooded shafts and underwater bases.
Ladders in mines
A one-by-one shaft with a ladder up one wall is the classic way back to the surface after a branch mine. Either leave a ladder line in the shaft as you dig down, or dig straight up later while placing ladders as you go. Never dig straight up under gravel or sand without a plan. Our mining guide covers the safe way to dig down so you don’t fall into lava, and the ladder is how you climb back out.
Ladder or scaffolding?
Scaffolding, made from bamboo and string, is faster for tall temporary structures: you climb it by holding jump, drop down by sneaking, and break the whole tower by breaking the bottom block. Ladders are better for permanent access: they’re slim, they sit against a wall, and they don’t take a block of floor space.
Some other alternatives:
- Vines, twisting vines and weeping vines are climbable too, and grow on their own.
- Water elevators built with soul sand or magma blocks are faster for very tall builds.
Ladders are cheap enough that you should always carry a few. With a crafting table and a log you can make them on the spot, and a sign on the wall beside each ladder tells you which shaft goes where.
Common questions
How many ladders do 7 sticks make?
Three. A single log covers it, since one log gives 4 planks and 4 planks give 8 sticks.
How do you stop on a ladder?
Hold sneak. You'll hang in place on the ladder without sliding down, which is useful when you need to place or break blocks mid-climb.
Can ladders be placed on glass?
Yes. Glass counts as a full block for ladders. They can't go on non-full blocks like slabs or fences.
Sources & verification
Facts on this page are checked against these references and in-game behavior for the stated edition(s). how we verify.
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