How to Make TNT in Minecraft and Mine With It Safely

TNT takes 5 gunpowder and 4 sand. Put gunpowder in the four corners and the center of a crafting table, and sand (or red sand) in the four remaining edge slots, a checkerboard pattern. That makes 1 TNT.

Sand is easy. Gunpowder is the bottleneck, at 5 per block.

Getting gunpowder

• Creepers drop 0 to 2 gunpowder when killed before they explode. Kill them with a bow or a quick sword hit and back off.
• Ghasts in the Nether drop 0 to 2.
• Witches sometimes drop it.
• Loot. Desert pyramid, dungeon and shipwreck supply chests often have some.

If you need TNT in bulk, a creeper farm is the standard answer. Even a simple one out-produces hunting creepers by hand many times over.

You can also skip crafting entirely: every desert pyramid has 9 TNT hidden under a pressure plate in its treasure room. Break the plate first, then dig the TNT out.

Lighting it

TNT has a 4-second fuse. Ways to start it:

• Flint and steel or a fire charge on the block
• Any redstone signal: a lever, button, pressure plate or tripwire
• Fire spreading onto it, lava next to it, or a flaming arrow
• Another explosion nearby, which gives a shorter, random fuse
• A dispenser, which places it already lit

In Bedrock, hitting TNT with a Fire Aspect weapon also lights it.

Lit TNT turns into a flashing block that can be pushed by water and other explosions. Get at least 5 blocks away.

Mining with TNT

Blocks destroyed by TNT drop as items in both editions, so it’s a real mining tool. Its best use is in the Nether, where you dig a long tunnel at Y 15 and blow sections of netherrack to expose ancient debris, which survives the blast. It’s quicker than mining by hand and cheaper than bed-blasting.

TNT does no block damage if it explodes in water. That protects underwater builds, and it’s also why water-based TNT cannons work: the cannon itself survives each shot.

Safety

• A single TNT at full damage can kill an unarmored player on Normal. Blast Protection armor helps a lot.
• Never light TNT under yourself while standing on sand or gravel; the crater can drop you into whatever is below.
• On Bedrock, the world settings have a “TNT explodes” toggle if you want to stop griefing on a shared world.

Looking for a bigger bang than one block? Our Super TNT explainer covers what’s real and what’s a mod. More guides are on the guides hub.