Smooth stone in Minecraft is one of those sleek, clean-looking blocks that can make any build pop with style and simplicity. Whether you’re upgrading your base, creating refined pathways, or just exploring crafting options, learning how to make smooth stone adds another tool to your creative arsenal. It’s a block that not only looks great but is also functional in various crafting recipes and construction projects
What is Smooth Stone in Minecraft?
Smooth stone is a polished variant of regular stone. Unlike cobblestone or rough stone, it has a smooth, light gray texture that gives structures a more modern or refined look. You cannot naturally find smooth stone blocks in large quantities in the Overworld. However, they do appear occasionally in villages, usually in houses that have furnaces. Since it is uncommon in the natural world, crafting it yourself is the best way to get enough for your building projects
Besides its aesthetic appeal, smooth stone is used in various crafting recipes, including blast furnaces. It’s also a block you can use to make slabs, which are handy for decoration or creating interesting architectural designs
Materials You Need to Make Smooth Stone
Before diving into the crafting process, you need to gather a few basic materials. These are simple and easy to obtain, especially in the early stages of the game
- Cobblestone: You can mine cobblestone from almost any underground area or exposed rock formations. Simply use a pickaxe on stone blocks to get cobblestone
- Furnace: A furnace is crafted with eight pieces of cobblestone arranged in a crafting table, leaving the center square empty
- Fuel Source (Coal, Wood, etc.): To smelt the cobblestone into smooth stone, you need a fuel source. Coal is efficient, but you can also use wood, charcoal, or lava buckets
Once these materials are gathered, you’re ready to start making smooth stone
Step-by-Step Guide to Craft Smooth Stone
Step 1: Smelt Cobblestone into Stone
First, place cobblestone into the furnace’s top slot. In the bottom slot, place your fuel source. Wait a few seconds, and cobblestone will smelt into stone. This step transforms rough cobblestone into regular stone, which is the foundation for creating smooth stone
Step 2: Smelt Stone into Smooth Stone
Take the stone you’ve just created and place it back into the furnace’s top slot. Add more fuel to the bottom if necessary. When the smelting process finishes, your stone will turn into smooth stone. This is the final product you’re looking for
Step 3: Collect Smooth Stone
Once the smelting is complete, move the smooth stone from the furnace into your inventory. You can now use it for building or crafting
How to Craft Smooth Stone Slabs
Smooth stone isn’t just a decorative block; you can also turn it into smooth stone slabs, which are great for floors, pathways, or aesthetic accents. Here’s how to craft them
- Open your crafting table
- Place three smooth stones in a horizontal row
- This recipe yields six smooth stone slabs
These slabs are thinner than full blocks, allowing for more creative building designs
Where Can You Find Smooth Stone Naturally?
Although crafting is the easiest method, smooth stone does generate naturally in some locations within the game
- Villages: Inside mason houses or blast furnace houses, you can often find smooth stone blocks
- Bastions (Nether): Occasionally, smooth stone can appear as part of structure designs
- Strongholds: Sometimes, smooth stone shows up embedded in walls or floors
Collecting naturally occurring smooth stone is useful early on if you stumble across these structures, but crafting is more reliable for larger quantities
Best Uses for Smooth Stone in Minecraft
Smooth stone serves multiple purposes beyond just looking good. Here are some practical uses
Crafting a Blast Furnace
A blast furnace is essential for smelting ores twice as fast as a regular furnace. To craft one, you need
- 5 iron ingots
- 3 smooth stones
- 1 furnace
With a blast furnace, you can speed up your ore processing, making mining trips much more efficient
Building Modern Structures
Smooth stone is popular in modern-style builds due to its clean and minimal texture. It pairs well with other materials like glass, quartz, and concrete for creating sleek houses or futuristic bases
Decorative Pathways and Floors
Using smooth stone slabs or blocks in floors and pathways gives a refined, polished look compared to the rough textures of cobblestone or regular stone
Trading with Villagers
Sometimes, villagers such as masons may trade smooth stone-related blocks. Having some in your inventory can open up opportunities for beneficial trades
Differences Between Stone and Smooth Stone
Though they may seem similar at first glance, stone and smooth stone have distinct differences
Stone | Smooth Stone |
---|---|
Slightly rough texture | Clean, polished surface |
Used to craft stone bricks, buttons, and pressure plates | Used to craft blast furnaces and smooth stone slabs |
Gray color with subtle variation | Lighter gray with uniform appearance |
Understanding the differences helps when planning construction projects or crafting recipes
How to Make Smooth Stone in Minecraft Bedrock Edition
The process of making smooth stone in Minecraft Bedrock Edition is almost identical to the Java Edition
- Smelt cobblestone into stone
- Smelt stone into smooth stone
The only notable difference is that some texture packs or settings might make smooth stone look slightly different on Bedrock Edition platforms
How to Make Smooth Stone in Minecraft Pocket Edition
In Pocket Edition (PE), smooth stone crafting follows the same rules
- Gather cobblestone
- Smelt into stone
- Smelt into smooth stone again
The interface for the furnace is mobile-friendly, but the core steps remain the same
How to Get Smooth Stone Without a Furnace
While crafting with a furnace is the standard method, players sometimes wonder if there’s a way to get smooth stone without using one. Technically, you can’t craft smooth stone without smelting, but silk touch enchanted tools let you mine stone blocks directly (bypassing cobblestone). However, to get smooth stone, you still need to smelt those stone blocks
If you’re exploring or raiding villages, you might also collect smooth stone blocks naturally, avoiding the furnace altogether in those cases
Tips for Crafting Smooth Stone Efficiently
- Use Coal Blocks or Lava Buckets as long-lasting fuel sources for bulk smelting
- Build Multiple Furnaces to speed up production if you need a large supply of smooth stone
- Enchant Pickaxes with Silk Touch to collect stone directly, saving time on double smelting
These strategies streamline your resource gathering and crafting workflow
FAQs about Smooth Stone in Minecraft
What is the fastest way to make smooth stone in Minecraft?
The fastest way is to set up multiple furnaces, use coal blocks or lava buckets as fuel, and smelt large batches of stone at once. Using multiple furnaces speeds up production dramatically
Can smooth stone be used to make stone bricks?
No, smooth stone cannot be crafted into stone bricks. You must use regular stone to make stone bricks
How do I get smooth stone slabs?
Place three smooth stone blocks in a horizontal row on a crafting table. This recipe yields six smooth stone slabs
Is smooth stone blast resistant?
Yes, smooth stone has the same blast resistance as regular stone, which is 6. This makes it suitable for building explosion-resistant structures
Can I make smooth stone stairs in Minecraft?
Currently, Minecraft does not have smooth stone stairs as a craftable item. You can only create smooth stone slabs
What version of Minecraft introduced smooth stone?
Smooth stone as a standalone block texture became accessible in Minecraft Java Edition 1.14. Before that, it existed internally but wasn’t craftable or obtainable in survival mode
Can villagers trade smooth stone?
Villagers do not trade smooth stone directly, but masons may offer related stone materials that complement smooth stone builds
Does smooth stone spawn in The Nether?
No, smooth stone does not naturally spawn in The Nether. You can only bring it there manually for building
Can I use smooth stone for Redstone contraptions?
Yes, you can use smooth stone as a building block in Redstone contraptions. However, it doesn’t offer any special Redstone properties compared to other blocks
Is smooth stone better than regular stone?
This depends on your needs. Smooth stone looks cleaner and more refined, making it great for aesthetics. Regular stone has more crafting recipes, like stone bricks and buttons