Terracotta is a warm, earthy building block that comes in every color and, when glazed, forms some of the prettiest patterns in the game. It is not crafted, though. You make plain terracotta by smelting clay, and from there you can dye it and even glaze it into decorative tiles.
This guide covers how to make terracotta, where to get the clay for it (including a renewable trick), how to color it, and how to turn it into glazed terracotta. Everything here is accurate for the latest 2026 version of Minecraft.
Quick answer: smelt a clay block in a furnace to get terracotta. To color it, surround 8 terracotta with 1 dye for 8 stained terracotta. To make patterned glazed terracotta, smelt stained (dyed) terracotta again.
Terracotta at a Glance
| Detail | Value |
|---|---|
| Base recipe | Smelt a clay block |
| Colored | 8 terracotta + 1 dye (makes 8) |
| Glazed | Smelt dyed terracotta |
| Watch out | Only dyed terracotta can be glazed |
How to Make Terracotta
Plain terracotta comes from the furnace, not the crafting table:
- Get clay blocks (see below).
- Put a clay block in a furnace with any fuel.
- It smelts into terracotta.
If you mine clay with a plain tool, you get 4 clay balls per block, so craft those 4 balls back into a clay block before smelting (a Silk Touch tool collects the whole block directly).
Where to Get Clay
Clay is the one ingredient that can be a pain to find, so it helps to know your options:
- Shallow water. Clay generates in patches at the bottom of rivers, lakes, and beaches, and throughout lush caves.
- Make it renewable (mud plus dripstone). You can farm clay without a water source at all: turn dirt into mud with a water bottle, place the mud on top of a pointed dripstone block (with a gap beneath), and the mud slowly drains into clay. This is the reliable way to mass-produce terracotta.
How to Make Colored Terracotta
Plain terracotta has a soft orange-brown color, but you can stain it any color:
- Place 8 terracotta around the edges of the crafting grid with 1 dye in the center.
That gives you 8 stained terracotta in that color. One thing to remember: dyeing is irreversible. Once terracotta is colored, you cannot change or remove the dye, so commit to the shade you want. Any color of dye works.
How to Make Glazed Terracotta
Glazed terracotta is the decorative, patterned version, and it has one strict rule:
- Smelt stained (already dyed) terracotta in a furnace to get glazed terracotta.
You cannot glaze plain, undyed terracotta, so you have to color it first. Glazed terracotta shows a bold pattern, and when you place four or more of the same color in a 2×2 or larger area and rotate them correctly, the tiles line up into a single repeating image. It is one of the best blocks for floors, borders, and feature walls.
Frequently Asked Questions
Smelt a clay block in a furnace. That turns it into plain terracotta.
Surround 8 terracotta with 1 dye of your chosen color in the crafting grid for 8 stained terracotta. The color is permanent.
Smelt terracotta that has already been dyed. Plain, undyed terracotta cannot be turned into glazed terracotta.
In shallow water like rivers and lakes, and in lush caves. You can also farm it by turning dirt into mud and draining it through pointed dripstone.
No. Dyeing terracotta is irreversible, so once it is colored you cannot change or remove the dye.
Decorative patterns. Placing several of the same color in a 2×2 or larger area lines the tiles up into a repeating image, which is great for floors and feature walls.
Terracotta gives your builds a softer, earthier palette than concrete, and glazed terracotta adds patterns nothing else can match. Set up a mud-and-dripstone clay farm, smelt a stack, and start coloring. For bolder, solid color instead, see our guide on how to make concrete.
