TNT is Minecraft’s classic explosive, useful for mining, clearing land, trap builds, and blowing things up for fun. This guide covers the exact recipe, the ingredients you need, and every way to set it off safely.
Everything here is confirmed in the current 2026 version of Minecraft (26.2).
Quick answer: craft TNT from 5 gunpowder and 4 sand, arranged in a checkerboard pattern (gunpowder in the corners and center, sand in between). To detonate it, hit it with flint and steel, a redstone signal, or fire.
TNT Recipe at a Glance
| Detail | Value |
|---|---|
| Ingredients | 5 gunpowder + 4 sand (or red sand) |
| Crafted on | Crafting table |
| Gunpowder from | Creepers, witches, ghasts, loot chests |
| Detonate with | Redstone, flint and steel, fire, another explosion |
| Not activated by | Simply mining it (drops as an item) |
Step 1: Gather Gunpowder and Sand
TNT needs two things:
- 5 gunpowder, which drops from creepers (kill them without letting them explode), witches, and ghasts, and is also found in loot chests. See our how to get gunpowder guide if you need a steady supply.
- 4 sand (regular or red sand), dug from beaches, deserts, and riverbeds.
Gunpowder is the limiting ingredient, so a creeper or witch farm is the fastest way to make TNT in bulk.
Step 2: Craft the TNT
Open a crafting table and lay it out in a checkerboard:
- Top row: gunpowder, sand, gunpowder
- Middle row: sand, gunpowder, sand
- Bottom row: gunpowder, sand, gunpowder
So gunpowder fills the four corners and the center, and sand fills the four edges. That gives you one block of TNT.
Step 3: Detonate It Safely
TNT does not explode when you place it, and mining it just drops it as an item. To set it off, you have to activate it, and once lit it flashes for about 4 seconds before exploding, giving you time to run:
- Flint and steel: right-click the TNT to light it directly.
- Redstone: any redstone signal (button, lever, pressure plate, redstone dust) touching the TNT ignites it, which is how trap and mining setups work.
- Fire or lava spreading onto it, or another explosion nearby, also sets it off.
Always give yourself distance; TNT damages you, breaks blocks, and chains to other TNT. For controlled builds, redstone is the safest trigger because you can activate it from far away. If you want to combine TNT with moving builds, our how to make a piston guide covers the redstone side.
Frequently Asked Questions
Place 5 gunpowder and 4 sand in a checkerboard on a crafting table, gunpowder in the four corners and center, sand on the four edges. That makes one TNT block.
Five gunpowder and four sand. Gunpowder comes from creepers, witches, and ghasts, and sand is dug from deserts and beaches.
Light it with flint and steel, trigger it with a redstone signal, or expose it to fire or another explosion. It flashes for about 4 seconds before exploding.
No. Breaking placed TNT just drops it as an item to pick up. It only explodes when activated by fire, redstone, or an explosion.
Yes. Both regular sand and red sand work in the TNT recipe.
About 4 seconds. Once it starts flashing, move away, since it damages you and breaks the blocks around it.
TNT is five gunpowder and four sand in a checkerboard, and the only trick is activating it: use flint and steel or redstone, then get clear. Set up a creeper farm for the gunpowder, and you can make as much as you want.
