Storage · Basics · 1.21

How to Make a Chest

The chest is where your loot lives. Eight planks gets you 27 slots, and the moment you place a second one beside it, you have a 54-slot double chest.

The recipe

Eight planks of any wood around the edge of the crafting grid.

→

By the numbers

27

slots in a single chest

54

slots in a double chest

8

planks to craft one

Good to know

◆A double chest is just two chests placed side by side, facing the same way.
◆A chest will not open with a solid block (or a cat) directly on top. Leave the space above clear.
◆A barrel is the 1-block alternative: same 27 slots, opens even under a block, but never doubles.
◆Trapped chests look almost the same but fire a redstone pulse when opened, handy for traps.
◆Name a chest on an anvil before placing it to label your storage at a glance.

Quick answers

What wood can I use?

Any planks, and you can even mix wood types. All eight in a ring around the grid make one chest.

How do I make a double chest?

Place two chests right next to each other, facing the same way. They merge into a single 54-slot inventory.

Why will my chest not open?

A solid block directly above it (or a cat sitting on top) blocks the lid. Keep the space above clear, or use a barrel instead.

What is a trapped chest?

A chest crafted with a tripwire hook. It looks almost identical but sends out a redstone signal whenever it is opened.

Can I rename or lock a chest?

Rename it on an anvil. On many servers a chest can be locked so only a matching key item opens it.

Chest or barrel?

Both hold 27 slots. A barrel is a single block and opens even with a block on top, but it cannot combine into a double.

How much can a double chest actually hold?

54 slots, and each slot stacks to 64 for most items. That is up to 3,456 of a single stackable item. Tools, armour, and potions do not stack, so those fill one slot each.

Can mobs or hoppers see into a chest?

A hopper under a chest pulls items out, one above pushes items in, and a hopper into the chest's side also feeds it. Wandering mobs cannot open chests, but villagers and piglins ignore them entirely.

Do chests survive in the Nether or being blown up?

Wood chests burn, so keep them off lava and fire. A creeper or TNT blast destroys a chest and scatters its contents as item drops. Bury storage or wall it in obsidian near combat zones.

Can I dye or recolour a chest?

No. Vanilla chests use one fixed texture no matter which planks you craft them from. Barrels look the same regardless of wood too, but shulker boxes can be dyed any of the 16 colours on a crafting grid.

Storage tips that save runs

◆Leave a 1-block gap above a chest, or set it under a half-slab or stair, so the lid always opens.
◆Two chests only merge if they face the same way. Sneak while placing to control facing, or break and reset one if they refuse to pair.
◆A hopper under a chest empties it into the block below; a hopper pointing into a chest fills it. Use this for auto-sorters and furnace outputs.
◆Shulker boxes keep their contents when broken, so pack a few into a chest to move 27 stacks at once. A double chest does not break that way and drops everything.
◆Mark important chests with an item frame holding a sample of what is inside, or rename the chest on an anvil before placing it.
◆Near builds and combat keep wood chests away from lava and fire; one stray flint and steel can erase a base.

Stock the chest by smelting at a furnace, and squeeze loose odds and ends into a bundle first. Compare chests, barrels and shulker boxes on the items database, or grab the recipe on crafting.