Tools · Basics · 1.21

How to Make Flint and Steel

One iron, one flint, and you carry fire in your pocket. Flint and steel is the key to the Nether, the fuse on your TNT, and the quickest campfire light there is.

The recipe

Iron ingot top-left, flint one slot diagonally below it.

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What it lights

Nether portals

Right-click inside a 4x5 obsidian frame to open the portal.

TNT

Lights TNT directly, starting the fuse instantly.

Campfires

Relights a campfire and lights candles.

Flammable blocks

Sets fire to wood, wool, leaves and other burnables.

Getting the flint

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Flint drops from gravel about one in ten blocks. Dig with a Fortune shovel to raise the odds, all the way to a guaranteed drop at Fortune III. Iron you smelt at a furnace.

Good to know

64

uses before it breaks (more with Unbreaking)

A fire charge is the throwable, dispenser-friendly one-use alternative.

Quick answers

What is the recipe?

One iron ingot in the top-left slot and one flint in the slot diagonally below-right of it. That makes one flint and steel.

Where do I get flint?

Break gravel. About one in ten gravel blocks drops flint, and a Fortune shovel raises the odds, up to guaranteed at Fortune III.

What can it light?

Nether portals, TNT, campfires, candles, and any flammable block such as wood, wool or leaves.

How many uses does it have?

64. Each ignite costs one durability. Unbreaking and Mending make it last far longer.

How do I light a nether portal?

Build a frame of obsidian (a 4 wide by 5 tall rectangle works) and right-click the inside with flint and steel.

Flint and steel or fire charge?

Flint and steel is reusable and used up close. A fire charge is a single-use igniter you can throw or load into a dispenser.

Can I enchant flint and steel?

Yes, on an enchanting table or anvil. Unbreaking I to III stretches the 64 uses, and Mending repairs it from XP as you ignite things. Both stack on the same item.

Why does the fire go out right away?

Fire only stays on flammable blocks like wood, wool, planks or leaves. On stone, dirt or glass the flame burns one tick and disappears. The portal frame must also be obsidian, not cobblestone.

Does it work in the Nether?

Yes for portals, TNT and campfires. Open fire on netherrack and magma blocks burns forever and will not spread or self-extinguish, so use it carefully near wooden builds.

Can I get flint without mining gravel?

Yes. Ruined portal and village fletcher chests can contain flint, and fletcher, toolsmith, leatherworker and weaponsmith villagers trade for it. Mining gravel is still the fastest source.

Does flint and steel break blocks?

No. It only places fire on or beside a block. To clear that fire, hit it once with any tool or your fist, or pour water over it.

Tips and common mistakes

The Nether portal frame is 4 wide by 5 tall on the outside but only needs the corners, so a 14-obsidian frame works. Right-click any inside face to light it.
Each ignite costs 1 durability, so 64 lights empties a fresh tool. Mending refills it from any XP orb, even from killing mobs while it sits in your offhand.
Lighting TNT with flint and steel starts the fuse and the player gets credit, so it counts toward the TNT explosion. A redstone signal lights it the same way.
Fire on netherrack and magma blocks never burns out. Build a fireplace on those blocks for a permanent flame with no fuel.
Do not strike loose gravel or sand walls near your fire. Fire spreads to nearby wood and wool within a few blocks, and a single spark can take a whole base.
In Bedrock you can also light a portal with a fire charge or a passing ghast fireball. Java needs flint and steel or a fire charge.

Smelt the iron at a furnace then look up flint, gravel and flint and steel on the items database or grab the recipe on Astroworld crafting.