In the blocky and creative world of Minecraft, players are always seeking new ways to build, decorate, and craft. Among the many building blocks available, smooth stone stands out as a polished, clean-looking material perfect for sleek modern builds, refined structures, and more. But despite its simple appearance, creating smooth stone requires a few specific steps.
In this guide, we’ll walk you through everything you need to know about making smooth stone in Minecraft — including materials needed, the process step-by-step, and even how smooth stone can be used in your survival or creative gameplay.
What is Smooth Stone in Minecraft?
Smooth stone is a refined version of regular stone. It has a lighter, cleaner texture than its rougher counterpart, and it doesn’t occur naturally in most biomes (with the exception of some structures like villages).
It’s purely a decorative block — it doesn’t have any unique properties compared to regular stone, but its aesthetic makes it popular for modern and clean builds.
Why Use Smooth Stone?
Before diving into the how-to, it’s worth understanding why players use smooth stone in their builds:
Aesthetics: It offers a modern, clean look.
Complements other materials: Works well with bricks, quartz, concrete, and glass.
Crafting recipes: It is used in some advanced crafting recipes, like blast furnaces.
Durability: Like stone and other similar blocks, it has decent blast resistance.
Step-by-Step: How to Make Smooth Stone
Creating smooth stone is a straightforward process, but it involves two stages of smelting. Here’s a detailed look at each step.
Step 1: Gather Raw Materials
To make smooth stone, you’ll need cobblestone, fuel, and a furnace.
What You Need:
Cobblestone: The most common block in Minecraft, found by mining stone with a pickaxe.
Coal, charcoal, or wood: Used as fuel in the furnace.
Furnace: The block used to smelt materials.
Optional:
Blast Furnace: While not necessary, it can speed up the smelting process (though it doesn’t smelt stone into smooth stone — only ores).
Step 2: Smelt Cobblestone into Stone
You can’t turn cobblestone directly into smooth stone. First, you need to convert it into regular stone.
How to Do It:
Open your furnace.
Place cobblestone in the top slot.
Place fuel (coal, charcoal, or wood) in the bottom slot.
Wait for the smelting to finish — you’ll get stone.
Step 3: Smelt Stone into Smooth Stone
Now that you have regular stone, it’s time to refine it further.
Here’s How:
Take the stone you just created.
Put it back into the top slot of the furnace.
Add more fuel if needed.
Wait for it to smelt — the result will be smooth stone.
You’ve now successfully made smooth stone!
How to Make a Furnace (If You Don’t Have One)
If you’re just starting out and don’t have a furnace yet:
Open a crafting table.
Place 8 cobblestones in every slot except the center.
This creates one furnace.
To use it, place it on the ground and right-click (or tap, depending on your platform) to open the interface.
How to Get Smooth Stone in Creative Mode
If you’re in Creative Mode, you can simply open your inventory and search for “Smooth Stone.” No smelting is necessary. It’s located under the Building Blocks tab or can be found using the search function.
Using Smooth Stone: What Can You Craft?
Smooth stone is used in several useful recipes and designs. Here are a few ways you can use it in your Minecraft world.
Blast Furnace
The blast furnace is a faster version of the regular furnace used specifically for smelting ores and metal items.
Recipe:
3 Smooth Stones
1 Furnace
5 Iron Ingots
Place the iron in a “helmet” shape (top row and sides), the furnace in the center, and the smooth stones at the bottom row.
Decorative Builds
Smooth stone is perfect for:
Floors
Sidewalks
Walls in modern houses
Laboratory-style builds
Industrial factory designs
You can mix it with polished andesite, iron blocks, or quartz for a high-tech aesthetic.
Slabs
Smooth stone slabs are different from regular stone slabs. They have a clean, flat surface and are great for layering and elevation in building.
Crafting Smooth Stone Slabs:
Place 3 smooth stone blocks in a horizontal row on a crafting table.
You’ll get 6 smooth stone slabs.
These slabs maintain the same texture on all sides and are useful for building thin platforms, stairs, or decorative features.
Differences Between Stone Types
It’s easy to get confused between similar-looking blocks. Here’s a breakdown of how they differ:
| Block Type | Appearance | Source | Crafting Use |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cobblestone | Rough gray texture | Mined from regular stone | Used to make furnaces, tools |
| Stone | Smooth gray texture | Smelted cobblestone | Step to making smooth stone |
| Smooth Stone | Light gray, polished | Smelted stone | Used in blast furnace, slabs |
| Stone Bricks | Patterned bricks | Crafted from stone | Used for castle/fort builds |
Tips for Making Smooth Stone Efficiently
If you’re planning a large build or just want a stockpile, here are a few tips:
Automate with Hoppers: Use hoppers to feed stone into furnaces and pull out smooth stone automatically.
Use Multiple Furnaces: Create a furnace array to smelt large amounts at once.
Use Lava Buckets as Fuel: Lava lasts longer than coal — one bucket can smelt 100 items.
Build a Super Smelter: Advanced players can use redstone, minecarts, and hoppers to build an automatic smelting system.
Fun Building Ideas with Smooth Stone
If you’re wondering what to do with all your smooth stone, here are a few ideas:
Modern City Streets: Use smooth stone slabs for sidewalks and curbs.
Industrial Factory Floors: Combine smooth stone with iron blocks.
Laboratories or Research Facilities: Clean and minimalistic, perfect for sci-fi builds.
Subway Stations: Combine with redstone lamps and rails.
Secure Bunkers: Pair smooth stone with obsidian and iron doors.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
How do you make smooth stone in Minecraft?
To make smooth stone, first smelt cobblestone in a furnace to get stone, then smelt the stone again to produce smooth stone.
What materials do I need to make smooth stone?
You need:
Cobblestone
Fuel (e.g., coal, wood, or lava)
A furnace
Optional tools include silk touch pickaxes and multiple furnaces for faster production.
Can I craft smooth stone directly?
No, smooth stone cannot be crafted directly in a crafting table. It must be smelted in a furnace, starting from cobblestone.
Is smooth stone available in Creative Mode?
Yes, smooth stone is available in Creative Mode. You can search for it in the Building Blocks section or use the search bar.
Can I use a blast furnace to make smooth stone?
No, a blast furnace cannot smelt stone or cobblestone. It only works with ores, tools, and armor.
Can I find smooth stone naturally in the game world?
Smooth stone doesn’t generate naturally in terrain but can sometimes be found in villages or bastion remnants as part of structure walls or floors.
What’s the difference between stone and smooth stone?
Stone has a rough texture and is created by smelting cobblestone.
Smooth Stone has a cleaner, polished texture and is created by smelting stone.
Can I mine stone directly instead of cobblestone?
Yes, if you use a Silk Touch enchanted pickaxe, you can mine stone directly, skipping the first smelting step.
What can I craft with smooth stone?
You can use smooth stone to craft:
Blast Furnaces
Smooth Stone Slabs
Decorative structures and flooring
Is smooth stone available on all versions of Minecraft?
Yes, smooth stone is available in Java Edition, Bedrock Edition, and all console/mobile versions of Minecraft.
Smooth stone may seem like a simple block, but it offers a lot of value to builders and crafters alike in Minecraft. Its sleek texture makes it a favorite for modern and industrial designs, and it’s a key ingredient in useful items like the blast furnace. While it requires a two-step smelting process—from cobblestone to stone, then to smooth stone—the materials are easy to gather, even in the early stages of the game.
