Redstone dust is easily one of the most confusing items in Minecraft for new players. It’s useless on its own, but it can easily become the most powerful item in the game when combined with the right items. Now, that is only possible if you know how to effectively use Redstone dust in Minecraft. And believe it or not, it is much easier than you think. Let’s explore how.
How to use Redstone Dust in Minecraft (2022)
Redstone dust works the same way in Minecraft Java and Bedrock editions in most cases. But some of their functions may differ under certain circumstances. So make sure you explore all of its mechanics before trying Redstone dust in-game.
Find redstone dust in Minecraft
The most common way to get Redstone dust in Minecraft is by finding and mining Redstone ore. However, you can also get Redstone dust through trading, looting from chests, and killing witches. We already have a guide to help you easily find Redstone in Minecraft. You can use four different ways to collect all the Redstone you need.
How to make redstone in Minecraft
You can create Redstone dust in Minecraft by placing a Redstone block inside a crafting table. There is no crafting recipe for this process, and you can simply place the block anywhere in the crafting area. Each Redstone block is equivalent to nine pieces of Redstone dust. Naturally, you can only find these blocks under the Ancient Cities portal structure in Minecraft.
If needed, you can also reverse this recipe to craft Redstone blocks. To do that, you just have to fill the crafting area with pieces of Redstone dust. Once you do that, you will get a Redstone block. This recipe only works if all the spots in the crafting area are filled, so you can’t fit nine pieces of Redstone dust in a single cell.
Different Uses of Red Stone Powder
Redstone powder has a variety of uses. As a crafting ingredient, you can use Redstone Dust to craft the following items in Minecraft:
- red stone block: Power Redstone machines
- Clock: Reveals whether it is day or night in the overworld
- Compass: Points towards the spawn point of the world.
- sensing rail: Detect the presence of minecarts
- Dispenser: Throw and use different objects
- Dropper: Drop objects as items
- Noteblock: Plays musical notes that change depending on the blocks placed below
- Observer– Warns of game changes and sends Redstone signals
- Piston: Push blocks, mobs and items.
- power rail: Power up mining carts
- red stone lamp: Switchable light block
- redstone repeater: Repeat Redstone circuits and Redstone signals
- redstone torch: Activate Redstone machines and send Redstone signals
- Goal: Detect projectiles and send Redstone signals
Other than the clock and compass, the items listed above that are made from Redstone only work within a circuit. Therefore, you need to place the crafted item alongside other Redstone items to extract its full potential.
How to use redstone powder in potions
Besides as a crafting ingredient, you can also use Redstone Dust to brew and upgrade some of the best potions in Minecraft. If you put Redstone powder in a brewing stand next to a bottle of water, you’ll get a mundane potion, which has no effect or power. But if you brew Redstone dust with any other time-based potion, you’ll end up increasing the duration of that potion’s effects.
You can use Redstone Dust with the following potions to extend their duration:
If you want to learn more about potions in Minecraft, including the full list of potions, ingredients needed, and a brewing guide, please read the linked guide.
How to use redstone powder in circuits
In the simplest terms, you can use redstone dust in minecraft as a “wire” for all Redstone machines and circuits. It does not emit or detect any redstone signals on its own. Instead, Redstone dust carries signals from one Redstone device to another. You can place it on top of blocks and on the high sides of a block of opaque blocks in the game next to hoppers, inverted stairs/slabs, and glass blocks.
But Redstone dust cannot be placed in the air, underwater, or in lava. When placed next to another block or component, Redstone dust takes on a wire-like structure when used to connect items, as you can see in the diagram above. Otherwise, on its own, it stays as a plus sign. If you right-click on the plus sign, it turns into a dot, preventing it from connecting anywhere. It’s more, When Redstone dust receives energy, it begins to glow a bright red color..
How to use Redstone Dust as wire in Minecraft
To understand the functionality of Redstone dust as a wire in Minecraft, follow these steps and make a simple Redstone torch:
1. First, place a lever on top of any solid block.
2. Then a few blocks from that lever, place a red stone lamp.
3. After that, connect the lever to the Redstone lamp by placing Redstone powder between them. You don’t have to follow a straight line or shortest path while placing the Redstone dust, however make sure the two rows of Redstone are not next to each other.
4. Once you are done placing the Redstone powder, turn on the lever and witness the Redstone powder that brings energy to the redstone lamp, turning it on. This is one of the easiest ways to use Redstone dust in Minecraft.
Frequent questions
Can you make Redstone powder?
The only way to make Redstone dust is by putting a Redstone block on the workbench or by smelting Redstone ore in the furnace.
Is Redstone a real mineral?
In terms of properties and appearance, Cobalt(II) Sulfate (CoSO4) is the closest real-world counterpart to the fictional Minecraft Redstone.
What blocks do not lead Redstone?
The majority non-opaque blocks do not allow Redstone to conduct energy. But exceptions to this include barrier blocks, chutes, inverted stairs/slabs, and glass blocks.
Can mobs appear in Redstone dust?
Although not its intended use, you can use Redstone to prevent mobs from spawning within a particular idea. No mobs in Minecraft are allowed to spawn naturally on top of Redstone dust.
Start using Redstone Dust in Minecraft today
And so, you are now ready to use, teach, and experiment with Redstone dust in Minecraft 1.19 or earlier. But don’t beat yourself up if you don’t have enough ideas to use this powerful component. It’s easy to get overwhelmed by Minecraft Redstone dust and its components. That’s why we already have a guide that goes over various Minecraft farms, which generally rely on Redstone. You can also find easy to create tutorials for each of those farms in the same guide. With that being said, how do you plan to use Redstone dust in Minecraft? Tell us in the comments below!
