Quick wins for a faster PC:
Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minuteDriver Scan →Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errorsFree Scan →Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitchesFind Drivers →iTechGuides is reader-supported. When you buy through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. Learn more
Playing with friends? Godlike.Host runs hosted Minecraft Java servers from 10 data-center locations, with free DDoS protection.
Clay generates as gray-blue blocks in or beside water. Search riverbeds, lake edges, swamps, and shallow ocean floors, then mine the patches with a shovel. A clay block normally drops four clay balls; a Silk Touch tool preserves the block. From there, choose the recipe that matches your goal: smelt clay balls for brick items, or smelt intact clay blocks for plain terracotta.
Where to find clay in Minecraft
Look for clay at or just below the waterline. The most practical search areas are:
- Rivers: Follow the riverbed and inspect shallow shelves, bends, and exposed patches near the bank.
- Lakes: Check the underwater floor, especially around shallow margins rather than only the deepest point.
- Swamps: Search the waterlogged ground and open pools.
- Shallow oceans: Scan the seabed where the water is shallow enough to see the gray-blue blocks clearly.
Clay is easy to confuse with other underwater blocks because its color is muted gray-blue. Look for compact patches of that color on the bottom rather than isolated surface items. A shovel makes mining faster and is the practical tool to carry for a clay-collection trip.
Clay blocks, clay balls, bricks, and terracotta: the important distinction
Minecraft uses two different intermediate forms, and choosing the wrong one can send your materials through the wrong furnace recipe.
#1 Best Overall
- MINECRAFT TOY FOR KIDS – LEGO Minecraft Zombie Dungeon (21587) building toy for boys and girls ages 8 years old and up
- 5 LEGO FIGURES – Builders can cast a Wastelands Wanderer minifigure, a slime and 3 zombies (including one with enchanted leggings and gold sword and one with diamond helmet) in their pretend play adventure stories
- GAMING-INSPIRED FUNCTIONS – Set in the Minecraft desert biome, this zombie dungeon features a rotating, zombie-spawning chamber and a sliding piece that triggers a rockfall
- INSPIRE CREATIVE STORYTELLING – The Wastelands Wanderer, equipped with a diamond pickaxe, mace and netherite armor, takes on a slime and 3 zombies in the desert biome dungeon
- ACCESSORIES FOR PRETEND PLAY – Features netherite armor, a mace, diamond pickaxe, gold sword, diamond helmet, crafting table, torch and a chest containing bread, bone and rotten flesh
| Starting material | Action | Result | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Clay block | Break it with a normal tool | Four clay balls | Making bricks or storing clay as loose items |
| Clay block | Break it with a tool carrying Silk Touch | The intact clay block | Smelting directly into plain terracotta or preserving blocks |
| Clay ball | Smelt in a furnace | One brick item per clay ball | Brick items and brick blocks |
| Intact clay block | Smelt in a furnace | Plain terracotta | Terracotta building palettes |
| Four brick items | Craft together | One block of bricks | Brick walls, floors, and structural details |
Four clay balls can also be recombined into one clay block. That lets you store or transport loose clay and later restore it to block form, but it does not turn clay into terracotta by itself. The furnace step determines whether you get bricks or terracotta.
How to collect clay step by step
- Choose a water route. Start with a nearby river, lake, swamp, or shallow ocean. Mark the route or record coordinates if you intend to return for more.
- Bring a shovel. An ordinary shovel is the efficient choice when you want clay balls immediately. Carry enough inventory space for the drops and any blocks you gather while searching.
- Inspect the bottom in shallow water. Clay appears as gray-blue blocks. Check shelves, edges, and exposed patches instead of searching only in open deep water.
- Decide whether the block or the drops matter more. Without Silk Touch, a clay block normally becomes four clay balls. With Silk Touch, the block remains intact.
- Mine the patch and collect the output. Keep the clay balls for a brick route, or keep Silk Touch-preserved blocks for a terracotta route.
- Return with a furnace plan. Clay balls and intact clay blocks are not interchangeable at the furnace: balls become bricks, while blocks become plain terracotta.
If you are building near a large body of water, leave a marker at a productive patch. Clay is often found in clusters, so a marked location can become a repeatable local supply rather than a one-time find.
Choose the right processing route
Use this decision tree before you start smelting:
- Need brick items, a brick block, or flower pots? Mine clay into balls, then smelt the balls into brick items.
- Need plain terracotta? Preserve intact clay blocks with Silk Touch, or obtain intact blocks by recombining four clay balls per block, then smelt the blocks.
- Need colored terracotta? Search badlands for a natural supply of colored terracotta. Some village houses can also contain uncolored terracotta.
- Need a repeatable or alternative source? Consider the documented mud-conversion and villager-related routes, but verify the mechanics for your edition and game version before planning a farm.
Making bricks from clay balls
Step 1: Break clay into balls
Mine ordinary clay blocks with a non-Silk-Touch tool when your immediate goal is bricks. Each clay block normally yields four clay balls. If you accidentally use Silk Touch, you will receive the block instead and can break it later when you are ready to produce balls.
Step 2: Smelt the clay balls
Place clay balls in the furnace input slot and provide fuel. Each clay ball smelts into one brick item. The furnace output is an item named brick, not a placed brick block.
Step 3: Craft brick blocks when needed
Four brick items craft into one block of bricks. Plan the conversion around your build: a brick-block project consumes four times as many brick items as the number of blocks you want, and each brick item began as one clay ball.
Rank #2
- BUILD THE DREADED CREEPER – Young explorers, ages 10 and up, build a large poseable version of the iconic Minecraft mob
- MINECRAFT ACTION FIGURE – Kids construct every detail of the Creeper, from its 4 poseable legs to its detachable head
- HIDDEN SURPRISE INSIDE – Builders can remove the Creeper's head to reveal a compartment that hides a first-version Creeper minifigure and TNT element
- POSEABLE ROOM DECOR – After building, kids can put their creation on display in the bedroom or playroom
- GIFT IDEA FOR KIDS – Makes a wonderful birthday or any-time gift idea for boys and girls
| Desired output | Clay-ball requirement | Intermediate steps |
|---|---|---|
| 1 brick item | 1 clay ball | Smelt 1 clay ball |
| 1 brick block | 4 clay balls | Smelt 4 balls into 4 brick items, then craft them together |
| 8 brick blocks | 32 clay balls | Smelt 32 balls, then arrange the 32 brick items into eight groups of four |
Other uses for brick items
Do not automatically craft every brick item into a block. Brick items are also used in flower-pot crafting. Keep some as individual items if you are decorating with pots or want to avoid breaking brick blocks back down.
Outdated Drivers Are Slowing You Down
One free scan finds every outdated or missing driver and matches the right update for your exact hardware.Free scan · exact hardware matchPC Slower Than It Used to Be?
A free scan shows the junk files, broken settings and background clutter dragging Windows down - then fixes them in one click.Free scan · Windows 10 & 11Making plain terracotta
Plain terracotta follows a different furnace route from bricks. Start with an intact clay block, not a clay ball.
Option 1: Preserve the block with Silk Touch
Use a Silk Touch tool to mine clay and keep the block intact. This is the most direct route when you know you want terracotta, because the mined output can go straight to the furnace.
Option 2: Rebuild the block from clay balls
If you already mined clay without Silk Touch, craft four clay balls back into one clay block. You can then smelt that restored block into plain terracotta. This adds a crafting step but does not require finding the original patch again.
Smelt the intact block
Place the clay block in the furnace input slot and supply fuel. The result is plain, uncolored terracotta. Do not put loose clay balls in the furnace when terracotta is your target; they produce brick items instead.
Do these 3 things before closing this tab:
1Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitches2Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errors3Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minuteRank #3
- DEFEND THE CHICKEN FARM – LEGO Minecraft Chicken Farm (21585) building toy for boys and girls ages 7 years old and up features a chicken-shaped coop with movable wings, opening gate and fun gaming-inspired details
- 4 MINECRAFT TOY FIGURES – Includes a Chicken Fan minifigure, plus a baby zombie (who likes to ride the chicken), fox, cold chicken and a baby chicken
- GAMING-INSPIRED FUNCTIONS – The giant chicken-shaped coop lays eggs at the rear and dispenses seed from its mouth into a container, which tilts forward when the chickens need food
- CREATIVE STORYTELLING POSSIBILITIES – Young players can help the Chicken Fan care for the chickens while fending off a fox trying to eat the cold chicken and a baby zombie trying to hitch a ride
- ACCESSORIES FOR PRETEND PLAY – Features torches, hay, a smoker stove, 2 eggs, 2 lots of seeds, a chicken leg, feather and an axe
Finding colored terracotta without processing ordinary clay
Badlands
Badlands are the natural destination for a large, ready-made supply of colored terracotta. If your project needs several colors or many stacks, locating a badlands biome can be more efficient than collecting ordinary clay, smelting it into terracotta, and then arranging a color plan.
The official Minecraft guidance describes badlands as a rich natural source of materials. Biome access is the trade-off: the material is available in place, but the journey may be longer than visiting a nearby river or lake.
Village structures
Some village houses can contain uncolored terracotta. Treat this as an opportunistic source rather than a guaranteed amount: village layouts and available structures vary, and the material may not be present in every settlement.
Alternative and renewable clay routes
In addition to mining water-bottom deposits, Minecraft documents renewable clay mechanics and alternative acquisition routes involving mud conversion and villagers. These systems are useful when you need a repeatable supply or want to avoid repeated exploration, but their exact behavior can differ between Java Edition, Bedrock Edition, and game versions.
The Tool Desk
Outbyte PC Repair FREERepair Windows errors before they cause bigger problemsFix Now →Outbyte Driver Updater FREEScan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minuteDriver Scan →- Mud conversion: A documented route can turn mud into clay under the appropriate conditions. Verify the current block interaction and setup for your edition before constructing a permanent installation.
- Villager-related acquisition: Villager systems can provide an alternative way to obtain clay-related materials in some versions. Check the current trade or acquisition rules rather than assuming that a mechanic from another edition applies unchanged.
- Biome supply: Badlands terracotta and village materials are repeatable sources only when you have reliable access to those locations; they are not substitutes for every clay-ball recipe.
For a simple early-game project, mining a river or lake is usually the least complicated approach. Renewable or villager-based setups become more attractive when travel is costly, your build consumes large quantities, or you want a permanent production system.
Rank #4
- ADVENTURE AWAITS – The Warden Encounter for boys and girls takes kids on an exciting cave exploration where they'll come face-to face with a dreaded Warden
- BUILD THE GAME – This Minecraft building toy includes a Silent Ranger minifigure, a Minecraft chicken and a buildable and poseable Minecraft Warden
- INTERACTIVE FEATURES & ACCESSORIES – Kids use the exploding TNT and falling rock functions, mine diamonds in the cave, restore health with potions and carrots, and pose the warden's head, arms, and legs
- PRETEND PLAY POSSIBILITIES – Packed with familiar details from the Minecraft game, this LEGO set sparks imagination by placing young gamers right in the center of the action
- MINECRAFT GIFT FOR KIDS – This LEGO video game toy makes a great birthday, holiday or any-day gift for boys and girls ages 7 and up
Tool choice: ordinary shovel or Silk Touch?
| Tool choice | Output from a clay block | Use it when | Trade-off |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ordinary shovel | Four clay balls per block | You need bricks, flower-pot ingredients, or loose clay now | You must recombine balls before making terracotta |
| Silk Touch tool | One intact clay block | You want plain terracotta or want to preserve blocks for later | You do not receive four loose balls immediately |
Silk Touch is not inherently better; it is better for a different output. Carrying both approaches, or making a deliberate choice before mining, prevents an avoidable trip back to the water.
Planning quantities for a build
Work backward from the item you intend to place:
- Brick block: Multiply the number of brick blocks by four to get brick items, then use the same number of clay balls because one ball produces one brick item.
- Brick items: Collect one clay ball for each brick item you plan to smelt, plus any extra you want to keep for later.
- Plain terracotta: Collect one intact clay block per terracotta block you plan to smelt. If mining without Silk Touch, collect four clay balls for each block you must reconstruct.
- Mixed projects: Reserve intact blocks for terracotta first, then send remaining clay balls through the brick route. This avoids converting every block into balls and later rebuilding the same material.
For example, a project requiring eight brick blocks needs 32 brick items, which in turn requires 32 clay balls. A separate terracotta section should be counted in intact clay blocks, not added to that ball total unless you are rebuilding the blocks from loose clay.
What’s actually slowing this PC down?
Pick the symptom - the matching free tool is one click away.
Fuel and processing logistics
The furnace is the shared processing point for both routes, but the input determines the output. Organize smelting in batches so you can keep brick production separate from terracotta production and avoid removing the wrong result.
- Label storage: Use separate containers or clearly separated slots for clay balls, intact clay blocks, brick items, brick blocks, and terracotta.
- Batch by destination: Smelt all clay balls intended for a brick build together, then run intact blocks for terracotta as a separate batch.
- Reserve building stock: Keep a small supply of brick items if you use flower pots; do not convert every brick into a block automatically.
- Plan fuel before travel: The furnace requires fuel for either transformation, so bring enough for the batch rather than discovering halfway through that a project is incomplete.
The documented material conversions establish the outputs and quantities; exact processing time and fuel efficiency depend on the furnace setup and version-specific mechanics, so do not use a single assumed duration when planning a large production run.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Troubleshooting common clay mistakes
“I mined clay but got balls instead of blocks.”
That is the normal result without Silk Touch: each clay block produces four clay balls. Craft four balls back into one clay block if you need to smelt terracotta.
Best Value
- MINECRAFT BUILDING TOY – Kids can take a wild ride with the LEGO Minecraft Chicken Jockey (21582) building set for boys and girls ages 9 years old and up, a fun creative experience with familiar mobs for gaming inspired play
- 3 LEGO MINECRAFT FIGURES – Bring virtual adventures to life with 3 large scale characters built from LEGO bricks: a baby zombie with a jointed head, arms and legs, a chicken with movable wings and legs, and a baby chicken
- PLAY AND DISPLAY – Young fans can enjoy hours of pretend play before creating a dynamic piece of video game decor that's perfect for a desk, shelf or nightstand in their bedroom
- BUILDABLE CHICKEN JOCKEY – Kids can recreate one of the game’s most iconic features by setting the baby zombie on the chicken to assemble the mischievous chicken jockey
- GIFT IDEAS FOR GAMERS – This versatile gaming toy makes a great birthday, holiday or any time gift idea for boys and girls ages 9 years old and up
“My furnace made bricks, not terracotta.”
You inserted clay balls. Balls smelt into brick items. For plain terracotta, use an intact clay block as the furnace input.
“I need a brick block but only have brick items.”
Craft four brick items together for one block of bricks. Keep any remaining individual bricks if you still need flower-pot ingredients.
“I cannot find clay in the ocean.”
Search shallow ocean floors and inspect the seabed closely; clay is gray-blue and can blend into underwater terrain. If visibility or travel is poor, try a river, lake, or swamp instead.
“A clay farm tutorial does not work in my world.”
Check whether the tutorial targets Java or Bedrock Edition and which game version it assumes. Mud-conversion and villager-related mechanics are specifically sensitive to edition and version, so an otherwise accurate older guide may not apply to your installation.
“I need colored terracotta immediately.”
Ordinary clay smelting produces plain terracotta, not a color palette. Search a badlands biome for natural colored terracotta, and inspect village houses for possible uncolored terracotta.
Edition and version checks
Core clay outputs are commonly described as four clay balls per block, one brick item per smelted clay ball, and four brick items per brick block. Other acquisition systems are more version-dependent. Before relying on a renewable setup, villager method, or exact biome behavior, confirm all of the following:
- Whether you are playing Java Edition or Bedrock Edition.
- The Minecraft version running on the world or server.
- Whether the tutorial or recipe reference was written for that same edition and version.
- Whether the world uses gameplay changes, data packs, or server settings that alter standard mechanics.
This check matters most for mud conversion and villager-related acquisition. If you only need a small amount, direct mining in a river, lake, swamp, or shallow ocean avoids most compatibility questions.
A practical route for three common projects
Project: a brick house
- Search a nearby river, lake, swamp, or shallow ocean.
- Mine clay with an ordinary shovel to collect balls.
- Smelt the balls into brick items.
- Craft groups of four brick items into brick blocks.
- Keep a few brick items aside if the design includes flower pots.
Project: a plain terracotta floor
- Use Silk Touch to collect intact clay blocks, or craft four existing clay balls into each block you need.
- Smelt the intact blocks into plain terracotta.
- Store the terracotta separately from brick items so later building decisions remain clear.
Project: a multicolor terracotta build
- Search for a badlands biome as the natural colored-terracotta source.
- Inspect village houses for occasional uncolored terracotta while traveling.
- Use ordinary clay and furnace processing only for the plain terracotta portion unless your edition provides another documented color route.
Clay guide: the short version
Find gray-blue clay blocks in rivers, lakes, swamps, and shallow ocean floors. Use an ordinary shovel when you want four clay balls per block, or Silk Touch when you need to preserve the block. Smelt clay balls for brick items, craft four brick items into a brick block, and reserve some individual bricks for flower pots. Smelt intact clay blocks for plain terracotta. For naturally colored terracotta, look to badlands; for alternative or renewable supply systems, verify the Java/Bedrock edition and version before relying on a specific mechanic.
Quick Recap
Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply.
