How to Make Fireworks in Minecraft

With the right firework stars you can put on a display or propel your Elytra

If you know how to make fireworks in Minecraft, you can do more than impress your friends with dazzling displays. Fireworks can also be used as ammunition for crossbows or jet fuel for the Elytra.

The information in the article applies to Minecraft on all platforms.

How to Make Minecraft Fireworks

To make a basic Firework Rocket, all you need is Paper and Gunpowder. However. for most purposes, you'll want to begin by crafting a Firework Star:

  1. Craft a Firework Star. Combine 1 Gunpower with Dyes. You can add up to 8 Dyes of different colors.

    Add Glowstone Dust for a twinkle effect and a Diamond for a trail effect. For a fade effect, combine a complete Firework Star with a matching Dye.

    Firework Star in a Minecraft Crafting Table
  2. To make fireworks explode in different shapes, include one of the following items in the recipe for the corresponding effect:

    • Gold Nugget: Star
    • Feather: Burst effect
    • Fire Charge: Large ball
    • Head or Skull (any type): Creeper face

    Once you've added materials, hover your mouse over the Firework Star to see the resulting effects.

    You can only use one shape modifier per Firework Star, but you can combine twinkle, trail, and fade effects.

    Skeleton Skull and Firework Star details in a Minecraft Crafting Table
  3. Craft your Fireworks. Combine a Firework Star with 1 Paper and at least 1 Gunpowder. You can add up to 3 Gunpowder total if you want to increase the duration of your Fireworks.

    Craft Paper from 3 Sugar Cane stalks. Get Gunpowder by defeating Creepers, Ghasts, and Witches.

    Firework Rocket in Minecraft Crafting Table

How to Make a Firework Show in Minecraft

You can set off Fireworks instantly by placing them on the ground, but creating elaborate fireworks displays requires more effort.

  1. Craft a Dispenser. In a Crafting Table, place a Bow in the middle box, Redstone Dust in the box below it, and Cobblestones in the remaining boxes.

    Dispenser in a Minecraft Crafting Table
  2. Craft a Redstone Comparator. In a Crafting Table, place 1 Nether Quartz in the middle of the grid, place 3 Redstone Torches above and on each side of the Nether Quartz, and 3 Stones in the bottom row.

    A Redstone Comparator in a Minecraft Crafting Table
  3. Dig a hole in the ground and place the Dispenser in the empty space.

    Dispensers in the ground in Minecraft
  4. Interact with the Dispenser to open it up and place the Fireworks inside.

    Fireworks in a Dispenser in Minecraft
  5. Place a trail of Redstone Dust on the ground to make a fuse. If you have multiple Dispensers, connect each one to the main fuse with more Redstone Dust.

    Redstone trail in Minecraft
  6. At the end of the fuse, place the Redstone Comparator on the ground, then interact with it to turn on the red light.

    A Redstone Comparator in Minecraft with the red light turned on
  7. Place more Redstone Dust on the ground to make a loop that connects to the Redstone Comparator on adjacent sides.

    A Redstone loop connected to a Redstone Comparator in Minecraft
  8. Place a Lever on the ground next to the Redstone Comparator.

    To make a Lever with a Crafting Table, place 1 Stick in the middle of the top row and 1 Cobblestone in the middle of the second row.

    A Lever next to a Redstone Comparator in Minecraft
  9. Wait until nighttime, or use the Minecraft cheat command for changing the time. To set the time to midnight, open the chat window and enter the following command:

    /time set midnight
    
    /Time set midnight in Minecraft chat window
  10. Interact with the Lever to ignite your Fireworks. Look up and enjoy the show.

    A Fireworks display in Minecraft

Use Fireworks to Fly in Minecraft

When flying with the Elytra, you can use Firework Rockets to quickly propel yourself through the sky. Equip your Fireworks, start flying in the direction you wish to go, then shoot them off to dash forward.

How far you go depends on the amount of gunpowder your Fireworks contain. If you use Fireworks with a Fire Star, you'll take damage from the explosion, so stick with regular Firework Rockets for flying.

Flying with the Elytra and Fireworks in Minecraft

Use Fireworks With Crossbows

Fireworks can also be used with crossbows as a weapon. The more gunpowder they have, the farther they will fly. Likewise, the more Firework Stars attached, the more damage your Firework Rockets will inflict. Fireworks will not destroy blocks, but they will damage most living creatures on impact.

The Piercing enchantment doesn't work when using Firework Rockets.

Firework Rocket in Crossbow in Minecraft

How to Make Dyes in Minecraft

Different dyes can be obtained using different methods. Some can be crafted while you must use a Furnace to smelt others.

Dye Method Required Materials
Black Crafting  Ink Sac or Wither Rose
Blue Crafting Lapis Lazuli or Cornflower
Brown Crafting Cocoa Beans
Green Smelting Cactus
Red Crafting Poppy, Rose Bush, Red Tulip, or Beetroot
White Crafting Bone Meal or Lily of the Valley
Yellow Crafting Dandelion or Sunflower
Light Blue Crafting Blue Orchid
Light Gray Crafting Azure Bluet, Oxeye Daisy, or White Tulip
Line Smelting Sea Pickle
Magenta Crafting Lilac or Allium
Orange Crafting Orange Tulip
Pink Crafting Pink Tulip or Peony

Some colors can be crafted by combining dyes of different colors:

Dye Required Materials
Cyan Green+Blue
Gray Black+White
Purple Red+Blue
Light Blue Blue+White
Light Gray White+Gray or 2 White+Black
Lime Green+White
Magenta Purple+Pink, Red+Blue+Pink, or 2 Red+Blue+White
Orange Red+Yellow
Pink Red+White
FAQ
  • How do I upgrade fireworks in Minecraft?

    The only way to upgrade fireworks is to use more gunpowder when you make them. Add up to three to make your fireworks reach maximum height.

  • How do I make heart-shaped fireworks?

    Minecraft doesn't have an option to make fireworks that explode into a heart shape, but you can do a workaround by arranging red fireworks into a heart shape. You can also put them on the vertical face of a floating square of blocks to make the effect more visible from ground level.

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