Redstone Lamp: How To Make It & Use It
Last updated: Mar 31, 2025 • 6 min readOnce the night falls, all players must be ready to face the challenges that lie ahead in the world of Minecraft. Fortunately, darkness is not your old friend in Minecraft since many light sources will help you in your journey.
You might have heard about torches or lamps, but the truth is that the Survival Mode of this video game has more amazing light blocks to offer. That’s why today, we will give you all the information you need about the Redstone Lamp in Minecraft.
Forget about old-fashioned torches, and let’s light up your house with Redstone Lamps! Read further this Minecraft blog post to get more information about:
- What are Redstone Lamps, and what makes them such a superb lighting block;
- Required ingredients to make a Redstone Lamp in the crafting table;
- Tips and uses you can give to this lighting tool in Minecraft.
What are Redstone Lamps?
A Redstone Lamp is a block that acts as a light source in Minecraft. As you might know, other items allow you to turn the lights on in the structures you have built.
Nevertheless, the main difference between other light sources and a Redstone Lamp is that the last one only produces light when it receives a Redstone pulse.
A Redstone Lamp in Minecraft emits a light level of 15 - enough to glow up any place! Other blocks, such as the Minecraft Lantern, also cast the same amount of light.
Did you know?
The Redstone Lamp was first introduced in 2012 in the same update that added Iron Golems, amazing Jungle Biomes, and Chiseled Stone Bricks!
What Can You Use a Redstone Lamp For?
Having a Redstone Lamp in your inventory is one of the best decisions you can make if you want to master this game!
Unlike a torch or another lighting block, the light that a Redstone Lamp emits can be switched off and on in Minecraft.
Hence, you can create better builds that will emit light at your will.
Pro-tip
Note that breaking a Redstone Lamp that has been lit won’t cause this specific Lamp to stack with others in the inventory. This happens in all Minecraft versions, whether you play it on Xbox, PC, Nintendo and more!
Decoration Purposes
It is not a secret to anyone that, in Minecraft, imagination is the limit. You can put a Redstone Lamp on a wall, on the ceiling, below the stairs, or on the corners of a room - it will still look simply sensational.
If you decide to carefully surround your house with Redstone Lamps to turn them on and off whenever you want, we highly recommend that you hide the so it doesn’t mess with the aesthetics of the place.
Redstone Powered Circuits
This is where things get interesting with the Redstone Lamp block in Minecraft. The only way to power up this block is by using Redstone circuits such as the following:
- Wiring a lever to Redstone Lamps will cause the lamp to turn off and on;
- Face a powered Repeater or Redstone Comparator to turn the lamp;
- Putting a Redstone Torch on the other side of Redstone Lamps will also give power to it.
Read also
Redstone circuits are an art. Repeaters, Comparators… it all seems like rocket science until you manage to understand them. Read our Redstone Repeater in Minecraft and get the latest information related to these circuits!
Redstone Torch vs. Redstone Lamp and Other Sources of Light
Now, why would you craft a Redstone Lamp instead of another light block?
Understanding the difference between the primary light sources is the key to knowing if this item is for you.
Comparison Table
/table/
How to Make a Redstone Lamp
It’s time to make a Redstone Lamp in Minecraft!
First of all, we must mention that you can’t find this item naturally in the world: you need to craft it by yourself. Without further hesitation, let’s get to it!
Redstone Lamp Crafting Recipe
You need to gather two main ingredients if you want to make this item and have it in your inventory:
/table/
Find Redstone Dust
First, you need to find some Redstone Ore in the Overworld and mine it with your pickaxe. Then, pick Ore from the ground and put it on a Furnace - quick, easy and efficient!
If you locate a good source of this material, you can get more than just one Redstone Dust in the blink of an eye!
Find Glowstone Dust to Make Glowstone Blocks
The only place where you can find Glowstone is in the Nether. You need to go to the Nether, spot a Glowstone block, and use a pickaxe with Silk Touch to break it.
Breaking a Glowstone Block will drop four pieces of Glowstone Dust, which is precisely what you need to make a block of this material in the crafting menu.
Pro-tip
Be careful - in the Nether, the floor is lava! There will be multiple enemies trying to kill, so be sure to take with you your most powerful weapons and armor.
Go to the Crafting Table
Once you have the required materials to make a Redstone Lamp, you need to follow the crafting recipe as shown in this picture:
The block of Glowstone must be placed in the middle box, while the first row, and the rows around the Glowstone, must have Redstone Dust surrounding it.
There you go - enjoy your new Redstone Lamp! Keep in mind that you can create so many things with this item that you’ll never get bored of it. If you want more content like this one, go and read our other Minecraft Guides.
FAQ
Do Redstone Lamps Prevent Mobs from Spawning?
Yes, they do. Every item that emits a level of light of 15 will prevent all mobs from spawning. Nearby mobs will still attack you, though - so watch out!
Do Redstone Lamps Cause Lag?
They used to cause lag in some Minecraft versions. Fortunately, Mojang managed to solve this problem.