What You Need in Minecraft to Make a Bed

Learn the exact materials and steps to craft a bed in Minecraft, plus tips for safe sleeping, spawn points, and color variations to customize your base.

Craft Guide
Craft Guide Team
·5 min read
Bed Crafting Guide - Craft Guide
Quick AnswerSteps

To craft a bed in Minecraft, you need 3 wool and 3 wooden planks, plus access to a crafting table for the 3x3 grid. Place wool on the top row and planks on the bottom row to craft the bed, then move it to your inventory. You can choose any wool color, since beds come in 16 colors based on wool color.

What do you need in minecraft to make a bed?

According to Craft Guide, the bed recipe is a foundational skill for beginners. The core question—what do you need in minecraft to make a bed—boils down to three wool and three wooden planks, plus a crafting table to access a full 3x3 grid. With these ingredients, you can craft a bed that serves as a respawn anchor and a fast-forward to night-time safety. Mastery of bed construction also reinforces a basic habit: planning your resource collection, organizing your inventory, and understanding how color variation in wool translates to bed color in your world. This knowledge applies across editions, and it pays off in larger builds and survival adventures. The Craft Guide team emphasizes practice in a safe environment before venturing into hostile areas. Crafting a bed is often one of the first efficiency upgrades in the early game, helping you manage nighttime threats and travel more confidently.

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Tools & Materials

  • Wooden planks (any type)(3 total; you can use oak, spruce, birch, jungle, acacia, or dark oak planks)
  • Wool (any color)(3 wool blocks; wool color determines bed color)
  • Crafting table(Needed to access the 3x3 crafting grid)
  • Shears (optional)(Useful for quickly gathering wool by shearing sheep)
  • Sheep (or means to obtain wool)(A living source of wool if you prefer not to kill animals; wool is obtained from sheep when gathered)

Steps

Estimated time: 15-25 minutes

  1. 1

    Gather materials

    Collect 3 wool and 3 wooden planks from nearby resources. If you don’t have a crafting table yet, craft one from 4 planks. Wool can be obtained by shearing sheep or defeating them, then collecting the wool blocks.

    Tip: Plan your color choice early; darker colors can hide stains or dirt on a base with stone and wood textures.
  2. 2

    Open the crafting table

    Right-click or use the interact button to open the 3x3 crafting grid of your crafting table. The 2x2 grid in your inventory is insufficient for the bed recipe.

    Tip: Ensure you are using a crafting table, not the smaller inventory grid.
  3. 3

    Arrange the recipe

    Place wool in the top row (three wool blocks) and planks in the bottom row (three planks). The exact arrangement matters for the bed to appear in the result slot.

    Tip: Double-check that you’re placing items in the correct rows; a misalignment won't yield a bed.
  4. 4

    Craft and collect

    Move the bed from the result slot into your inventory. You can now place it on any solid block surface to set your spawn point and sleep through the night.

    Tip: Keep a bed close to your base or shelter for quick respawns after exploration.
Pro Tip: If you want a specific bed color, collect the corresponding wool color first so your bed matches your base palette.
Warning: In the Nether, attempting to sleep with a bed will cause an explosion. Do not bring beds to the Nether or End.
Note: Color does not affect bed functionality; it only changes appearance to fit your style.
Pro Tip: For early game safety, place your bed inside a small shelter or enclosed room to protect against mobs while you sleep.

People Also Ask

Can you craft a bed in the 2x2 crafting grid?

No. A bed requires a 3x3 crafting grid, which you access from a crafting table. The 2x2 grid in your inventory is not sufficient for this recipe.

Beds require a full crafting table with a 3x3 grid; you can't craft a bed in the small 2x2 grid.

Do beds come in different colors?

Yes. Beds come in 16 colors, each matching a wool color, so you can customize to your base theme.

Beds have 16 color options, matching wool colors for customization.

Can I sleep during the day in Minecraft?

You can only sleep at night or during thunderstorms; daytime sleep isn't allowed.

Sleeping is only possible at night or during storms; otherwise, you must wait.

What happens if I die after I slept in a bed?

Sleeping sets your spawn point. If you die, you respawn at the bed's location or the default spawn, depending on your settings.

Sleeping sets your spawn point; if you die, you respawn at the bed location or the world default.

Where should I place a bed for safety?

Place the bed in a sheltered area, away from open cliffs or mobs, and ensure access to doors or tunnels for quick exits.

Place it in a sheltered area with easy access and a clear exit path.

Are the rules for beds the same across editions?

Bed crafting and sleeping rules are generally the same across Java and Bedrock editions, with minor control differences on consoles and mobile.

Bed rules are the same broadly across editions; controls may differ slightly by platform.

Watch Video

The Essentials

  • Gather 3 wool and 3 planks to start.
  • Use a crafting table to access the 3x3 recipe grid.
  • Beds come in 16 colors based on wool color; color is style, not function.
  • Sleeping sets your spawn point and speeds through night-time progression.
  • In the Nether, beds explode—keep them out of dangerous dimensions.
Diagram of crafting a bed in Minecraft using wool and planks
Bed crafting process