A Composter in a lightly wooded area in Minecraft.

How to Make and Use a Composter in Minecraft

Farming and recycling in one!

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Reyadh is a writer of fantasy, horror, and science fiction who loves to play video games full of monsters and magic. When he's not scribing unique and unrelenting speculative fiction or slaying demons in virtual worlds, he is writing strategy guides to help others reach their gaming goals.

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Key Takeaway

To make a Composter in Minecraft, you need to arrange seven Wood Slabs (any type of wood) in a “U” shape on a Crafting Table.

Use items (right-click if playing on PC) on a Composter to begin filling it up. Once a Composter is full, use it to get one Bone Meal.

You can only use nature items—such as most plants and non-meat foods—to fill up a Composter.

You should use a Composter to speed up your gardening pursuits in Minecraft, as this block gives you the best item for growing crops quickly: Bone Meal. By converting unwanted nature items into Bone Meal, you can grow the fruits and vegetables you want more efficiently.

Table Of Contents

    What You Need to Make a Composter in Minecraft

    All you need to make a Composter in Minecraft is seven Wood Slabs made from any type of wood. Once you’ve got them, place the seven Wood Slabs in a “U” shape on a Crafting Table. Specifically, place the Wood Slabs in the bottom row, the left column, and the right column—leaving the middle and top-middle slots empty.

    The crafting recipe for a Composter in Minecraft.

    How to Get Wood Slabs

    On a Crafting Table, fill any row with Wooden Planks of any kind. This recipe gives you twice the number of slabs as planks you used. For instance, three Oak Planks will result in six Oak Slabs.

    How to Use a Composter in Minecraft

    There are two main functions of a Composter in Minecraft. The first is to recycle nature items and get Bone Meal. The other purpose is as a Job Site Block for Farmer Villagers.

    Using a Composter to Get Bone Meal

    Bone Meal on the ground next to a Composter.

    Contrary to how it seems, a Composter doesn’t fill up solely based on how many nature items you use on it. Instead, there are percentage chances tied to each type of item you use. Some nature items are more likely to increase the fullness of a Composter than others. Here’s every item that can be used on a Composter and the odds of it increasing a Composter’s fullness level:

    30%50%65%85%100%
    -Beetroot Seeds
    -Dried Kelp
    -Glow Berries
    -Grass
    -Grass Block‌ [Bedrock Edition-only]
    -Hanging Roots
    -Mangrove Roots
    -Kelp
    -Leaves
    -Melon Seeds
    -Moss Carpet
    -Pink Petals
    -Pitcher Pod
    -Pumpkin Seeds
    -Saplings
    -Seagrass
    -Small Dripleaf
    -Sweet Berries
    -Torchflower Seeds
    -Wheat Seeds
    -Cactus
    -Dried Kelp Block
    -Flowering Azalea Leaves
    -Glow Lichen
    -Melon Slice
    -Nether Sprouts
    -Sugar Cane
    -Tall Grass
    -Twisting Vines
    -Vines
    -Weeping Vines
    -Apple
    -Azalea
    -Beetroot
    -Big Dripleaf
    -Carrot
    -Cocoa Beans
    -Ferns
    -Flowers
    -Fungus
    -Lily Pad
    -Melon
    -Moss Block
    -Mushrooms
    -Mushroom Stem
    -Nether Wart
    -Potato
    -Pumpkins
    -Roots
    -Sea Pickle
    -Shroomlight
    -Spore Blossom
    -Wheat
    -Baked Potato
    -Bread
    -Cookie
    -Flowering Azalea
    -Hay Bale
    -Mushroom Blocks
    -Nether Wart Block
    -Pitcher Plant
    -Torchflower
    -Warped Wart Block
    -Cake
    -Pumpkin Pie

    There are seven fullness levels for the Composter. When it’s ready to give you the goods, it’ll have white dust on top it’s final layer—use the Composter to get one Bone Meal.

    Using a Composter to Turn Unemployed Villagers Into Farmer Villagers

    To turn an unemployed Villager into a Farmer Villager, simply place a Composter near an unemployed Villager and trap them next to it until they change profession. Farmer Villagers are great to barter with for farming supplies, so be sure to hire one if you’ve got a green thumb!


    While you’re placing a Composter on your Minecraft farm, consider adding a few rare plants to enhance the look of your setup! Vibrant vegetation like Glow Berries, Torchflowers, and Pitcher Plants can increase the aesthetic quality of your plots and greenhouses.

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