A firework rocket is one paper plus one to three gunpowder, which crafts three rockets. That is all you need for elytra flight. For an actual explosion in the sky you add firework stars, and the stars decide the colour, the shape and the extra effects. Below is every ingredient and what it does, then the numbers behind flight duration, and finally how to set up a show for New Year's Eve.
Rate3 rockets per craft
XP levelPaper + 1-3 gunpowder
Build time1-2.5 s flight
DifficultyBeginner
Firework rockets
| Ingredients |
Result |
| 1 paper + 1 gunpowder |
3 rockets, flight duration 1 |
| 1 paper + 2 gunpowder |
3 rockets, flight duration 2 |
| 1 paper + 3 gunpowder |
3 rockets, flight duration 3 |
| any of the above + firework stars |
3 rockets that explode with those stars |
The recipe is shapeless, so the position in the crafting grid does not matter. Every slot you do not use for paper or gunpowder can take a firework star, and all the stars on a rocket explode at the same moment.
Gunpowder is the bottleneck for a big show. A creeper farm covers it; witches and ghasts drop it too.
Firework stars
A firework star always needs one gunpowder and at least one dye. Everything else is optional:
- Dyes (up to eight): the colours of the explosion. Several dyes give a mixed explosion.
- One shape item:
- nothing: small ball (the default)
- fire charge: large ball, with a heavier bang
- gold nugget: star shape
- any mob head: a creeper face
- feather: burst
- Glowstone dust: twinkle, a crackle after the explosion.
- Diamond: a trail behind the sparks.
Only one shape per star, but glowstone and diamond combine with any shape and with each other. To put two shapes in one explosion, put two different stars on the same rocket.
Fade colours
Craft a finished firework star with more dyes (up to eight) and it gets a fade: the sparks change to those colours as they die out. Crafting it with new dyes again replaces the old fade.
Flight duration, in real numbers
The game decides when a rocket explodes when it is launched. From the code: the rocket lives 10 × (gunpowder + 1) ticks, plus a random 0 to 5 ticks, plus another random 0 to 6 ticks. With 20 ticks in a second, that gives:
| Flight duration |
Lifetime |
Height when launched by hand (Minecraft Wiki) |
| 1 |
1.0 to 1.55 seconds |
8 to 20 blocks |
| 2 |
1.5 to 2.05 seconds |
18 to 34 blocks |
| 3 |
2.0 to 2.55 seconds |
32 to 52 blocks |
The random part is why two identical rockets never explode at exactly the same height. For a show, that is a feature.
Fireworks with elytra
While gliding with elytra, using a rocket pushes you forward in the direction you are looking. A higher flight duration gives a longer boost. Two rules:
- Use rockets without stars. A rocket with any firework star explodes on you and deals damage. Plain paper-and-gunpowder rockets are safe.
- Duration 3 is the usual choice for long flights: fewer rockets per distance. Duration 1 is better for short, precise hops, for example landing on a small platform.
The Minecraft Wiki measures the boost at about 1.5, 2 and 2.5 seconds for durations 1, 2 and 3. Its exact length varies a little from rocket to rocket.
Fireworks as crossbow ammo
A crossbow can be loaded with a rocket from your off hand. It only does damage if the rocket has stars. According to the Minecraft Wiki:
- One star does up to 7 damage, falling off with distance; each extra star adds 2, up to 19 with seven stars.
- The explosion hits everything within 5 blocks that is not behind solid blocks, including you if you stand too close.
- In Java a rocket explodes the moment it hits a mob. On Bedrock it can pass through.
- Multishot fires three rockets at once; Piercing does nothing for rockets.
How to set up a New Year firework show
Dispensers launch rockets in the direction they face, so a row of upward-facing dispensers is the base of any show.
- Fill the dispensers. Put a mix of rockets in each: different stars, durations 1 to 3. Mixing durations spreads the explosions vertically.
- One launch at a time: wire the dispensers to a button. Each press fires one rocket from every powered dispenser.
- A wave: run the redstone line through repeaters. Each repeater adds 1 to 4 redstone ticks (0.1 to 0.4 seconds), so the dispensers fire one after another from left to right.
- Continuous show: replace the button with a clock, for example two observers facing each other, and break or toggle it when you want it to stop. A fast clock burns through rockets quickly, so keep the show short or slow the clock down.
- Countdown at midnight: stand where you can see the whole row, and remember the sound arrives a moment after the flash, like real fireworks.
If you want the world itself to feel festive for the show, see our guide to installing resource packs for winter texture packs.
Bedrock differences
- Bedrock's creative inventory has rockets in all 16 base colours, all with flight duration 1.
- On Bedrock, bone meal, lapis lazuli, cocoa beans and ink sacs can colour a star on their own, without other ingredients.
- Rockets from a crossbow can fly through mobs on Bedrock instead of exploding on them.
Frequently asked questions
How do you make fireworks in Minecraft?
Put one paper and one to three gunpowder in a crafting grid. You get three firework rockets. Add firework stars to the same craft to give them an explosion.
How do you make a firework star?
Craft one gunpowder with at least one dye. Add a fire charge, gold nugget, mob head or feather for a shape, glowstone dust for twinkle and a diamond for a trail.
Which fireworks are best for elytra?
Rockets with flight duration 3 and no firework stars. Stars make the rocket explode on you.
How long does each flight duration last?
Duration 1 lasts 1.0 to 1.55 seconds, duration 2 lasts 1.5 to 2.05 seconds and duration 3 lasts 2.0 to 2.55 seconds before the rocket explodes.
Can fireworks hurt you?
Only rockets with firework stars. The explosion damages everything within 5 blocks that is not behind solid blocks.
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