Hoppers are the backbone of automation in Minecraft. They pull items out of chests, furnaces and the ground, and push them into other containers, which makes them essential for automatic smelters, farms, storage systems and item sorters. Once you understand which way a hopper points and how it moves items, you can automate almost anything. This guide explains how to make a hopper in Minecraft, how to place and point it, how fast it works, how to lock it with redstone, and the best ways to use it.
Quick answer: hopper recipe
| Iron ingot | Empty | Iron ingot |
| Iron ingot | Chest | Iron ingot |
| Empty | Iron ingot | Empty |
5 iron ingots and 1 chest make 1 hopper. The recipe is the same on Java, Bedrock and consoles.
How to get the ingredients
- Iron ingots: mine iron ore and smelt the raw iron, or get them from iron golems and chests. See where to find iron.
- Chest: 8 wooden planks around an empty center. See how to make a chest.
Each hopper costs 5 iron, so large automation projects need a lot of iron. An iron farm pays for itself quickly once you start using hoppers.
How a hopper works
- Pulls from above: a hopper takes items from a container directly above it, such as a chest, barrel or furnace output, and collects items dropped on top of it.
- Pushes out of its spout: it sends items into the container its spout points at.
- Holds 5 slots: it can store up to five stacks while waiting.
- Speed: it moves about 2.5 items per second, one item every 8 game ticks.
How to point a hopper
The spout points at the block you clicked on when placing the hopper:
- Click the top of the block below to point it down.
- Click the side of a chest or furnace to point it sideways into that block.
- Sneak while placing it against a container so you do not open the container instead.
Hoppers can point down or sideways, never up. To move items upward, use a water elevator, droppers or a bubble column. See how to make a water elevator.
Hoppers and furnaces
- A hopper above a furnace fills the input slot.
- A hopper on the side fills the fuel slot.
- A hopper below takes from the output.
This is how automatic smelters work. See how to make a furnace.
How to lock a hopper with redstone
A hopper that receives a redstone signal is locked: it stops pulling and pushing items. Put a lever, a redstone torch or redstone dust next to it to switch it off. Locking is the key to item sorters, which only let certain items pass.
How to build an item sorter
- Run a line of hoppers carrying items above a row of chests.
- Under each sorting slot, place a hopper pointing into a chest, and fill it with the item you want to sort: 18 of that item in the first slot and 1 placeholder item, such as a named stick, in each of the other four slots.
- Place a comparator coming out of that hopper, then a redstone torch on a block that locks the hopper below.
- When the right item arrives, the comparator signal changes, unlocking the hopper just long enough to pass it into the chest.
Sorter designs vary between editions, so follow a tutorial for your version. Copper golems are a newer, simpler way to sort items into chests without redstone. See how to make a copper golem.
Hopper minecart
Combine a hopper with a minecart to make a minecart with hopper. It collects items from containers and the ground as it rides along rails, even through one block, which makes it great for collecting drops under farms. See how to make rails.
Best uses for hoppers
- Farm collection: under crop, sugar cane, kelp and mob farms.
- Automatic smelting: super smelters with many furnaces.
- Composters: feeding plants in and collecting bone meal. See how to make a composter.
- Brewing: automatic potion brewing.
- Storage: moving items into sorted chests.
- Comparator clocks: two hoppers feeding each other make a redstone clock.
Hoppers and lag
Every hopper checks for items constantly, so thousands of hoppers can slow a world. Place a full block such as a composter on top of hoppers that do not need to collect from above, and avoid unnecessary hopper chains. See why is Minecraft so laggy.
Hoppers in Java vs Bedrock
The recipe and basic behavior are the same, but timing and some interactions differ. Bedrock hoppers handle some containers and redstone a little differently, which is why item sorter and clock designs are edition-specific.
Common hopper problems
- Items are not moving: the hopper may be locked by a redstone signal. Check for nearby levers, torches or powered blocks.
- The hopper points the wrong way: break it and place it again while clicking the block you want it to point into, and sneak if that block is a container.
- Items pile up on top: the hopper is full. Empty it or add another hopper and a chest below.
- A furnace is not filling: top hoppers fill the input, side hoppers fill the fuel. Swap them if items go into the wrong slot.
- Hoppers are slow: 2.5 items per second is the limit. Split the flow across several hoppers in parallel for faster transfer.
With a few hoppers, a chest and a furnace, you can build your first automatic smelter in minutes, and from there automate almost every farm in your world.
FAQ
What do you need to make a hopper in Minecraft?
5 iron ingots and 1 chest.
How do you point a hopper?
It points at the block you click on when you place it. Sneak while placing it against containers.
How fast does a hopper move items?
About 2.5 items per second.
How do you turn off a hopper?
Give it a redstone signal, for example with a lever. A powered hopper is locked.
Can hoppers move items upward?
No. Hoppers only point down or sideways. Use water elevators or droppers to move items up.
Checked by the Game Respawned editorial team against the current Java and Bedrock versions. Spotted something out of date? Tell us.