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Better Furnace

The Better Furnace datapack overhauls how furnaces work on the server. It improves XP handling, fuel efficiency, and automation — and all of these improvements apply to regular furnaces, blast furnaces, and smokers.

New Addition

This datapack was recently added to the server. If you notice anything unexpected with furnace behavior, report it to staff so they can investigate.

XP Storage

In vanilla Minecraft, furnaces give you XP in small amounts as you pull items out. Better Furnace changes this so that all XP from smelting is stored inside the furnace and released in one lump sum when you collect the output.

How It Works

  1. Load your furnace with fuel and items to smelt as usual.
  2. Let the furnace process everything. XP accumulates internally as items finish smelting.
  3. When you take the finished items out of the output slot, all stored XP is released at once.

XP Farming

This makes furnace-based XP farms much more practical. Let a large batch of items smelt overnight, then collect a massive XP payout all at once. This works especially well with cactus or kelp smelting setups.

Does the XP disappear if I use hoppers?

If a hopper pulls the smelted items out of the furnace, the XP stays stored inside. You'll need to manually take at least one item from the output slot to trigger the XP release.

Fuel Efficiency

Better Furnace improves burn times for certain fuel items, so your fuel goes further.

What Changes

  • Common fuel sources like coal and charcoal last slightly longer per item.
  • Less-used fuels (like dried kelp blocks and blaze rods) become more viable alternatives.
  • The relative balance between fuel types is adjusted so you have more meaningful choices.

Note

The exact burn time adjustments are handled server-side. You'll notice the difference when a single piece of fuel smelts more items than you'd expect from vanilla.

Hopper Integration

Furnace automation with hoppers is improved so that items flow more reliably.

How It Works

  • Input hopper (top): Feeds raw items into the furnace input slot.
  • Fuel hopper (side): Feeds fuel into the furnace fuel slot.
  • Output hopper (bottom): Pulls smelted items out of the output slot.

Better Furnace ensures that hoppers interact with all three slots more consistently, reducing jams and edge cases where items get stuck.

Automated Smelting Array

For the best automation setup:

  1. Place a hopper on top of the furnace pointing down (for raw items).
  2. Place a hopper on the side of the furnace pointing inward (for fuel).
  3. Place a hopper underneath the furnace pointing into a chest (for output).
  4. Feed items and fuel from chests above the input and fuel hoppers.

This setup works with all three furnace types.

Blast Furnace & Smoker

All of the above improvements — XP storage, fuel efficiency, and hopper integration — apply equally to:

  • Blast Furnaces (ores and metal gear)
  • Smokers (food items)

Same Behavior, All Furnace Types

You do not need to do anything special. Blast furnaces and smokers automatically benefit from the same improvements as regular furnaces. Their existing speed bonuses (2x smelting for blast furnaces and smokers) still apply on top of these changes.

For visual guides on furnace setups and automation layouts, see the images in the furnace assets folder.

Furnace Setup
Better Furnace overview showing improved smelting mechanics.
Furnace Screenshot
Furnace automation layout with hoppers.

Build Tip

When building a smelting hall, consider using all three furnace types side-by-side: a regular furnace for general smelting, a blast furnace for ores, and a smoker for food. All three benefit from Better Furnace, and having dedicated lines keeps your automation clean.