Dyes in Minecraft can be used to craft loads of different colored items. From dyed armor and beds to colored wool, concrete and even candles, the possibilities are endless. Minecraft has 16 base colors, and the dye for each of them is created in a different way. Some have many different means of crafting, while others have only one.
When it comes to building, dyes are one of the greatest assets a player can have, as they open the doors to many more vibrant color palettes, which the natural in-game colors don’t allow as much. This is increased tenfold when it comes to dyeing leather armor, as dyes can be mixed and matched in a cauldron to create hundreds of unique colors that can be applied.
How to make dyes in Minecraft
white dye
White Dye can be crafted in two different ways. Players can either place a piece of Bone Meal alone on a crafting table to create a single piece of White Dye, or a Lily of the Valley on a crafting table to create one as well. Bone Meal is obtained by placing Bones in a Crafting Table, while Lily of the Valley are white flowers found exclusively in forest biomes. They are more common in flower forests.
black dye
Similar to White Dye, Black Dye can only be obtained by placing one of two items alone on a crafting table. The more common of these two items is the Ink Bag, which is obtained by killing squids. The other option is the Withered Rose, which is obtained when the Wither kills a mob of any kind. A wilted rose will be left in its place. Because these roses are rare and have other uses, it may be in players’ interest to stick with ink bags for black dye.
gray dye
Gray dye can only be obtained in one way, and that is by combining a single piece of black dye with a single piece of white dye on a crafting table. This will yield two pieces of gray dye.
Light Gray Dye
Like gray dye, light gray dye can be made by combining white and black dyes. One piece of black dye combined with two pieces of white dye will result in three pieces of light gray dye. Alternatively, combining a single piece of gray dye with a single piece of white dye will result in two.
Light Gray Dye can also be obtained from three different flowers, each providing a piece of Dye when placed in a Crafting Table. These three flowers are azure blue, white daisy and white tulip. All of these flowers can be found in plains biomes, as well as flower forests. Bluets and daisies can also be found in the meadows.
Brown dye
Brown Dye is perhaps the most unique Dye in the game, requiring Cocoa Beans to be crafted. Cacao beans can be found in jungles, growing on the sides of trees, and can be planted on the sides of jungle wood for cultivation. Once it has reached its full size, it can be harvested for two to three cocoa beans. Each cocoa bean item can be crafted into a piece of brown dye on a crafting table.
red dye
The first of the primary colors, red dye, can only be obtained through crafting. Poppies, Red Tulips, Rose Bushes, and Beets can all be placed on crafting tables to produce one red dye, with Rose Bushes producing two. Poppies can be found in Forests, Plains, and Grasslands, and can be grown with Bone Meal on Grass. Red Tulips spawn in Flower Forests and Plains biomes, and Rose Bushes spawn strictly in Forests. Beets are less common, having a 10% chance of growing in a given village, but can be grown indefinitely once found.
yellow dye
The next step for the primaries is the yellow dye. A yellow dye is made using one of two types of flowers, either the classic dandelion or a sunflower. Dandelions are incredibly common, found in the Plains, Forests, and Grasslands biomes, as well as being able to be farmed with Bone Meal. Sunflowers are much rarer, spawning exclusively in Sunflower Plains, but will produce two yellow dyes when used for crafting.
blue dye
Finally, blue dye is the most annoying of the three primary color dyes to produce. It can be produced from two different elements: lapis lazuli and cornflower. Lapis Lazuli is a dark blue ore that can be found underground and is mainly used for enchanting, as each enchantment requires a piece of lapis. For this reason, players may want to avoid using this option for dyes whenever possible. The other option, blueberries, may be the best option. Cornflowers are blue flowers that can spawn in grasslands, plains biomes, and flower forests.
orange dye
Just like gray dyes, orange dye can be created by combining colors. By placing a red dye and a yellow dye together on a crafting table, players can create two pieces of orange dye. Players who would prefer to keep their red and yellow dyes can instead craft orange dye using orange tulips. These can be found in grasslands, flower forests, and plains biomes, like other tulips.
green dye
One would assume that green dye can be created by combining blue and yellow dyes, but this is not the case. To create the green dye, players have only one option, and that is to smelt a cactus block in a furnace. This will give green dye and even some experience. Since the cactus can be grown indefinitely, the green dye is fairly easy to mass-produce.
pink dye
Pink dye can be produced by mixing white dye with red dye. As usual, this will create two pink dye items, since it takes two dye items as ingredients. Alternatively, players can use Pink Tulips or Peonies to get Pink Dye directly. Pink Tulips can be found in Flower Forests, Grasslands, and Plains and produce a pink dye. Peonies are two-block tall flowers that can be found in forests and yield two dyes per.
purple dye
Purple dye can be created by combining a red dye with a blue dye on a crafting table, to gain two purple dyes. There are no purple flowers in the game, so this is the only way to get this color.
Magenta Dye
There are many ways to make magenta dye. The most common way to do this is to combine a pink dye with a purple dye, resulting in two magenta dyes. Players can also directly combine the base colors: two reds, one blue, and one white to produce four pieces of magenta dye, Where one pink, one blue and one red to produce three pieces of magenta. If players prefer not to use their dyes, they can search for alliums or lilacs. Alliums can be found in Flower Forests or Grasslands, yielding one magenta dye each, while Lilacs are taller flowers found in Forests, yielding two.
Light Blue Dye
The light blue dye is rather simple. Much like how white dye is used to lighten gray or red dye, it can be combined with blue dye to make two pieces of light blue dye. Another option is to use the Blue Orchid, which is the only flower in the game that is native to the swamps and will yield a light blue dye.
Cyan dye
By combining blue and green dyes on the crafting table, players can create two pieces of cyan dye. As of version 1.19, this is the only way to create that particular color.
Lime stain
Finally, the bright lime dye can be created by combining a green dye and a white dye, creating a pair of lime dyes. Like cyan, there are no other ways to create this color.