How to Craft Daylight Detector in Minecraft

Daylight Detectors emit redstone signals based on sunlight level. Right-click to switch between day and night mode.

Overview

Daylight Detectors emit redstone signals based on sunlight level. Right-click to switch between day and night mode. Daylight Detector uses a shaped recipe, meaning the ingredients must sit in the exact pattern shown in the grid above; placing them in the wrong cells will not produce the item. A Crafting Table gives you the full 3x3 grid, which you need for any recipe larger than 2x2. You can craft one from four planks, and most bases keep one near the furnaces.

The recipe was added in Minecraft 1.5 and still works the same way in version 1.21. Each craft yields a single Daylight Detector.

The materials come together from a few sources: you will be working with glass (smelt sand), nether quartz (mine in the Nether), and slab (craft from planks or stone). If any of those are not already in your stores, gather them first, because the craft itself takes only a moment once everything is in the grid. With the ingredients on hand and a Crafting Table placed, Daylight Detector is one of the quicker things to add to your inventory.

Crafting Recipe

Crafting Table

Daylight Detector

Materials Needed

Item	Amount	Where to Find
Glass	3	Smelt sand
Nether Quartz	3	Mine in the Nether
Slab	3	Craft from planks or stone

To make Daylight Detector you will gather 3x Glass (smelt sand), 3x Nether Quartz (mine in the Nether), and 3x Slab (craft from planks or stone). Lining these up before you open the Crafting Table saves a trip back to storage, especially if you plan to craft several at once.

Step-by-Step Instructions

Open your Crafting Table to access the 3x3 crafting grid.
Arrange the ingredients in the crafting grid following the pattern shown above.
Place Glass in: row 1, column 1; row 1, column 2; row 1, column 3.
Place Nether Quartz in: row 2, column 1; row 2, column 2; row 2, column 3.
Place Slab in: row 3, column 1; row 3, column 2; row 3, column 3.
Collect your Daylight Detector from the output slot.

Tips & Notes

If the output slot stays empty, double-check the pattern against the grid above; a shaped recipe fails silently when even one ingredient is in the wrong cell.

Uses for Daylight Detector

Emitting redstone signal based on time of day
Automatic lighting systems

How Daylight Detector Fits Your World

Redstone components are the logic and machinery of Minecraft. Repeaters extend and delay signals, comparators read container fullness, and pistons, hoppers, droppers, and observers let you move blocks and items automatically. Together they make everything from simple doors to fully automatic farms possible, and most contraptions are just a handful of these pieces wired together in the right order. For Daylight Detector specifically, that means it is most valuable for emitting redstone signal based on time of day and automatic lighting systems.

View detailed item stats, durability and properties for Daylight Detector on the Astroworld Items Database.

Frequently Asked Questions

What do I need to craft Daylight Detector?

You need 3 Glass, 3 Nether Quartz, 3 Slab, made at a Crafting Table. Gather all of the materials first, then arrange them in the exact grid pattern shown above to produce the Daylight Detector.

How many Daylight Detector does the recipe produce?

The recipe produces a single Daylight Detector per craft.

What is Daylight Detector used for?

Daylight Detector is used for several things: Emitting redstone signal based on time of day; Automatic lighting systems.

What version of Minecraft added Daylight Detector?

Daylight Detector was added in Minecraft 1.5 and works the same way in the current 1.21 release. Recipes for it are identical across Java and Bedrock Edition unless noted otherwise.

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