Skip to main content

How to Craft Detector Rail in Minecraft

Detector Rail in Minecraft, drawn from the game's own item texture. Detecting minecarts passing over. Minecraft has used the name Detector Rail since Beta 1.5.

You need 6 Iron Ingots, 1 Stone Pressure Plate, and 1 Redstone Dust, plus a Crafting Table to assemble them on. Its pattern is six Iron Ingots in the left and right columns, a single Stone Pressure Plate in the centre cell, and a single Redstone Dust in the bottom-middle cell. Each attempt hands back 6 Detector Rails.

Detector Rail Item ID and Give Command

The item ID for Detector Rail is minecraft:detector_rail. In commands the namespace may be left off, so detector_rail works too. Checked against Minecraft Java 26.2.

Give yourself one
/give @p detector_rail
Give a full stack of 64
/give @p detector_rail 64
Give it to a named player
/give Steve detector_rail 1

Cheats have to be on for Detector Rail to appear this way, and the same command works on Bedrock Edition, where the name is written the same.

Overview

Detector Rails emit a redstone signal when a minecart passes over them. Used for automated rail systems. Detector Rail uses a shaped recipe: the ingredients only work in the pattern shown.

Minecraft has used the name Detector Rail since Beta 1.5, the oldest release whose language file lists it.

The materials come together from a few sources: you will be working with iron ingot (smelt iron ore), stone pressure plate (craft from stone), and redstone dust (mine redstone ore).

What A Stack Yields

10 crafts drain a stack: 64 iron ingots become 60 detector rails. Bring 10 redstone dust along for the ride. That leaves 4 iron ingots with no partner.

Materials Needed

ItemAmountWhere to Find
Iron IngotIron IngotIron Ingot6xSmelt iron ore
Stone Pressure Plate1xCraft from stone
Redstone DustRedstone DustRedstone Dust1xMine redstone ore

To make Detector Rail you will gather 6x Iron Ingot (smelt iron ore), Stone Pressure Plate (craft from stone), and Redstone Dust (mine redstone ore), and craft them at a Crafting Table.

The Full Chain

4 crafts deep: Stone, Stone Pressure Plate, Iron Ingot, then the Detector Rail. All in: 1 Redstone Dust, 6 Iron Ore and 2 Cobblestone.

  1. 1
    22StoneFurnace, repeat 2x
  2. 2
    2Stone Pressure Plate
  3. 3
    6Iron IngotIron Ingot6Iron IngotFurnace, repeat 6x
  4. 4
    Detector RailDetector RailDetector Railthis page

Gather this first

Redstone DustRedstone DustRedstone Dust6Iron Ore2Cobblestone

Step-by-Step Instructions

  1. 1

    Iron IngotIron Ingot6x Iron Ingot

  2. 2

    Stone Pressure Plate

  3. 3

    Redstone DustRedstone DustRedstone Dust

  4. 4

    6x Detector Rail

Minecraft crafting recipe for Detector Rail: 6 x Iron Ingot, 1 x Stone Pressure Plate, 1 x Redstone Dust in a crafting table, making 6 Detector Rail.

Tips & Notes

  • Line up 6x Iron Ingot, 1x Stone Pressure Plate, and 1x Redstone Dust before you open the Crafting Table. Iron Ingot: smelt iron ore.
  • You get 6 Detector Rail per craft, so divide whatever you need by 6 to know how many times to repeat it.

Uses for Detector Rail

  • Detecting minecarts passing over
  • Emitting redstone signal when a minecart is on it

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

Frequently Asked Questions

What do I need to craft a Detector Rail in Minecraft?
The list for a Detector Rail is short: 6 Iron Ingots, 1 Stone Pressure Plate and 1 Redstone Dust, worked at a Crafting Table. Arrange them in the exact grid pattern shown above, and one craft produces 6 Detector Rails.
What do you need to make a Detector Rail from scratch?
Gather 1 Redstone Dust, 6 Iron Ore and 2 Cobblestones and you have everything a Detector Rail needs. The in-between items are all crafted, 4 crafts from start to finish.
Where do you find the materials for a Detector Rail?
The parts of a Detector Rail do not all come from one place. Iron Ingot: smelt iron ore. Stone Pressure Plate: craft from stone. Redstone Dust: mine redstone ore.
What should I craft first for a Detector Rail?
For a Detector Rail, start with Stone: 2 Cobblestones gives you 2 Stone. After that the order is Stone Pressure Plate and Iron Ingot, and then the Detector Rail itself.
How many Detector Rails do you get from one craft?
The Detector Rail recipe makes 6 Detector Rails in a single craft.
What is the item ID for Detector Rail in Minecraft?
In Java 26.2 the Detector Rail goes by minecraft:detector_rail; detector_rail without the namespace does the same job in a command.
What is the give command for Detector Rail?
The command for Detector Rail is /give @p detector_rail. Add a number for more than one, so /give @p detector_rail 64 hands you a full stack, and it only runs with cheats enabled.
Is the Detector Rail recipe the same in Java and Bedrock Edition?
Yes, the Detector Rail recipe is the same in both editions. Java and Bedrock both build a Detector Rail from 6 Iron Ingots, 1 Stone Pressure Plate and 1 Redstone Dust at a Crafting Table, in the same layout, 6 at a time.
How many crafting steps does a Detector Rail take?
A Detector Rail takes 4 crafts once you count the parts: Stone, Stone Pressure Plate and Iron Ingot, and then the Detector Rail. The chain section above walks through them in order.
What version of Minecraft added the Detector Rail?
Minecraft Beta 1.5 is the earliest release that spells out detector rail. The recipe file cannot narrow that down, because recipes only became separate files in 1.12. What you see in the grid above is how it works in the current release.

Sources

Grid, ingredients and yield
6 Iron Ingots and 1 Stone Pressure Plate and 1 Redstone Dust in, 6 Detector Rails out, Crafting Table. Java 26.2, .
That Bedrock agrees
Bedrock 1.26.40.05, same 3 ingredients.
How far back it goes
Minecraft Java Beta 1.5 uses this name and the release before it does not. From all 163 released Java clients, rd-132211 to 26.2.
Stack size
The Astroworld Items Database, built from the same jar.
The recipe book unlock
What unlocks it in the recipe book. Java 26.2.
The stack sum
Counted, not played: 6 Detector Rails per craft against the stack size.

Related Recipes