The comparator is a confusing Redstone component in Minecraft, its functions are not straightforward, but with a little help, they can be very useful.

The Redstone comparator is Minecraft’s most complex Redstone component. Unlike other components that are fairly obvious and upfront with their functions, the comparator’s functions are not as easily understood by simple observation. Redstone is Minecraft’s electricity. Players are able to use Redstone components to make contraptions and mechanisms to assist them with tasks, to ensure security, or just to make something cool.

The level of simplicity or complexity used with Redstone is up to the player. Players have been able to make automated item sorters, secret passages, and even a functioning graphing calculator. With the comparator’s complexity, possibilities open up even further, however, even approaching this device can be intimidating. This guide will go through all the functions the comparator can do.

Minecraft players will need three Redstone torches, three stone, and one nether quartz to make a comparator. The player will also need a crafting table. In the 3x3 crafting menu, the player must place the three stones in the three bottom slots, place the quartz in the center, and place the three torches are placed on the left, right, and top slots.

How to Make a Redstone Comparator in Minecraft

The comparator looks similar to a Minecraft repeater, being a flat slab with Redstone torches. The comparator, however, has three torches instead of two. When the comparator is placed on the floor, the main input is the side with two torches and the output is the side with one torch. Unique to this component, the comparator also has two secondary inputs—one on the left and one on the right. A small side note players should know is that the comparator will only use one of these inputs at a time, that being whichever is stronger. The “comparing” of comparators comes from the main and secondary inputs: the comparator compares the secondary input with the main input.

Comparing Inputs

To understand what exactly comparators are comparing, players must first understand Redstone signal strength. As a Redstone signal travels down the line, its strength decreases until it has traveled fifteen units. Because of this, Redstone can have strength from 1 to 15, starting at 15 and traveling down to 1.

When a comparator receives a Redstone signal through its main input, it will output a signal of the same strength. When a comparator receives another signal from a secondary input, the output will change based on the strength of the secondary input and which mode the comparator is in. By default, comparators will be in comparison mode, which is signified by the front Redstone torch being off. When in comparison mode, the comparator will look for if the main or secondary input is stronger. If the main input is stronger, the output will remain the same. If the secondary input is stronger, then the comparator will stop outputting a signal altogether.

The comparator’s second mode in Minecraft is subtraction. This mode is signified by the front Redstone torch being on. When in subtraction mode, the comparator will take the secondary input, subtract the strength from the main input and the difference will become the new output. For example, if the main input strength is 15 and the secondary input strength is 10, then the output will become 5.

Measuring Fullness

Along with comparing signal strengths from Redstone in Minecraft, comparators are also able to pull power from certain items and containers. As of version 1.18.1, comparators are able to pull power from twenty-three different blocks/entities. The first group comparators are able to take power from are containers. This includes furnaces, blast furnaces, smokers, brewing stands, hoppers, minecarts with hoppers, dispensers, droppers, chests, trapped chests, barrels, shulker boxes, and minecarts.

Comparators read how full the container is and converts that into power. The more items there are in a container, the stronger the redstone signal. Because containers have different numbers of slots (i.e. furnaces have three slots while large chests have 54), the number of items needed to increases the signal strength differences from container to container. Using comparators in this way is key to making useful contraptions like item sorters.

Alongside containers, comparators can also pull power from a number of special blocks. Instead of how many items they hold, comparators use the different states these blocks can be in to determine the power being pulled. These blocks include beehives and bee nests, cake, cauldrons, composters, command blocks, end portal frames, item frames, jukeboxes, lecterns, and respawn anchors.

End portal frames in Minecraft can be used as well whenever an eye of Ender is placed in it. When empty, the frame will give no output, with an eye the frame will give an output strength of 15. Item frames give an output based on if an item is placed inside the frame and the orientation of the item. Items in item frames can be turned by 45 degrees clockwise. When in its normal orientation, the item frame will output signal strength of 1. With each turn, the signal strength will increase by 1 up to a max of 8. When the item returns to its original orientation, the signal will return to a strength of 1.

Minecraft Jukeboxes give an output based on what disc it is playing. When empty, the jukebox will give no output. When playing a disc, the jukebox can give an output from 1 to 14. The specific output given is based on the music disc used.

Lecterns give an output based on the page number the book is currently on. Players can place a book and quill or a written book on a lectern and read it from the lectern. The page number the book is currently on determines the strength of the signal—the higher the page number, the higher the strength.

Finally, the respawn anchor gives an output based on its charge. Respawn anchors can be charged by using glowstone. When uncharged, the anchor will give no signal. With one charge, the signal strength will be 3. With two charges, the strength will be 7. With three charges, the strength will be 11. And with four charges, the strength will be 15.

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Minecraft is available for PC, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, Android, and iOS.