Alternate Craftables
by Sombody_New
Alternate Craftables adds a Condensed Coal Block and a few extra recipes that turn surplus coal into diamonds, elytra, and netherite ingots on NeoForge for 1.21.1.
What it does
Players who collect more coal than they need can compress it into a Condensed Coal Block, crafted from ordinary coal blocks. The condensed block cannot be smelted, because its density is meant to be compressed further into diamonds, so it becomes a crafting step rather than a furnace input. The mod is aimed at survival play, where coal piles up while diamonds stay far underground.
Beyond the coal chain, the author added recipes that let players craft elytra before reaching the End and craft a netherite ingot through an alternate route. A smithing template inspired by the existing upgrade system allows extra fireworks to be crafted. The condensed block sits in the creative menu and is intended for survival use. The author notes that the recipes are shown in the picture section of the mod page and suggests viewing them in-game with JEI or Just Enough Items.
The mod is published for NeoForge only, with a single game version, 1.21.1. It runs on the server side alone, so players join without installing anything, and the server owner decides which recipes are active. The 1.0.0 file was released on 2025-04-17, the same day the mod was first published. The code is not open source and is distributed under All rights reserved.
Key features
Condensed Coal Block
A block crafted from coal blocks that compresses surplus coal into a single storage item.
Coal-to-diamond recipe
A crafting route turns condensed coal into diamonds, offering an alternative to deep mining.
Early elytra crafting
Elytra can be crafted before the End, using recipes the author added to the mod.
Alternate netherite ingot
A second recipe produces a netherite ingot without the usual path through ancient debris.
Smithing template fireworks
A smithing template style recipe adds more ways to craft fireworks.
Gallery
Compatibility
Latest build for each game version and loader.
Only full game releases are shown. This mod publishes no snapshot builds.
How it compares
Create: craftable diamond is an option for diamond crafting, published for Forge and NeoForge across 1.18.2 – 1.21.1, server-side only and released under the MIT License. Ultra Condense is also a NeoForge mod, but it targets 1.21.8 and runs on the client and server together under All rights reserved. PlaneBirch Coal Armor covers 1.21 – 1.21.11 on client and server and is released under the ISC License, so it does not change the coal chain at all.
| Mod | Loaders | Game versions | Environment | Updated |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alternate Craftables | NeoForge | 1.21.1 | Server-side only | 2025-04-17 |
| Create: craftable diamond | Forge and NeoForge | 1.18.2 – 1.21.1 | Server-side only | 2026-01-04 |
| Ultra Condense | NeoForge | 1.21.8 | Client and server | 2026-05-15 |
| PlaneBirch Coal Armor | NeoForge | 1.21 – 1.21.11 | Client and server | 2026-03-01 |
Questions
Does Alternate Craftables need a loader other than NeoForge?
Does the server need Alternate Craftables for players to join?
Which game versions does Alternate Craftables support?
In the catalog
Alternate Craftables is one of 17,631 Equipment mods on ModsFinder, and one of 7,420 Equipment mods for NeoForge. 32,366 mods support Minecraft 1.21.1.
Similar mods
What the author says
This mod is nothing fancy. I added a Condensed Coal Block that can be crafted using coal blocks! The condensed coal can't be used for smelting due to it's high density but can be further compressed into diamonds! Besides that I added a few more of my ideas to allow for pre-end Elytra crafting, alternate Netherite…
Official listing
- Modrinth page
- modrinth.com/mod/alternate-craftables
- Owner
- Sombody_New
- Published
- 2025-04-17
- Updated on Modrinth
- 2025-04-17
- Facts verified
- 2026-10-15