Create Big Cannons Mod Guide: Artillery Engineering, Cannon Materials & Munitions
Create Big Cannons brings full-scale artillery warfare to Minecraft through Create's kinetic system. Build multiblock cannons from Log to Nethersteel, cast barrel components in foundries, load devastating projectiles, and aim with precision using kinetic-powered mounts. Primarily designed for multiplayer PvP, this addon transforms base warfare with configurable destruction.
Overview
Create Big Cannons (CBC) is an addon for Create that introduces full-scale multiblock artillery to Minecraft. The mod adds two primary weapon systems: big cannons for heavy bombardment and autocannons for rapid fire. Each weapon type comes in multiple material tiers with distinct strength, weight, and charge capacity characteristics. You can browse every item and recipe this mod adds using the tabs at the top of this page.
Building a cannon involves a multi-step crafting pipeline: cutting Cast Moulds on a Mechanical Saw, melting metals in a Basin Foundry, casting cannon components, boring them with a Cannon Drill, and assembling the finished barrel. The mod integrates deeply with Create's rotational power system for loading, aiming, and firing. CBC is primarily designed for multiplayer PvP servers where players can siege enemy bases, though the engineering challenge of building your first working cannon is rewarding in any context.
Prerequisites
CBC requires the Create mod as its foundation. You'll need a working Create setup with Shafts, Cogwheels, Mechanical Saws, Mechanical Presses, Basins, and Deployers before you can build any cannons. Familiarity with Create's rotational power and Sequenced Assembly systems is essential.
Additionally, CBC requires Ritchie's Projectile Library as a dependency. For Bronze and Steel cannon materials, you'll need a mod that adds those metals. The recommended companion mod is IngotCraft, though any mod providing Bronze and Steel Ingots tagged correctly will work. Without a Bronze/Steel mod, you'll be limited to Log, Wrought Iron, and Cast Iron cannons.
Getting Started: Your First Cannon
- 1
Set Up Create Infrastructure
Before touching any cannon components, you need a working Create setup. At minimum, build a water wheel or windmill for rotational power, a Mechanical Saw for cutting Cast Moulds, a Mechanical Press for making plates, and a Basin with a Blaze Burner for melting metals. You'll also want a Deployer and Sequenced Assembly line for autocannon cartridges later.
- 2
Build a Simple Log or Wrought Iron Cannon
Start with the simplest cannon type. Craft a Log Cannon Chamber and a Log Cannon End directly on a Crafting Table using Logs and Gunpowder. For Wrought Iron, you'll need Iron Plates from a Mechanical Press. Place the cannon blocks in a line with the chamber at the back and the end cap at the rear. This teaches you the basic multiblock cannon structure without needing the casting system.
- 3
Craft a Cannon Mount and Ammunition
Build a Cannon Mount using Iron Plates, Shafts, Andesite Casing, and Gunpowder. Place it and mount your cannon barrel on top. Craft some Solid Shot (the simplest projectile) and Powder Charges. You'll need
Packed Gunpowder from compacting 6 Gunpowder in a Basin, then combine it with an 
Empty Powder Charge (String and Wool) to make a Powder Charge. - 4
Load and Fire
Use a
Ram Rod to push Powder Charges and a projectile into the cannon from the muzzle end. The Ram Rod is crafted from a Ram Head and two Sticks. Right-click the cannon's open end while holding the ammunition, then use the Ram Rod to push it in. Apply a redstone signal to the Cannon Mount's front face to fire. Be careful not to exceed your cannon material's maximum safe Powder Charge count, or the cannon will catastrophically fail. - 5
Upgrade to Cast Cannons
Once comfortable with basic cannons, move to the casting system. Cut Cast Moulds from Logs on a Mechanical Saw, stack them to form a cannon mould shape, melt Cast Iron Ingots (Iron heated in a Basin) in a Basin Foundry with a Basin Foundry Lid, and pour the molten metal into the mould. After it solidifies, bore it out with a Cannon Drill to create a finished Cast Iron cannon component.
Cannon Materials & Tiers
Every cannon in CBC is built from a specific material that determines its strength, weight, and how many Powder Charges it can safely handle. Choosing the right material is critical because overcharging a cannon beyond its safe limit causes catastrophic failure. Materials fail in one of two ways: Rupture (the cannon explodes outward, damaging nearby players and structures) or Fragmentation (the cannon shatters into high-speed shrapnel projectiles).
Log Cannons
The most primitive cannon material. Log Cannons have a maximum safe charge of 0, meaning they can only fire projectiles with zero Powder Charges (essentially a mortar lobbing stones). They weigh 1.0 per block and fail by Fragmentation. Log Cannon Chambers and Ends are crafted directly on a Crafting Table, making them the easiest to build but the least powerful.
Wrought Iron Cannons
A step up from Log, Wrought Iron supports 1 Powder Charge and weighs 2.0 per block. These cannons fail by Rupture, so stand clear if you overcharge one. Like Log cannons, Wrought Iron components are crafted on a Crafting Table using Iron Plates, bypassing the casting system entirely.
Cast Iron Cannons
The first material that requires the casting system. Cast Iron supports 2 Powder Charges, weighs 3.0 per block, and fails by Fragmentation. Cast Iron Ingots are made by heating regular Iron Ingots in a Basin with a Blaze Burner. This is your entry point into the full cannon casting pipeline and represents a significant upgrade in firepower.
Bronze Cannons
Bronze is a strong mid-tier material supporting 4 Powder Charges while only weighing 2.0 per block, making it the lightest option for serious artillery. Bronze cannons fail by Rupture. You'll need a mod like IngotCraft or Alloyed to provide Bronze Ingots. The excellent charge-to-weight ratio makes Bronze a popular choice for mobile cannon platforms.
Steel Cannons
Steel supports 6 Powder Charges and weighs 5.0 per block, failing by Fragmentation. Steel is the first material that can be used with the built-up cannon system, where multiple layers of increasing size are heated together to create reinforced barrels and chambers with even higher charge capacity. Steel requires a mod providing Steel Ingots.
Nethersteel Cannons
The ultimate cannon material. Nethersteel supports 8 Powder Charges, weighs 6.0 per block, and fails by Fragmentation. Nethersteel Ingots are crafted by superheated mixing of Netherite Scrap with either 4 Steel Ingots or 8 Cast Iron Ingots, yielding 8 Nethersteel Ingots per batch. Like Steel, Nethersteel supports the built-up layering system for even more extreme charge capacities.
Big Cannon Material Comparison
| Log | Wrought Iron | Cast Iron | Bronze | Steel | Nethersteel | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Max Safe Charges | 0 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 6 | 8 |
| Weight per Block | 1.0 | 2.0 | 3.0 | 2.0 | 5.0 | 6.0 |
| Failure Mode | Fragment | Rupture | Fragment | Rupture | Fragment | Fragment |
| Crafting Method | Crafting Table | Crafting Table | Casting | Casting | Casting | Casting |
| Built-Up Support | No | No | No | No | Yes | Yes |
Loading more Powder Charges than your cannon's maximum safe limit will cause it to explode when fired. Rupture-type failures damage everything around the cannon. Fragmentation-type failures launch deadly shrapnel in all directions. Always count your charges carefully, especially on lower-tier materials.
The Casting System
The casting system is how you produce cannon components from Cast Iron, Bronze, Steel, and Nethersteel. It involves three key steps: making Cast Moulds, melting metal in a Basin Foundry, and boring the cast result with a Cannon Drill.
Cast Moulds
Cast Moulds are cut from Logs using a Mechanical Saw. There are moulds for every cannon bore size (Very Small through Very Large) plus specialized moulds for Cannon Ends, Sliding Breeches, Screw Breeches, Autocannon Barrels, Autocannon Breech components, and Autocannon Recoil Springs. Stack the appropriate moulds vertically to form the cannon shape you want to cast. The maximum mould stack height is 32 blocks.
Basin Foundry & Melting
Place a Basin Foundry Lid on top of a Basin with a Blaze Burner underneath. The Basin Foundry Lid is crafted from 4 Andesite Alloy. Feed metal Ingots into the Basin and heat them to produce molten metal. The molten metal can then be piped into your Cast Mould structure using Fluid Pipes. Cast Iron Ingots are produced by heating regular Iron Ingots in a Basin (compacting with heat), making Cast Iron the most accessible casting material.
Cannon Drill & Boring
After casting, cannon components come out as unbored solid blocks. You must bore them using a Cannon Drill powered by rotational force. The Cannon Drill extends up to 32 blocks using Piston Extension Poles and hollows out the interior of the cast cannon blocks, converting them into functional barrel or chamber components. Without boring, cast components cannot be used as part of a working cannon.
Basin Foundry Lid
Cast Moulds (Mechanical Saw)
Cast Iron Cannon Production Pipeline
Built-Up Cannons (Steel & Nethersteel)
Steel and Nethersteel unlock the built-up cannon system, which produces reinforced barrels and chambers with higher charge capacities than standard cast components. Built-up cannons are constructed by layering cannon layers of increasing sizes concentrically, then heating the assembly in a 
Cannon Builder.
The process works by combining cast cannon layers of different sizes. For example, a Steel Cannon Barrel requires a Very Small Steel Cannon Layer. A Built-Up Steel Cannon Barrel requires Very Small and Small layers together. A Steel Cannon Chamber uses Very Small, Small, and Medium layers. This continues up to the Thick Steel Cannon Chamber, which requires all five layer sizes (Very Small through Very Large). Each additional layer increases the charge capacity of the resulting component.
After assembling the layers, the Cannon Builder heats them together over a default period of 6000 ticks (5 minutes). The Cannon Builder itself has a maximum length and range of 32 blocks and requires a redstone signal to activate. Nethersteel follows the same layering pattern as Steel, producing the strongest cannon components in the mod.
Steel/Nethersteel built-up components follow this pattern: Barrel (1 layer) → Built-Up Barrel (2 layers) → Chamber (3 layers) → Built-Up Chamber (4 layers) → Thick Chamber (5 layers). More layers means more Powder Charges can be safely loaded, at the cost of increased weight and material investment.
Cannon Mechanisms
Building the cannon barrel is only half the job. You also need mechanisms to mount, aim, load, and fire your artillery. All of these integrate with Create's rotational power system.
Cannon Mount
The Cannon Mount is the primary block for holding and aiming a big cannon. It receives rotational power to adjust the cannon's pitch (vertical angle). Apply a redstone signal to the front face to fire and to the side to assemble/disassemble the cannon contraption. The mount faces horizontally, and the cannon's rotation axis depends on its facing direction.
Yaw Controller
The Yaw Controller handles horizontal cannon rotation. It receives rotational power from below and transfers yaw adjustments to the mounted cannon above. Combined with the Cannon Mount's pitch control, you get full two-axis aiming capability. This is essential for tracking moving targets or sweeping an area.
Cannon Loader, Ram Head & Worm Head
The Cannon Loader automates the loading process using Create's mechanical system. Attach a Ram Head to push ammunition into the cannon (5 blocks reach, 3 blocks of munition capacity by default) or a 
Worm Head to pull projectiles out. Both are powered by Piston Extension Poles. For manual loading, craft a Ram Rod (Ram Head + 2 Sticks) or a Worm (Worm Head + 2 Sticks) as handheld tools. Manual loading consumes 2.5 saturation per block and has a 20-tick cooldown.
Cannon Carriage
The Cannon Carriage provides a mobile platform for your cannon. Craft it from Planks, a Shaft, and Pairs of Cannon Wheels. Mount a saddle to control it, then ride the carriage to reposition your artillery in the field. The carriage moves at 0.04 blocks/tick by default with a turn rate of 1.0 degrees/tick. Heavier cannons slow the carriage down, so lighter materials like Bronze are ideal for mobile platforms.
Breech Types
Breeches seal the rear of the cannon and come in two types. Sliding Breeches (available in Cast Iron, Bronze, and Steel) are simpler single-sided mechanisms with a default maximum safe charge of 4, regardless of the barrel material. Screw Breeches (Steel and Nethersteel only) are double-sided and can handle higher charges matching their material's full capacity. Both are crafted from their respective metal Ingots combined with Cogwheels or Shafts.
Core Mechanisms
Loading Tools
Big Cannon Projectiles
CBC offers a diverse arsenal of big cannon projectiles, each suited to different tactical situations. All big cannon projectiles deal a base damage of 50.0 to entities, though their true destructive power lies in their special effects: block penetration, explosions, and area-of-effect payloads. Additional Powder Charges increase projectile velocity but also increase spread (2.0 spread per charge by default, reduced by 1.0 per barrel block).
Solid Shot
The simplest projectile with a mass of 10.0. Solid Shot has no explosive payload but penetrates through blocks based on its momentum (mass times velocity). It can be deflected by specialized blocks. Solid Shot requires no fuze and is effective against reinforced structures where you need to punch through walls rather than demolish them.
AP Shot (Armor-Piercing)
A heavy kinetic round with a mass of 36.0, the heaviest projectile available. AP Shot uses Cast Iron Ingots in its recipe and relies purely on momentum for destruction. Unlike Solid Shot, it cannot be deflected. The high mass means it carries tremendous energy, breaking through blocks via sheer force. No fuze required.
HE Shell (High Explosive)
The most destructive explosive round with 10.0 explosion power (compared to TNT's 4.0). HE Shells have a mass of 8.0 and require a fuze to detonate. Built on a Mechanical Crafter using Iron Ingots and TNT, these shells create massive craters. HE Shells are the go-to choice for demolishing enemy bases and clearing large areas.
AP Shell (Armor-Piercing Explosive)
A hybrid round combining armor penetration with a 7.0 explosion power payload. Mass of 24.0 gives it excellent momentum for punching through defenses before detonating inside. Requires Cast Iron Ingots, Iron, and TNT on a Mechanical Crafter, plus a fuze. This is the ideal round for breaking into fortified positions.
Shrapnel Shell
An anti-personnel round that creates a minor explosion (power 2.0) then releases 50 shrapnel bullets dealing 10.0 damage each with 0.25 spread. Built on a Mechanical Crafter using Iron, 
Shot Balls, and Gunpowder. Requires a fuze. Shrapnel Shells have a 33% chance to break vulnerable blocks in the spread area, making them devastating against groups of players or mobs in the open.
Bag of Grapeshot
A close-range anti-personnel projectile that disintegrates on firing, releasing 25 Grapeshot rounds dealing 19.0 damage each. Unlike other ammunition, Grapeshot doesn't require a fuze because it scatters immediately upon leaving the barrel. The high per-round damage and wide spread make it lethal at short range but ineffective at distance. Crafted on a regular Crafting Table.
Fluid Shell
A specialized shell that carries 2000 mB of any fluid. On detonation (fuze required), it releases fluid blobs at 250 mB each that spread across the impact area. Fill it with Lava for area denial, Water for fire suppression, or any modded fluid for creative applications. Built on a Mechanical Crafter using Iron Ingots and Fluid Pipes. Each 125 mB of fluid adds 1.25 blocks to the blob's area-of-effect radius.
Mortar Stone
A cheap, low-tier explosive with 4.0 explosion power and a mass of only 4.0. Mortar Stones follow a high-arc trajectory due to reduced gravity and are limited to 2 Powder Charges by default. Crafted from Stone on a regular Crafting Table, they're easy to mass-produce for sustained bombardment. They only damage entities through their explosion, not through direct impact.
Key Projectile Recipes
Fuze System
Explosive projectiles (HE Shell, AP Shell, Shrapnel Shell, and Fluid Shell) require a fuze to detonate. Without a fuze, these rounds will simply embed in whatever they hit without exploding. Fuzes are attached to munitions through a shapeless crafting recipe: combine any fused-compatible munition with a fuze item in a Crafting Table. There are three fuze types, each suited to different tactical scenarios.
Impact Fuze
Detonates the projectile on contact with a block or entity. The 
Impact Fuze has a 67% detonation chance by default, meaning roughly 1 in 3 shots may be a dud. This is the simplest and cheapest fuze, crafted from an Impact Fuze Head and Redstone Dust, yielding 4 per craft. Best used when you have a clear line of sight to the target.
Timed Fuze
Detonates after a configurable timer expires. Right-click while holding a 
Timed Fuze to set the delay in ticks (20 ticks = 1 second). Crafted from an Iron Ingot, a Clock, and Redstone Dust, producing 4 per craft. Timed Fuzes are essential for airburst tactics where you want the shell to explode above a target, raining shrapnel down on positions behind cover.
Proximity Fuze
Detonates when the projectile detects blocks or entities within a configurable distance (1 to 16+ blocks). The 
Proximity Fuze has a 20-tick arming time after firing, preventing it from detonating immediately if something is near the muzzle. Crafted from Iron Bars, Quartz, Redstone, and Iron Ingots. This is the most expensive fuze but the most reliable for hitting moving targets or triggering explosions at optimal distance.
Fuze Recipes
4The Impact Fuze's 67% detonation chance can be frustrating for critical shots. If you're spending expensive materials on AP Shells or Nethersteel cannon components, invest in Timed or Proximity Fuzes for guaranteed detonation. Save Impact Fuzes for cheap Mortar Stones and high-volume bombardment where occasional duds are acceptable.
Autocannons
Autocannons are CBC's rapid-fire alternative to big cannons. Where big cannons deliver devastating single shots, autocannons provide sustained fire with smaller rounds. They use a different construction system and ammunition pipeline, making them a separate progression track.
Autocannon Materials
Autocannons come in three materials with different maximum barrel lengths and weights. Cast Iron autocannons support a maximum barrel length of 3 blocks at 1.5 weight per block. Bronze extends to 5 blocks at only 1.0 weight, making it the lightest option. Steel allows the longest barrels at 7 blocks but weighs 2.5 per block. Longer barrels improve accuracy by reducing spread, similar to big cannons.
Autocannon Ammunition
Autocannon rounds deal 15.0 base damage with 0.5 knockback. They travel in a straight line with zero gravity and no drag, expiring after 60 ticks (3 seconds) if they don't hit anything. The AP Autocannon Round is a simple kinetic round crafted from Cast Iron and Iron Ingots, yielding 4 per craft. The 
Flak Autocannon Round releases 20 shrapnel fragments dealing 10.0 damage each on detonation, functioning like a miniature Shrapnel Shell.
Autocannon Cartridge Assembly
Autocannon rounds must be assembled into cartridges before loading. The process involves several Sequenced Assembly steps: cut 
Autocannon Cartridge Sheets from metal plates on a Mechanical Saw, press them into Empty Autocannon Cartridges (6 pressing steps), fill them with Gunpowder using a Deployer (3 deployment steps to create Filled Autocannon Cartridges), then combine a round with a Filled Cartridge on a Crafting Table. Brass plates yield 4 Cartridge Sheets per cut, making Brass the most efficient cartridge material.
Autocannon Material Comparison
| Cast Iron | Bronze | Steel | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Max Barrel Length | 3 blocks | 5 blocks | 7 blocks |
| Weight per Block | 1.5 | 1.0 | 2.5 |
Autocannon Ammunition
4Powder Charges & Ammunition Handling
Powder Charges are the propellant for big cannons. Each charge increases the projectile's muzzle velocity (and thus range and damage) but also increases spread by 2.0. Barrel blocks reduce spread by 1.0 each, so longer barrels compensate for multiple charges. The total spread of a shot equals (Powder Charges × 2.0) minus (barrel length × 1.0).
To make Powder Charges, first compact 6 Gunpowder in a Basin to produce Packed Gunpowder. Then craft an Empty Powder Charge from String and Wool. Combine the Packed Gunpowder with the Empty Powder Charge in a shapeless recipe. Load Powder Charges into the cannon first, followed by the projectile, then seal the breech and fire.
Powder Charge Production
Nethersteel Production
Nethersteel is CBC's endgame material, combining Netherite Scrap with either Steel or Cast Iron through superheated mixing. The Steel recipe is more efficient: 1 Netherite Scrap plus 4 Steel Ingots yields 8 Nethersteel Ingots. The Cast Iron alternative requires 8 Cast Iron Ingots per Netherite Scrap for the same 8 
Nethersteel Ingot output. Both recipes require superheated conditions in a Basin with a superheated Blaze Burner.
Nethersteel Ingots can also be broken into Nethersteel Nuggets and reformed, or stored as Nethersteel Blocks for compact storage. The material is used for the strongest cannon components and exclusive Screw Breech locks. Given the Netherite Scrap requirement, Nethersteel cannons represent a serious resource investment best reserved for important defensive emplacements or decisive siege weapons.
Nethersteel Production (Steel Route)
Configuration
CBC is highly configurable, with server-side config options controlling nearly every aspect of cannon behavior. Key settings include maximum cannon length (default 64 blocks), individual explosion power for each shell type (HE: 10.0, AP: 7.0, Mortar: 4.0), shrapnel and grapeshot counts and damage, fuze behavior, and Fluid Shell capacity.
Crafting configuration controls maximum Cast Mould height (32 blocks), Cannon Drill and Builder lengths (32 blocks each), and the built-up cannon heating time (6000 ticks). The damage restriction setting allows server admins to choose between full damage, no explosive damage, or no damage at all, useful for balancing on different server types.
Cannon Carriage speed (0.04 to 1.0 blocks/tick) and turn rate (0.1 to 10.0 degrees/tick) can be adjusted, and the effect of cannon weight on carriage speed can be disabled entirely. Loading tool hunger consumption and cooldowns are also configurable for servers that want to adjust the manual loading experience.
Frequently Asked Questions
What other mods do I need for Create Big Cannons?
You need Create (required) and Ritchie's Projectile Library (required dependency). For Bronze and Steel cannon materials, you need a mod that adds those metals, such as IngotCraft or Alloyed. Without a Bronze/Steel mod, you're limited to Log, Wrought Iron, Cast Iron, and Nethersteel (which uses Cast Iron as an alternative input).
Why did my cannon explode when I fired it?
You loaded more Powder Charges than your cannon material can safely handle. Each material has a max safe charge count: Log (0), Wrought Iron (1), Cast Iron (2), Bronze (4), Steel (6), Nethersteel (8). Additionally, Sliding Breeches have their own limit of 4 charges regardless of barrel material. Count your charges carefully and check that both the barrel and breech can handle the load.
How do I make my cannon more accurate?
Each Powder Charge adds 2.0 spread, and each barrel block reduces spread by 1.0. To minimize spread, use a long barrel and the minimum number of Powder Charges needed for your target range. A 6-block barrel with 3 charges gives zero net spread (6 × 1.0 reduction minus 3 × 2.0 spread = 0). The maximum cannon length is 64 blocks by default.
What's the difference between AP Shot and AP Shell?
AP Shot is a purely kinetic round (mass 36.0, no explosion, no fuze needed) that relies on momentum to break blocks. AP Shell is a hybrid round (mass 24.0) that penetrates then explodes with 7.0 power, but requires a fuze. AP Shot is better for punching clean holes through walls. AP Shell is better for breaching and causing internal damage to structures.
How do I fill a Fluid Shell with liquid?
Fluid Shells hold 2000 mB of any fluid. Use Create's fluid handling system (Spouts, Fluid Pipes, Pumps) to fill them. Place the Fluid Shell in a contraption or use a Spout to pipe the desired fluid into it. Lava is popular for area denial, but any fluid works. Don't forget to attach a fuze before loading it into the cannon.
Can I automate cannon loading and firing?
Yes. Use a Cannon Loader with a Ram Head powered by rotational force to automatically push ammunition into the cannon. Combine this with hoppers or Create's item transport to feed projectiles and Powder Charges to the loader. Fire with a redstone signal to the Cannon Mount's front face. You can build fully automated artillery batteries using Create's mechanical systems and redstone timing circuits.