Minecraft:Block

File:Blocks preview.png

Some of the most common blocks in Minecraft: stone (left), sand (top), dirt (right), and grass (bottom)

Blocks are the basic units of a structure in Minecraft:Minecraft that make up the game's world. Many blocks can be collected and placed anywhere, and can also be used as helpful resources.

Behavior

File:Coral reef at night.png

A variety of different blocks occurring in an underwater coral reef: sand lining the ground, Minecraft:cut sandstone in underwater ruin structures, and various forms of coral

Blocks are arranged in a 3-dimensional grid of 1-cubic-meter cells, although some blocks appear to occupy a partial cell; these include Minecraft:slabs, Minecraft:snow layers, Minecraft:ladders, Minecraft:vines, Minecraft:stairs, Minecraft:turtle eggs, and Minecraft:sea pickles, among others.

Collectively, blocks and Minecraft:fluids make up the in-game environment, and most can be harvested and utilized in various fashions. Some blocks, such as Minecraft:dirt and Minecraft:sandstone, are Minecraft:opaque and occupy their entire cubic meter, while others, such as Minecraft:glass and Minecraft:flowers, are transparent or non-solid. Minecraft:Explosions destroy some blocks more easily than they destroy others, while some are virtually immune to explosions, though they can still be theoretically exploded, if an explosion of a high-enough strength were to occur.

Minecraft:Air is a special block that acts as a substitute for the absence of blocks. Template:IN, it has two variants: Minecraft:cave air and Minecraft:void air. Cave air occupies caves and parts of some underground structures, while void air occupies unloaded chunks and the areas above and below the bottom of the world, where blocks cannot be placed. The two variants function identically to regular air.

Some blocks, such as Minecraft:sea lanterns and Minecraft:glowstone, emit Minecraft:light, the amount of which varies widely; see this table of light values for further information. Opaque blocks completely block light, while transparent blocks have no effect on light, block the light, or merely weaken it.

Almost all blocks ignore gravity, except for Minecraft:sand, Minecraft:red sand, Minecraft:gravel, Minecraft:anvils of all damage levels, Minecraft:dragon eggs, all colors of Minecraft:concrete powder, Minecraft:scaffolding, Minecraft:snow layersTemplate:Only, Minecraft:pointed dripstone, Minecraft:suspicious sand, and Minecraft:suspicious gravel. These turn into entities when their support is removed.

When broken, blocks emit Minecraft:sounds and Minecraft:particles associated with themselves, except in the following cases:

• If the block is affected by gravity and falls into an invalid space, such as sand falling onto a torch.<ref>Template:Cite bug</ref>
• Minecraft:Anvils that are destroyed by running out of durability or falling. A different sound is played, but there are no particles.<ref>Template:Cite bug</ref>
• If the block is washed away by a fluid.<ref>Template:Cite bug</ref>
• If the block is replaced by another block.<ref>Template:Cite bug</ref>
• If the block's supporting block is removed.<ref>Template:Cite bug</ref>
• If the block is Minecraft:leaves and decays.<ref>Template:Cite bug</ref>

Block height

Most solid blocks are 1 meter high (3.28084... feet or Template:Frac feet), but several blocks have non-standard block heights, such as Minecraft:slabs.

A player can automatically step up from a lower to a higher height if the difference is at most 0.6 (Template:Frac) of a block or 1.9685... feet (Template:Frac feet).

Textures

Most block textures are 16×16 pixels and control color/transparency. The size of a block defaults to 1 cubic meter but can be resized via models; some, like logs, have different textures per face.

Animated textures appear on: Minecraft:water, Minecraft:lava, Minecraft:fire, Nether portals, Minecraft:prismarine, and many more. A few blocks use special rendering, such as the Minecraft:starfield effect for End portals and End gateways.

With Minecraft:Vibrant Visuals and Minecraft:ray tracing, extra maps are used: MERS (MER with ray tracing) defines metallic (reflects light), emissive (glows), and rough (absorbs light) per pixel; subsurface scattering applies to Vibrant Visuals. Normal and heightmaps add 3D depth.

Resource packs can change Minecraft:resolution, Minecraft:animation, shapes/Minecraft:models, and scale blocks to any equal width/height — <math> 2^n </math> (e.g., 16×16, 8×8) work best.

List of blocks

Blocks with an item form

<section begin="list"/> Template:Columns-list

Technical blocks

Template:Main Technical blocks serve various purposes during events within the game, or use a separate name spaced ID in order to avoid unnecessary combinations of Minecraft:block states. Template:IN technical blocks do not exist as items, while Template:In they may be obtained using inventory editors or add-ons.

Template:Columns-list <section end="list"/>

Education blocks

These blocks can be accessed only Template:In and Template:In when education options are enabled (Minecraft:Elements are not listed here). Template:IN, boards, posters, and slates can be obtained only through inventory editors.

<section begin="list_edu"/> Template:Columns-list <section end="list_edu"/>

Removed blocks

<section begin="list_removed"/>

Outright removed blocks

These blocks were removed from the game entirely.

Removed through substitution

These blocks were "retconned" into other blocks through a major simultaneous name and texture change.

Non-standard metadata variants

Some blocks and states of blocks were distinguished via numerical metadata in previous versions of the game. Having metadata values outside of the accepted range could produce unintended results for some block IDs.

Template:Columns-list <section end="list_removed"/>

Joke blocks

<section begin="list_joke"/> These blocks only exist in April Fools' Day joke versions of the game.

Template:Columns-list <section end="list_joke"/>

History

Block additions and removals

Template:Info needed section Unique blocks are defined as having unique namespaced IDs in current versions of Java Edition, excluding obvious technical variants such as potted plants and wall attachments of blocks, but including the rose. Unintentional metadata variants are also not included.

Trivia

• Certain blocks may interpret positions they cannot be placed in by normal means as a valid position. For example, a Minecraft:sign placed in midair via Template:Command remains in midair even when updated, until either it is broken, or a block is placed below it and broken.

Gallery

Screenshots

• Some blocks in Minecraft:Classic 0.26 SURVIVAL TEST
  Some blocks in Minecraft:Classic 0.26 SURVIVAL TEST
• All blocks in Minecraft:Classic 0.0.21a
  All blocks in Minecraft:Classic 0.0.21a
• An early experiment by Notch in making blocks less blocky
  An early experiment by Notch in making blocks less blocky
• Floating blocks that were naturally generated in Minecraft:Java Edition 1.17
  Floating blocks that were naturally generated in Minecraft:Java Edition 1.17
• All of the blocks in Minecraft:Java Edition 1.21.6
  All of the blocks in Minecraft:Java Edition 1.21.6
• All the blocks with unique textures added between 1.13 and 1.17
  All the blocks with unique textures added between 1.13 and 1.17

In other media

• Artwork of Minecraft:Zuri pointing at some bamboo blocks
  Artwork of Minecraft:Zuri pointing at some bamboo blocks
• Time lapse of a house belonging to Zuri, featured in the Trails & Tales trailer<ref>https://x.com/Brikk_Animation/status/1687479159151362051</ref>
  Time lapse of a house belonging to Zuri, featured in the Trails & Tales trailer<ref>https://x.com/Brikk_Animation/status/1687479159151362051</ref>
• Official T-shirt artwork "Periodic Table" featuring blocks (beta version), made by JINX
  Official T-shirt artwork "Periodic Table" featuring blocks (beta version), made by JINX
• Official T-shirt artwork "Periodic Table" featuring blocks (release version), made by JINX
  Official T-shirt artwork "Periodic Table" featuring blocks (release version), made by JINX
• Official T-shirt artwork "One More Block" made by JINX
  Official T-shirt artwork "One More Block" made by JINX

See also

• Minecraft:Entity
• Minecraft:Data values
• Minecraft:Opacity
• Minecraft:Light
• Minecraft:Item
• Minecraft:Ore
• Minecraft:Generated structures
• Minecraft:Air
• Minecraft:List of blocks by version