Minecraft:Sand

Template:For Template:Infobox block Sand is a gravity-affected Minecraft:block found abundantly in Minecraft:deserts and Minecraft:beaches, and less commonly in or near surface water.

Obtaining

Breaking

The suitable tool to break sand is a Minecraft:shovel. Template:Breaking row Sand drops itself when it's destroyed.

Natural generation

Sand generates naturally in many Minecraft:biomes of the Minecraft:Overworld, in Minecraft:disk-like formations near ponds and Minecraft:rivers. It generates in abundance in Minecraft:deserts and Minecraft:beaches, generally in four-block-deep layers, supported by Minecraft:sandstone below. Sand also generates as the Minecraft:ocean floor of lukewarm oceans, deep lukewarm oceans, and warm oceans, in a single layer not supported by sandstone. It usually generates in quantities of 545 blocks per chunk on average in non-desert biomes.Template:Verify

Sand is also used to cover up Minecraft:buried treasure Minecraft:chests, depending on where the chest generates. (In this case, sand is used to cover up buried treasure chests that generate on beaches and ocean floors that are composed of sand, but in some cases, stone or sandstone might be used instead).

Sand also generates as part of warm Minecraft:ocean ruins and some cold Minecraft:ocean ruins, some Minecraft:desert Minecraft:village houses, Minecraft:desert wells, Minecraft:desert pyramids, and has a chance to generate in Minecraft:trial chamber entrances.

Sand can spawn floating in the Minecraft:air. The floating cluster of sand falls when one of the sand blocks receives an update (e.g. when a block is placed near it or when a block near it is broken).

Mob loot

An Minecraft:enderman holding a sand block drops the block upon death.

Template:IN, Minecraft:wandering traders have a chance of 8.5% (increased by 1% per level of Minecraft:Looting) to drop 8 sand when killed while showing the item as trade offer, if the player holds an Minecraft:emerald.

Trading

Minecraft:Wandering traders may sell 8 sand for 1 Minecraft:emerald. This is the only renewable method of obtaining sand. Because new wandering traders require at least 20 minutes to spawn and have a limited number of trades per spawn, it is more practical to obtain sand by other means. Template:Trade sources

Post-generation

Minecraft:Suspicious sand becomes regular sand when Minecraft:brushed.

Usage

If the supporting block below a block of sand is removed, it falls until it lands on the next available block. More specifically, the sand block turns into a "Minecraft:falling block" Minecraft:entity, which is affected by gravity; when the falling block lands on a block with a solid top surface, it becomes a block again. More information about the falling block entity is available in the main article listed above.

If falling sand lands and covers the head of a Minecraft:mob or the Minecraft:player, the mob or player buried in it continuously receives Minecraft:suffocation damage. If falling sand lands in the space occupied by a non-solid block (such as Minecraft:torch, Minecraft:rail, or Minecraft:redstone dust) or a block less than a full block tall (such as Minecraft:slab or Minecraft:soul sand<ref>Template:Bug</ref>), the sand drops and turns into an item. If it falls onto a Minecraft:cobweb, it falls slowly until it has gone through completely; if it touches the ground while still inside the cobweb, the sand becomes an item. Sand that falls onto a lifting bubble column floats on top of the water until the bubble column is blocked or removed.

Though Minecraft:TNT does not break any blocks if it explodes underwater, if sand, Minecraft:concrete powder (in one-block-deep water only), or Minecraft:gravel falls and covers the TNT before it explodes, blocks are broken as normal. This trick can be used to collect blocks underwater, or break into underwater structures such as the Minecraft:ocean monument without mining.

Farms

Sand is required for farming Minecraft:cactus and can also be used for farming Minecraft:bamboo, Minecraft:sugar cane, and Minecraft:kelp.

Turtle eggs

A Minecraft:turtle egg can hatch only if it is placed on sand, red sand, or suspicious sand.

Note blocks

Sand can be placed under Minecraft:note blocks to produce "snare drum" sound.

Ambience

Sand rarely emits ambient noises if there is sand or Minecraft:red sand 8 blocks away in at least 3 of the 4 horizontal directions. In order to emit sounds, the block directly above sand must be Minecraft:air.

Sulfur cube

Template:In development Minecraft:Sulfur cubes have the ability to absorb sand, either through picking it up or being interacted with it. This provides the regular/football effect to the mob when hitting it.

Sounds

Data values

ID

Template:Edition: Template:ID table

Template:Edition: Template:ID table

Falling block entity

{{#lst:Falling Block|infobox}} Template:Main {{#lst:Falling Block|entity data}}

History

Trivia

• If a block of sand has Minecraft:snow on it and is made to fall, the snow is destroyedTemplate:Only and does not drop Minecraft:snowballs.
• Because falling sand is considered an Minecraft:entity, it can be launched in a TNT cannon, similar to an ignited piece of Minecraft:TNT.
• Sand falls at the same rate when submerged in Minecraft:water, or Minecraft:lava, or Minecraft:air.
• If a Minecraft:player is standing on a stack of sand or Minecraft:gravel, and the stack falls onto a non-solid block, the player can fall fast enough to take Minecraft:damage or even die.
• Sand falls through Minecraft:torches without breaking, if there is Minecraft:air below the torch.<ref>Template:Bug</ref>
• Sand and Minecraft:gravel take about 0.45 seconds to fall one meter.
• The sand texture is rotated if a block of sand turns into a falling_block entity, similar to ignited Minecraft:TNT blocks. This is not the case with Minecraft:gravel.
• Because falling_block is considered an Minecraft:entity, blocks of sand without supports may disappear for a split second and a falling_block entity is summoned. This is also the case when it is landing, but the entity (not the Minecraft:block) disappears instead before a block is placed.

Gallery

Screenshots

• Naturally generated sand in a desert
  Naturally generated sand in a desert
• Naturally generated sand in a beach
  Naturally generated sand in a beach
• Sand as generated as a Minecraft:warm ocean floor
  Sand as generated as a Minecraft:warm ocean floor
• Naturally generated sand in a snowy beach
  Naturally generated sand in a snowy beach
• Naturally generated sand in a lukewarm ocean
  Naturally generated sand in a lukewarm ocean
• Naturally generated sand in a warm ocean
  Naturally generated sand in a warm ocean
• Floating sand in desert biome before updating it...
  Floating sand in desert biome before updating it...
• ... and after updating it
  ... and after updating it
• A single floating sand block
  A single floating sand block
• Another example of floating sand, this time above small water lake
  Another example of floating sand, this time above small water lake
• A lot of sand floating above a cave entrance
  A lot of sand floating above a cave entrance
• A large amount of floating sand in desert, the torches were placed by a player
  A large amount of floating sand in desert, the torches were placed by a player
• A large amount of sand floating above a cave and being broken
  A large amount of sand floating above a cave and being broken
• A large quantity of sand floating over a ravine
  A large quantity of sand floating over a ravine
• 2 blocks of sand floating with nothing below them
  2 blocks of sand floating with nothing below them
• Sand floating above a desert cave entrance
  Sand floating above a desert cave entrance
• Sand in a buffet-type beach
  Sand in a buffet-type beach
• Sand in a buffet-type snowy beach
  Sand in a buffet-type snowy beach

Mojang images

• A block of sand
  A block of sand
• Minecraft:Steve in despair with a block of sand
  Minecraft:Steve in despair with a block of sand

See also

• Explained physics of Minecraft:falling blocks.
• Minecraft:Desert
• Minecraft:Sandstone

External links

• Block of the Week: Sand – Minecraft.net on March 11, 2017