Minecraft:Soul Sand

Template:Distinguish Template:Infobox block Soul sand is a block found primarily in Minecraft:the Nether that slows down Minecraft:entities walking on it unless they are wearing Minecraft:Soul Speed boots. It can also be used to grow Minecraft:Nether wart, create Minecraft:soul fire, and make upward Minecraft:bubble columns.

Obtaining

Breaking

Soul sand can be mined with any Minecraft:tool or by hand, but Minecraft:shovels are the quickest. Template:Breaking row

Natural generation

Soul sand generates most abundantly in Minecraft:soul sand valleys, where it and Minecraft:soul soil make up the surface terrain. It is also found below Y=34 in the Minecraft:Nether wastes along the shores of Minecraft:lava seas, generally in four-block-deep layers.

Soul sand can generate in the Nether in the form of ore blobs. Soul sand attempts to generate 12 times per chunk in blobs of size 0 to 23 at altitudes from 0 to 31Template:Only or 32Template:Only in Minecraft:soul sand valleys. It can replace only Minecraft:netherrack.

Soul sand is found naturally in Nether wart rooms of Minecraft:Nether fortresses. It also generates in hoglin stables and housing unit Minecraft:bastion remnants.

Soul sand is also found in Minecraft:ancient cities, the only location with soul sand in the Minecraft:Overworld.

Bartering

Minecraft:Piglins have approximately an 8.53% (Template:Frac) chance to Minecraft:barter 2–8 soul sand when given a Minecraft:gold ingot.

Usage

File:Soulsand-cover.png

The slowing and sinking effect of soul sand is canceled depending on the height of the solid block directly above it. (Note: The snow behind the example blocks is for visual reference. Each layer of snow represents one-eighth of a full block high.)

Movement on or just above soul sand is slowed down for any Minecraft:mob or player that is not wearing Minecraft:boots enchanted with Minecraft:Soul Speed by approximately 41.91% (i.e. a player's speed is 2.508 m/s with no Minecraft:Speed or Minecraft:Slowness effects), and standing on soul sand causes entities to sink 2 pixels (or 0.125 blocks) into the block. A cover with solid blocks of any non-zero physical thickness prevents sinking, and any solid cover thicker than half a block also eliminates the slowing effect.

The effect applies to sneaking, walking, sprinting, and crawling (but not gliding), and to both regular and sprint-swimming. It also applies to riding mounts. Travel by boat is also slowed, although this requires water no more than 2/8 a block in depth for the boat to sit low enough to be affected. Furthermore, it does not matter whether the player or mob moves actively or is being moved, like by flowing water.

Most blocks that can be placed on full blocks can be placed on soul sand, with the exceptions of both types of Minecraft:Nether fungi, Minecraft:crimson roots, Minecraft:warped roots, and Minecraft:Nether sprouts.<ref>Template:Bug</ref> In addition, a Minecraft:falling block that lands on soul sand turns into an item,<ref>Template:Bug</ref> which prevents Minecraft:gravel from replacing lava if soul sand is underneath.

A Minecraft:hopper underneath a soul sand block can collect items that are dropped on it.

Soul sand cannot be used in place of regular Minecraft:sand as a falling block because it is not affected by gravity.

Minecraft:Striders are slowed down by soul sand underneath a layer of lava.

Soul sand has a height of ¹⁴⁄₁₆ of a block.

Growing Nether wart

Soul sand is used for growing Minecraft:Nether wart, a primary base ingredient for many types of potions. Nether warts can be placed on soul sand and grow through four growth stages over time. Placing Nether wart on soul sand grants the "A Seedy Place" advancementTemplate:Only. Nether wart can grow in any dimension and does not have any light level requirements. Nether wart can also be placed only in soul sand, not Minecraft:soul soil.Template:FakeImage

Withers

Four blocks of soul sand (or Minecraft:soul soil) are used to construct the Minecraft:wither. The four blocks are arranged in a "T"-like formation (similar to the summoning of an Minecraft:iron golem) and 3 Minecraft:wither skeleton skulls are placed in a row on top of the "T" to summon the wither.

Bubble columns

Placing soul sand under source Minecraft:water blocks creates a lifting bubble column, which causes items, entities, players, and mobs inside the column to rise to the surface. The bubble column extends upward through any number of empty water source blocks (not waterlogged blocks).

File:Ancient city centre soul fire.png

Soul fire generating on soul sand in an ancient city.

A player can restore breath by entering a soul sand bubble column.

Note blocks

Soul sand can be placed under Minecraft:note blocks to produce cowbell sounds.

Fire

Fire lit on soul sand becomes Minecraft:soul fire, which burns indefinitely.

Because soul sand is not as high as a full Minecraft:block, a player is set on fire if standing next to lava while on soul sand.<ref>Template:Bug</ref> Standing near water while on soul sand extinguishes the player.

Sulfur cube

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

Data values

ID

Template:Edition: Template:ID table

Template:Edition: Template:ID table

History

Trivia

• Soul sand has inner collision boxes every eighth of a block. However, these collision boxes have an effect only if entities are clipped into soul sand.
• If a Minecraft:water current is pushing the player diagonally against a wall and soul sand is the block adjacent to the player's head when the current ends, it causes the player to jump.
• Just like with other blocks of less than full height that can have (flowing) water above it, riding a boat on dry soul sand into an oncoming stream of flowing water leaves the boat itself on the sand while the player character is "carved" out of the boat by the water "blade".

Gallery

Screenshots

• Naturally occurring soul sand.
  Naturally occurring soul sand.
• The first image released by Notch of soul sand.
  The first image released by Notch of soul sand.

In other media

• Template:MCE as it appeared in Template:MCE
  Template:MCE as it appeared in Template:MCE
• Soul sand as it appears in Template:MCD
  Soul sand as it appears in Template:MCD
• Minecraft:Tyler Collins holding soul sand
  Minecraft:Tyler Collins holding soul sand
• File:Soul Speed duo costume.jpg
• Minecraft:Jens Bergensten wearing a soul sand shirt for Minecraft:Minecraft Live – March 2026
  Minecraft:Jens Bergensten wearing a soul sand shirt for Minecraft:Minecraft Live – March 2026

External links

• Template:Mcnet