Materials

This page describes content that exists only in outdated versions of Java Edition.

The Materials mechanic was removed in 1.20. The properties formerly controlled by material are now properties of each block.

Materials in Minecraft classify blocks into different types, more or less indicating what the block is "made of".

The following materials exist in Minecraft. Each material gives certain properties to the block, although individual blocks may override them.

Material		Liquid?	Solid?^{[n 2]}	Solid blocking?	Block movement?	Can burn?^{[n 3]}	Can replace?^{[n 4]}	Piston^{[n 5]}
Air	None	No	No	No	No	No	Yes	Replace
Amethyst	127,63,178	No	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	No	Pushed
Bamboo	143,119,72	No	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	Replace
Bamboo sapling	143,119,72	No	Yes	Yes	No	Yes	No	Replace
Barrier	None	No	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	No	Blocked
Bubble column	64,64,255	Yes	No	No	No	No	Yes	Replace
Buildable glass	None	No	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	No	Pushed
Cactus	0,124,0	No	Yes	No	Yes	No	No	Replace
Cake	None	No	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	No	Replace
Clay	164,168,184	No	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	No	Pushed
Cloth decoration	199,199,199	No	No	No	No	Yes	No	Pushed
Decoration	None	No	No	No	No	No	No	Replace
Dirt	151,109,77	No	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	No	Pushed
Egg	0,124,0	No	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	No	Replace
Explosive	255,0,0	No	Yes	No	Yes	Yes	No	Pushed
Fire	None	No	No	No	No	No	Yes	Replace
Froglight	None	No	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	No	Pushed
Frogspawn	64,64,255	No	No	No	No	No	No	Replace
Glass	None	No	Yes	No	Yes	No	No	Pushed
Grass	127,178,56	No	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	No	Pushed
Heavy metal	167,167,167	No	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	No	Blocked
Ice	160,160,255	No	Yes	No	Yes	No	No	Pushed
Ice solid	160,160,255	No	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	No	Pushed
Lava	255,0,0	Yes	No	No	No	No	Yes	Replace
Leaves	0,124,0	No	Yes	No	Yes	Yes	No	Replace
Metal	167,167,167	No	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	No	Pushed
Moss	0,124,0	No	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	No	Replace
Nether wood	143,119,72	No	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	No	Pushed
Piston	112,112,112	No	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	No	Blocked
Plant	0,124,0	No	No	No	No	No	No	Replace
Portal	None	No	No	No	No	No	No	Blocked
Powder snow	255,255,255	No	No	Yes	No	No	No	Pushed
Replaceable fireproof plant	0,124,0	No	No	No	No	No	Yes	Replace
Replaceable plant	0,124,0	No	No	No	No	Yes	Yes	Replace
Replaceable water plant	64,64,255	No	No	No	No	No	Yes	Replace
Sand	247,233,163	No	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	No	Pushed
Sculk	25,25,25	No	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	No	Pushed
Shulker shell	127,63,178	No	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	No	Pushed
Snow	255,255,255	No	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	No	Pushed
Sponge	229,229,51	No	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	No	Pushed
Stone	112,112,112	No	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	No	Pushed
Structural air	None	No	No	No	No	No	Yes	Replace
Top snow	255,255,255	No	No	No	No	No	Yes	Replace
Vegetable	0,124,0	No	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	No	Replace
Water	64,64,255	Yes	No	No	No	No	Yes	Replace
Water plant	64,64,255	No	No	No	No	No	No	Replace
Web	199,199,199	No	Yes	No	No	No	No	Replace
Wood	143,119,72	No	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	Pushed
Wool	199,199,199	No	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	Pushed

↑ The default map base color of this material, but in fact most blocks do not use this default base color.
↑ If yes, block-dependent blocks can be placed on this block, and it is considered when spawning structures.
↑ Only used to determine if lava can set fire to blocks; not used for fire spreading.
↑ If yes, the player succeeds in placing some other block in the spot occupied by this block.
↑ If "pushed", the block is pushed by pistons. If "replace", the block is broken by pistons. If "blocked", the block prevents pistons from extending.

Blocks

Material	Blocks
Air	Air, cave air, void air, light block
Amethyst
Bamboo
Bamboo shoot	Bamboo shoot
Barrier
Bubble column
Buildable glass
Cactus
Cake
Clay
Cloth decoration
Decoration
Dirt
Egg
Explosive
Fire
Froglight
Frogspawn
Glass
Grass
Heavy metal
Ice
Ice solid
Lava
Leaves
Metal
Moss
Nether wood
Piston
Powder Snow
Plant
Portal
Replaceable plant
Replaceable fireproof plant
Replacable water plant
Sand
Sculk
Shulker shell
Snow
Sponge
Stone
Structural air
Top snow
Vegetable
Water
Water plant
Web
Wood
Wool

Effects

Material properties are often used in place of specific block property checks, which can sometimes lead to unexpected behavior. Other times, material properties may simply serve as a default, but individual blocks can override this default value.

Endermen teleport depending on materials that block movement, not whether the block itself is solid. They choose a random destination and then seek downward until they find a block with a movement-blocking material.
Various things that spawn on the "surface" similarly check material movement-blocking to find the surface.
Paintings, Item frames, Banners, Signs, and Cakes are supported by any block with a solid material. This is why signs can be placed on each other without any visible connection. In addition, paintings and item frames can also be placed on the sides of the redstone comparator and repeater.
Player spawning checks for obstruction based on whether the material is solid or fluid, apart from banners, pressure plates, and signs.
Cactus break depending on the solidity of an adjacent block's material and whether the adjacent block is lava or whether the material of the upper block is liquid.
Farmland and dirt path turns to dirt if a solid-material block is placed on top, except fence gates. But moving pistons can be placed on farmland.
Water and lava spread and currents generally depend on whether the block's materials blocks movement, while placement from a bucket depends on whether the material is solid or replaceable, except end portal and end gateway.
When above a block with a replaceable material, the gravity-affected blocks can fall.
Only blocks with a solid-blocking material can be redstone conductors.
Iron golems can be spawned in air or liquid materials above a solid-blocking-material block whose collision box has a square upper surface by villagers.
When broken, ice becomes water if above a block with a liquid or movement-blocking material.
Lava checks for a flammable material nearby when attempting to start fires. The fire itself uses its own list of flammable materials, which is why fire can start next to a wood block without consuming the block.
Block with a movement-blocking material and a full cube collision causes suffocation.
Various tools check for materials to get breaking speeds.
Rain and snowfall fall through blocks that have a non-liquid material that does not block movement.
Dungeon, lake, and nether portal generation checks for solid materials, rather than solid blocks.
Note blocks check blocks or materials to determine some instruments. They check for a material of stone, sand, glass, and wood, with the resulting instrument being the base drum, snare, glass, and bass, respectively.
Doors and trapdoors often use wood and metal materials to differentiate between wood and iron doors and trapdoors.

Contents

Materials

Blocks

Effects

See also