TNT

TNT (trinitrotoluene) is a highly destructive block that, once activated, creates an explosion. TNT is usually recommended as a quick and efficient method for destroying large portions of undesirable blocks or structures. It can also be used as a weapon, but isn't recommended due to its destructive nature and its potential to seriously injure or even kill players if they stray too close to the blast radius. Detonating TNT in water will prevent it from destroying any blocks; however, mobs and the player may still be damaged from the blast if they are within the explosion radius.

Explosive properties


Upon being in the blast radius of a nearby explosion, right clicked with flint and steel, contact with fire or a fire charge, lava,or application of redstone current, TNT will follow the laws of physics (e.g., gravity), emit smoke, flash white, and explode after 4 seconds, or eight flashes. Almost all blocks (see list below), mobs, and players caught in the blast radius will take damage or be destroyed/killed outright. However, the damage to blocks (but not the player or mobs) can be prevented by detonating the TNT in a liquid. Floating items hit by the blast will be destroyed, however any block between an item and the center of the blast, no matter the size or material, will protect the item from destruction.

The TNT blast will propagate according to this formula f=e-r, where f is the force of the TNT blast after propagating through the block, e is the energy of the blast before propagating through the block, and r is the blast resistance of the block. Thus, the explosion propagates farthest (7 blocks) through air, which has a blast resistance of zero. However, TNT immediately enclosed in stone will destroy an exact 3x3x3 cube originating from the center of the blast. The damage is lethal at close range.

Numerous blocks and entities can survive TNT blasts, and even protect the player. In the case of blocks, obsidian, bedrock, and liquid source blocks are immune to TNT explosions, which allows for bomb shelters, a sealed world, and TNT cannons, respectively. In addition, a player or mob sitting in a minecart will take minimal damage from a TNT explosion, and this effect allows them to be launched great distances.

Unfortunately, the use of TNT is problematic. Instead of burning to ash, TNT activates(but still burns, allowing the fire to spread to other blocks such as TNT), thus making fire control systems near any quantity of TNT a must. For those who use TNT in the Nether, or deep underground, lava can and will eventually set fire to TNT, causing it to detonate. Furthermore, since TNT explosions require intensive physics calculations, large explosions will cause severe stuttering in singleplayer and extreme lag while playing in multiplayer.

In addition, TNT has several interesting properties. Theoretically, an infinite amount of primed TNT can fit into one cubic meter because primed TNT will not collide with other primed TNT. Falling sand and gravel entities will react accordingly to a detonation, scattering from the point of origin, and will fall through the TNT when it is triggered. If sand or gravel fall through primed TNT while it is underwater, the TNT will detonate normally, causing an explosion.

Uses
TNT monster traps can be created, making TNT a powerful defensive tool. When exposed to a Redstone current, the TNT activates as if it had been activated by a player. Combine this with a Pressure Plate and you can create an automatic defense for your buildings.

For the TNT to receive the circuit's signal, the Redstone needs to be directed straight into it from at least one of four sides, from either the Layer the TNT is based on, or above or below one layer. Diagonally adjacent entry will not make a connection. Redstone next to TNT will also set off the TNT, even if it is not directly connected with it (through a T connection not directly connected, or an "I" connection running parallel alongside it). TNT will only be set off by redstone if the redstone signal it is receiving turns on. This means that if it is receiving a current when it is placed, it will not be set off, but if the signal turns off and turns on again, it will be set off. There is however a bug where after flipping the signal off, sometimes only a few of the TNT blocks will become active. Redstone torches will activate a TNT block as well if directly under the TNT block, or under a block on which the TNT rests.

TNT is also good for clearing large amounts of dirt or gravel when mining underground. It should be noted that you should avoid using TNT to clear areas when high up in a ravine, as the TNT might destroy the block you were standing on, causing you to fall to your death, you might fall off when running away from the TNT to avoid blast damage, and if you get hit by an explosion and surviving (mostly because of armor) you will probably be knocked off by the explosion knockback.

Because primed TNT is affected by physics, it is used as a projectile which is propelled by an explosion of a TNT charge in TNT Cannons. Also, arrows attached to TNT will fall off when it becomes a primed TNT. This can be used to create arrow traps.

It is possible to "rocketjump" via TNT, by jumping while standing on it just before it explodes. However, this will deal damage, and possibly kill an unprotected player, so heavy armor is needed.

Both activated and non-activated TNT can be pushed with pistons. No explosion properties or damage levels are changed by the push. Like any other block, it will stop as soon as the piston is fully extended; it is not launched.

Although this may be a bug, TNT can be used to view nearby caves/underground spaces. This is done by using pistons to push TNT into where you are standing. Because TNT is transparent, this will not hurt you, but will allow you to see through all blocks that aren't adjacent to air.

Mining
Mining using TNT might be faster than mining by hand but it is impractical for gathering resources; about 57% of the blocks are completely destroyed in the process. In addition, TNT is not very effective when used to mine cobblestone and ores and is only time efficient when mining blocks with a low damage resistance, such as dirt or sand. The items needed to make TNT are quite valuable and may be a waste of resources if nothing is gained out of it. Nevertheless, TNT can be a part of efficient mining techniques - as the means of removing unneeded layers of blocks and exposing underlying layers. It can also be used for clearing large volumes for underground building projects.

Still water, obsidian and bedrock are the only materials that will resist a TNT explosion.

Normal lava blocks are also resistant to TNT, and will not be destroyed by it. However, “flowing” lava blocks (those which are in the process changing their flow pattern, not those which display a current) are easily destructible by explosions; therefore, multiple successive explosions (changing the environment around the lava and causing it to flow) may destroy lava.

However, for those of you who love the thought of mining with TNT, it is still possible. Blasts can be concentrated fairly easily, just by knowing how to place your TNT. If you are worried about diamonds being destroyed, then stay above about level 20 (your depth can be reviewed at any time using F3. The Y coordinate is your exact height, the absolute bottom level of bedrock is 0.) If you have to dip into these zones where diamond is commonly found, as long as there is at least 1 block of stone between the TNT and the diamond ore block, the diamond should be intact after the explosion. The use of TNT in mining is truly an art form, and must be done only when you have a massive amount of TNT, and after spending a few hours in creative mode learning how to use it. TNT can not destroy obsidian, Bedrock, Nether portal block, end portal block and end portal frame.

Water as blast controller
If a layer of water is spread between a destructible block and an explosion, the block will be protected. A one-block-thick water screen will stop most explosions from reaching the other side, however, a player laying multiple blocks of TNT should mind the placement of the explosives, as primed TNT entities may launch each other through the water screen. Using water this way lets you use TNT near an important area, such as a house, base, or ore vein.

Thus, a player can use this to dig a big quarry or hole precisely and quickly by placing a "curtain" of water on the extremities of said hole and dynamiting the center.

A player could also make a TNT trap that drops TNT into a block of water, preserving the blocks around it but damaging, if not killing, the mob that activated it.

You could make a timed TNT fuse by placing redstone repeaters in a straight line and then you can select the delays. then when you turn it on you will have enough time to run from the TNT but this is advised for people that have placed a very large amount of TNT (because the blast range and damage could kill you)

Spleef
TNT can also be used in spleef arenas. Because they are destroyed in one hit, they work better than dirt or other materials and do not need a tool to destroy. Make sure nobody has redstone torch, levers, buttons, a fire charge, a pressure plate, flint and steel, or lava. Another way to make sure it's harmless would be to use a plugin to disable explosions.

Cannon
A TNT cannon can be made by laying water and TNT in a position that causes the water to stop the TNT causing damage to blocks, but still affect entities that are within range of the blast. This means that it will launch another lit TNT block away, and the TNT block that was launched flies in the direction it was launched in untill it lands or explodes. This will be useful in battles etc. and can kill another player in multiplayer. Different sizes and setups can cause more powerful launches or different trajectories.
 * note TNT cannons can launch sand if protected by water

Removal
In Survival Test, hitting a block of TNT twice would stop the countdown and cause the TNT to revert into a resource block which could then be picked up. In Beta 1.6.6 and before, it was impossible to remove it. As of 1.7, it can be picked up just like any other block.

Primed TNT
Primed TNT' is an entity. It is spawned at the center (+0.5,+0.5,+0.5) of a powered TNT block, while itself is a cube with an edge length of 0.98. Its fuse lasts 40 (redstone) ticks (4 seconds/80 game ticks) if activated by redstone or fire, or a random number between 10 to 30 ticks (1 to 3 seconds) if it's destroyed by an explosion.

Once spawned, the primed TNT is given a vertical velocity of 0.2 m/tick, and a horizontal velocity of 0.02 m/tick in a random direction. If it does not collide with another block, it will travel 0.166m horizontally on flat ground before it stops and explodes. A primed TNT can be lit on fire in the same manner as arrows can, but it does nothing.

History
TNT was added during the Survival Test in 0.26 (October 24, 2009). Later on the same day, in Survival Test 0.27, the player started with 10 blocks of TNT in the inventory.

When TNT was added in Survival Test, it acted similar to how it acts now. Players would have to hit it to prime the block, but could hit it again to cancel the detonation. This recollection of TNT was no longer possible in Indev, and remained the same for a while. During early Alpha, Redstone and mechanisms were added, and those could be used as another way to prime TNT.

Much later in Beta 1.7, TNT could no longer be primed directly by the user, but only by Redstone or any other mechanism that powers the TNT block, as well as by left clicking with Flint and Steel. Hitting the block will simply and safely destroy the block so it can be picked up.

As of Beta 1.7, monster traps can no longer be created by putting a pressure pad directly on top of the block of TNT.

Since Beta 1.7, TNT can no longer have torches placed on it. Any torches that were placed previously will disappear.

Since the Beta 1.8 update, the smoke textures from TNT explosion have been replaced by shockwaves.

Beta 1.9 pre5 changed TNT's texture, albeit slightly.

The 'Sound Update' of November 13th 2011 gave TNT a new explosion sound.

In the Pocket Edition, TNT could not be obtained except for via a hex editor. When edited in, the primed TNT would simply emit smoke particles, then disappear. As of the Pocket Edition Alpha 0.2.0 update, edited-in TNT can be successfully primed and detonated.

In the weekly snapshot 12w21a TNT blocks can be found under Pyramids.

Snapshot 12w21a - TNT can be naturally found in Desert Temples as a trap in the treasure room. It's a 3x3 square of 9 TNT under a sandstone floor with a stone pressure plate over it.

Snapshot 12w26a - TNT no longer drops as a resource in Creative mode.

Trivia

 * When a Player or Enderman holds TNT, the texture is reversed, resulting in the N on the TNT appearing backwards as "ТИТ". (This happens with all blocks, but is most noticeable with TNT.)
 * The name "TNT" (short for Trinitrotoluene) is technically incorrect. Visually, the block resembles a collection of sticks of dynamite, which is an entirely different explosive frequently confused with TNT. The crafting recipe for the TNT block references the manufacture of dynamite, which is made by stabilizing nitroglycerin with an absorbent material such as sawdust or soil. However, gunpowder is not a component of either explosive.
 * Assuming a cubic meter filled out with 4805 regular dynamite sticks, one TNT block would have the approximate explosive energy of 2.41 tons of TNT (10.09 GJ) in the real world.
 * There are some traps in which the player suspends TNT over a 1x1 long pit and activates it. It will drop into the darkness, hopefully killing any unwanted monsters below it. It is especially useful upon entering a dungeon away from the chest to destroy the monster spawner.
 * An activated or "primed" block of TNT will fall 77 blocks before exploding.
 * TNT appears in the latest Classic mode (0.30), although it is purely decorative and will neither prime nor explode.
 * Destroying TNT makes the same sound as destroying a grass block.
 * In multiplayer, the burning fuse sound TNT makes before it explodes can't be heard.
 * When TNT is lit and then extinguished by rain it will of course go out. Afterwards, however, clicking the block will cause it to disappear and drop the TNT pick-up, then the pick-up goes away, and the block comes back activated, and detonates as if it were hit before the update making activation possible via fire or redstone only. This only happens with water when it is lit and extinguished by hand with water on the sides and not covering the top.
 * TNT Detonated in water or lava will not do structural damage, but still do mob and player damage.
 * TNT can be activated by right clicking on it with flint and steel, this does not use durability. It can also be indirectly triggered by left clicking on it with flint and steel (creating fire detonating TNT), which may give the player more time to flee, although this method does not work in version 1.2.5 or later.
 * Like the arrows, primed TNT will catch on fire if shot through lava.
 * If TNT is placed with a data value of 1 (with a mod like mcEdit), then it can be activated with one hit, just like before 1.7
 * If a Spawn Egg is set to spawn Primed TNT using a mod, an explosion will immediately follow when the egg is used.
 * If TNT is blown up just as an arrow passes by, the arrow is redirected opposite of the blast.
 * Detonating a large amount of TNT, may cause Minecraft to severely lag and even crash.
 * If you put TNT underwater, put bricks around it, drain it and blow it up, it creates a waterfall in the middle of the water.
 * For some reason, TNT was affected by the height limit being raised. Some TNT cannons no longer work.
 * If you want to have a TNT block drop down and destroy blocks underwater, what you do is before you apply redstone current add a block of gravel on top of the TNT. The gravel will fall with the TNT, the TNT will land below the water, and the gravel will land and form a block around the TNT, which therefore will allow the TNT to destroy blocks underwater.
 * TNT is the only solid block that breaks instantly.
 * As of 1.2.5, if the player is standing in a 2 block deep by 1 block wide hole, and has Sticky Pistons push TNT into him/her, they will be given an x-ray view of surrounding caverns. It can be used for locating Spawners and Ores. WARNING! The player can be banned from servers for exploiting this glitch.
 * In a previous build, it was possible to make a 'cannon' using a fast piston, by building a sticky piston out of it and connecting them in a certain way. That design is no longer possible; the cannon will no longer duplicate TNT blocks in this way.