Netherrack

Netherrack (formerly known as Netherstone or sometimes Hellstone, Bloodstone, or Red Mossy Cobblestone), is a block that is found only in the Nether. Netherrack is rather fragile and can be mined with one hit, even using a stone pickaxe. It can also be broken relatively easily by hand; however, using your hand or a tool other than a pick will drop no material. Netherrack has an extremely low resistance to TNT and can be destroyed by the Ghast's fireballs.

Once Netherrack is lit on fire using Flint and Steel or a Ghast's fireball, it will continue to burn until it is put out by an external source, usually the player. This makes Netherrack a good source of light, making them popular components of fireplaces, and allows the creation of Netherrack traps, such as firewalls. Fire from the burning Netherrack will spread to nearby flammable blocks, but not to other Netherrack blocks.

Netherrack Traps


It is possible to place several single tiles of Netherrack across one's outside home area and light them on fire using flint and steel. Animals will carelessly jump on top of the blocks, catching on fire, and more often than not, jumping off the burning Netherrack and dropping loot in a safe location. After a while, many animals will kill themselves on the traps and their loot can be collected for free. Be sure not to place them near trees or wood, or you may cause a large fire. Water will not evaporate if placed on a Netherrack block in the Overworld (this is a property of the Nether itself, not the Netherrack blocks).

Another type of trap can be made using Netherrack and Cacti. This can be done by digging a line around a chosen area and placing alternating blocks of sand and Netherrack, placing Cactus blocks on the sand, then lighting the Netherrack on fire. This trap is good for placing in an open area as a perimeter for stopping Mobs. However, as of beta 1.2, spiders are able to climb over the wall as pictured unless an overhang is added to the top of the cacti. Thankfully, this will still damage the spider; if the spider is in the sunlight this will "reset" its anger and it will become neutral.

Trivia

 * Moving Netherrack through the use of pistons will put out any fire currently active on top of the block. However, if the piston is pushing a line of 2 or more Netherrack blocks, fire on the block(s) in the front will be transferred to the block(s) behind it.
 * Netherrack, although stone, used to be able to be destroyed by hand in seconds, making it the first of its kind in Minecraft.
 * Burning Netherrack can be used to keep an area clear of snow and ice more efficiently than torches due to it having a greater brightness.
 * The name "Netherrack" is not a misspelling of "Netherrock".
 * To find north, find an 'L' on the top left corner of the block. The 'L' always points north. It is also present on Cobblestone, but after beta 1.7 the Cobblestone arrow now points west.
 * Despite being flammable, Netherrack cannot be used as fuel in a Powered Minecart or Furnace.
 * Netherrack can be mined in 50 milliseconds with a golden Pickaxe.
 * In the coding, it is referenced as "hell rock." Nether drips.png
 * If Netherrack is burning under a Glass block which is under a Water block, smoke comes through the Glass and the Water blocks to the air. The smoke then can light fire burning blocks near enough the Netherrack block. These blocks do not need to be directly over the Netherrack block.
 * As of Beta 1.9 pre5, Netherrack's texture was changed.

Bugs

 * If Netherrack is lit and then immediately snuffed out, the game freezes.
 * Sometimes when placed adjacent to Nether Brick, it becomes Nether Brick itself.