Terracotta

Hardened clay is a block that first appeared in Snapshot 13w17a, and is planned to be implemented in the upcoming 1.6 update. As of 13w19a, it can be dyed with any color dye, similar to wool. Since its blast resistance is comparable to that of stone-based blocks, It is useful in that you can create colorful buildings without resorting wool, which is flammable and has a low blast resistance. It serves no purpose but a decoration or a protection-like material (relative that it has a blast resistance that's the same as stone). It can be obtained by smelting clay blocks.

Behavior
Hardened clay has an above-average resistance towards explosions. Unlike normal clay, a wall of 4 hardened clay blocks thick can withstand a direct TNT or creeper explosion while only one column would be destroyed.

Hardened clay can be colored with dyes to create stained hardened clay for decorations or builds. All colors of hardened clay are currently available.

Trivia

 * Hardened clay was suggested by BlameTC.