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, entities will still be damaged if within the blast radius.

As a crafting ingredient
(This recipe isn't currently in the game and is planned to be added in the Redstone Update).

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, expand, and explode after 4 seconds, or eight flashes. As of version 12w34b, a flaming arrow will ignite a TNT block as well. 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.

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 CPU power, 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.

TNT has several other characteristics that make it different from most other blocks. 1. TNT appears to expand right before it blows up. 2. TNT produces particles when it is about to explode, always coming from the center on the side facing the sky, and it produces particles after the explosion. 3. TNT flashes white several times before it blows up. 4. TNT is somewhat considered an entity, because when ignited, TNT will jump and like no other block, (meaning not ferns or grass) land between two blocks. 5. TNT is the only purpose explosive in the game, although beds will detonate when used in the Nether or The End, and creepers explode when approached.

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. Also, if you dig two blocks down, place a TNT block, then any block and then a pressure plate on top you get a landmine, which is great for defense.

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 can also be detonated when a bow with Flame enchantment shoots the TNT block.

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. However, as TNT is quite dangerous and may be accidentally set off by the Redstone controlling the piston, it's best to use a block like Glowstone instead.

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.

Water, Still lava, obsidian, bedrock, ender chests, and end portal frames 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.

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). To make a crater all the way down to bedrock, you must commit the cardinal Minecraft sin, digging straight down. Do this to bedrock, then pillar-jump all the way back up with TNT. then light the top block of TNT, and run.

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 keep the TNT from 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 until it lands or explodes. This can be useful in battles, defending a base, etc. and can kill players in multiplayer. Different sizes and setups can cause more powerful launches or different trajectories. Because falling TNT is an entity it can be launched using a TNT cannon with or without the help of pistons.

Spawner Destruction
TNT can also be used to destroy monster spawners. They have a blast resistance of 25 but are easily destroyable with one block of TNT.

This system of destroying mob spawners has a few advantages:


 * It means the Player does not have to risk attack by any hostile mobs. It's especially useful when removing cave spider spawners in Abandoned Mine Shafts, as these spiders poison the player.
 * All mobs near the spawner are severely injured or killed outright -- little to no manual killing needed.
 * In the case of cave spider spawners, the explosion will greatly reduce the number of Cobwebs (blast resistance 20) around the spawner.

However there are a few disadvantages:


 * For this method to work effectively, you must be directly above the mob spawner.
 * When the TNT is lit, you have to vacate the area otherwise you'll risk being blown up, or taking fall damage by blowing a hole in the ground and falling into a ravine -- or worse, lava.
 * For destroying lots of spawners, you'll need to find lots of Creepers to get the gunpowder you need.
 * There is also a possibility of destroying important ores you might've needed.

Griefing
TNT is a very popular griefing weapon as it is capable of destroying a large amount of blocks. It is used to destroy houses/buildings, to make traps, and to kill other players.

Elevators
TNT can be used to make an effective elevator system. If you set up a block of TNT with a button, with a water block alongside the TNT, you can jump at the right moment and launch yourself up into the air.

Minecart with TNT
As of 13w02a, you can craft TNT and a Minecart together to make a Minecart with TNT, which may be activated by using an Activator Rail. This may be able to be used in many adventure maps and in some other ways unknown at the moment.

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, although you can't pick up if it's already primed.

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.

When TNT is primed in light, it flashes white. However, when primed in darkness, it flashes black.

Trivia

 * When mined with a normal pick, it drops TNT. But when mined with a pick enchanted with Silk Touch, it will not drop a resource.
 * When a Player or Enderman holds TNT, the texture is reversed, resulting in the N on the TNT appearing backwards as "ТИТ". (fixed in 1.4.3pre)
 * 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 that a cubic meter filled out with 4,805 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 cannot be heard.
 * When TNT is lit and then extinguished by rain, it will obviously go out. Afterwards, however, clicking the block will cause it to disappear and drop the TNT pickup. Then, the pickup goes away, the block comes back activated, and the block 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 deal structural damage, but will still deal 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 it is shot through lava.
 * If TNT is placed with a data value of 1 (with a mod like or a Third-Party Program such as MCEdit), then it can be activated with one hit, just like before 1.7, although this can't be done with the /give command.
 * If a Spawn Egg is set to spawn Primed TNT using a mod, then an explosion will immediately follow when the egg is used. That is because the fuse is 0 ticks.
 * If TNT is blown up just as an arrow passes by, then the arrow is redirected opposite of the blast.
 * Detonating a large amount of TNT may cause Minecraft to severely lag or even crash.
 * If the player places TNT underwater, puts bricks around it, drains the water, and blows up the TNT, 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.
 * To have a TNT block drop down and destroy blocks underwater, before the Redstone current is applied, a block of gravel should be added 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 will allow the TNT to destroy blocks underwater.
 * TNT and the Command block are the only solid blocks that break 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, he/she will be given an x-ray view of surrounding caverns. It can be used for locating Spawners and some exposed Ores ( not the veins, like in mods ). This can also be done with glowstone.
 * 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.
 * Although flint & steel cannot light fires in Adventure Mode, it can still ignite TNT.
 * Primed TNT spawned by a Monster Spawner will leave old-fashion white smoke after exploding instead of circular arcs.
 * While under the effects of a Potion of Night Vision, TNT will appear fullbright as usual, but will ignore the potion's effect and take on the light around it when primed, because it's an entity when it's primed.
 * If TNT, when primed, hops up and just barely lands on a block directly below and next to it,and then slides off, the TNT will fall, but the explosion will appear where the TNT almost landed before sliding off.
 * By combining TNT cannons and player launching devices, one can make a "firework base" that shoots TNT into the air, letting it explode like professional-grade fireworks in real life.
 * When the player primes TNT and the primed block falls into the end, the TNT block will detonate when the player enters the end. This gives the player an opportunity to detonate hundreds of TNT blocks instantaneously.