A barrel is a decorative block which can be used as an alternative to storing items in a chest. They were added to Minecraft as part of update 1.14.
Source
Barrels can generate within the fishing cottage buildings in villages.
Uses
Barrels can be used to store items or blocks in compact spaces. Unlike chests, Barrels can be accessed even if there is a block directly on top of it.
Similarities to Chests
- Barrels can be used by hoppers to transport items into and out of them.
- They are considered immovable objects, which means it cannot be moved by pistons.
- Using the
/data merge blockcommand, players can lock barrels using the{Lock:}NBT tag.
Differences from Chests
Barrels have different properties than chests. For example:
- Unlike chests, setting two barrels side-by-side will not make a double barrel.
- Unlike chests, barrels can be opened regardless if there is a solid or transparent block directly above it.
- In the Bedrock Edition, barrels can be used as fuel to smelt 1.5 blocks in a furnace.
If a village has a barrel but no fisherman, any nearby villager without a profession has a chance to become a fisherman.
Crafting
Barrels can be crafted with six planks and two slabs of any wood type.
| Barrel Java Edition | Barrel Bedrock Edition | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wood Planks | Wooden Slab | Wood Planks | Stick | Wooden Slab | Stick | |
| Wood Planks | None | Wood Planks | Stick | None | Stick | |
| Wood Planks | Wooden Slab | Wood Planks | Stick | Wooden Slab | Stick | |
History
Barrels were added in snapshot 18w44a, however, they could not be interacted with unless a player was in spectator mode, and they could not be crafted. Barrels were able to generate in plains villages in snapshot 18w48a, ice and savanna villages in snapshot 18w49a, and taiga and desert villages in snapshot 18w50a. Barrels were also given an inventory that was similar to that of chests, a crafting recipe, and could also be interacted with in snapshot 18w50a.
Trivia
- Barrels originally could not emit a Redstone signal while items were stored inside. This was later fixed in snapshot 19w02a (MC-140986).
- Despite being made out of wood, barrels are not flammable.
- Barrels are a little cheaper than chests, as they cost a wood plank less in crafting (1 wood plank = 2 wood slabs).
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