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This article is about the dirt block with a grass top. For the tall grass that drops seeds when destroyed, see Grass. For the block that doesn't have the grass layer on top, see Dirt.

Duncan Geere Mojang avatar

Grass is probably Minecraft's most iconic block (suck it, Mycelium!) Along with cobblestone, it was one of the first two blocks in the game. Originally the grassy top texture was used on all sides, but it wasn't long until the block was given a side texture too, showing the dirt below. Grass blocks have changed a surprising amount throughout Minecraft's history, and today they're one of the most feature-packed blocks around.

Duncan Geere[1]

A grass block is a natural block that generates abundantly across the surface of the Overworld.

Obtaining

A grass block can be obtained by mining it using a tool enchanted with Silk Touch. Otherwise, it drops dirt.

Block Grass Block
Hardness 0.6
Tool
Breaking time[A]
Default 0.9
Wooden 0.45
Stone 0.25
Iron 0.15
Diamond 0.15
Netherite 0.1
Golden 0.1
  1. Times are for unenchanted tools as wielded by players with no status effects, measured in seconds. For more information, see Breaking § Speed.

Natural generation

Grass blocks generate naturally in most biomes in the Overworld and as part of villages.

Spread

Grass can spread to nearby dirt blocks. Grass spreading without player intervention depends heavily on the time of day. For a dirt block to accept grass from a nearby grass block, the following requirements must be met:

  1. The dirt block receiving grass must be within a 3×5×3 range of the source block where the source block is in the center of the second topmost layer of that range.
  2. The source block must have a light level of 9 or brighter directly above it.
  3. The dirt block must have a light level of at least 4 above it.
  4. Any block above the dirt block must not reduce light by 2 levels or more.
  5. It cannot spread to coarse dirt.

Light-reducing blocks include any opaque block, as well as lava, water, ice, and partially transparent blocks like stairs and single slabs. Grass blocks can grow under all other transparent blocks like glass, fences, or torches. Grass jumps directly from one block to a neighbor and is not affected by gaps or other blocks being "in the way." Grass blocks spread at random intervals and have an equal chance of spreading to any suitable dirt blocks that are in range. Because grass can spread as much as 3 levels downward, it tends to spread down slopes much faster than it spreads up them.

Endermen

Endermen can pick up grass blocks, and drop the blocks they are holding if killed, making it the only way to obtain grass without the use of Silk Touch.

Appearance

JFgrass

Plains (left) and forest (right) grass colors.

The coloration of grass blocks is dependent on the biome they are in. A grass block always uses the color set to its location, regardless of how it was placed or of its source. Grass and leaves similarly change color with the biome.

These biome-specific colors also appear on maps.‌[Bedrock Edition only]

List of colors

Java Edition

These values are generated by the biome dyeing algorithm. See Biome colors for more information.

Biome Category Rainfall Grass Color Temperature Affects Render
Badlands Mesa No #90814d No Badlands Grass Block
Badlands Plateau Mesa No #90814d No Badlands Grass Block
Beach Beach Rain #91bd59 Plains Grass Block
Birch Forest Forest Rain #88bb67 Birch Forest Grass Block
Birch Forest Hills Forest Rain #88bb67 Birch Forest Grass Block
Cold Ocean Ocean Rain #8eb971 Ocean Grass Block
Dark Forest Forest Rain #507a32 Dark Forest Grass Block
Dark Forest Hills Forest Rain #507a32 Dark Forest Grass Block
Deep Cold Ocean Ocean Rain #8eb971 Ocean Grass Block
Deep Frozen Ocean Ocean Rain #8eb971 Ocean Grass Block
Deep Lukewarm Ocean Ocean Rain #8eb971 Ocean Grass Block
Deep Ocean Ocean Rain #8eb971 Ocean Grass Block
Deep Warm Ocean Ocean Rain #8eb971 Ocean Grass Block
Desert Desert No #bfb755 Desert Grass Block
Desert Hills Desert No #bfb755 Desert Grass Block
Desert Lakes Desert No #bfb755 Desert Grass Block
End Barrens The End No #8eb971 Ocean Grass Block
End Highlands The End No #8eb971 Ocean Grass Block
End Midlands The End No #8eb971 Ocean Grass Block
Eroded Badlands Mesa No #90814d No Badlands Grass Block
Flower Forest Forest Rain #79c05a Forest Grass Block
Forest Forest Rain #79c05a Forest Grass Block
Frozen Ocean Ocean Snow #80b497 File:Snowy Tundra Grass Block.png
Frozen River River Snow #80b497 File:Snowy Tundra Grass Block.png
Giant Spruce Taiga Taiga Rain #86b783 Taiga Grass Block
Giant Spruce Taiga Hills Taiga Rain #86b783 Taiga Grass Block
Giant Tree Taiga Taiga Rain #86b87f File:Giant Tree Taiga Grass Block.png
Giant Tree Taiga Hills Taiga Rain #86b87f File:Giant Tree Taiga Grass Block.png
Gravelly Mountains Extreme Hills Rain #8ab689 File:Mountains Grass Block.png
Gravelly Mountains+ Extreme Hills Rain #8ab689 File:Mountains Grass Block.png
Ice Spikes Icy Snow #80b497 File:Snowy Tundra Grass Block.png
Jungle Jungle Rain #59c93c Jungle Grass Block
Jungle Edge Jungle Rain #64c73f File:Jungle Edge Grass Block.png
Jungle Hills Jungle Rain #59c93c Jungle Grass Block
Lukewarm Ocean Ocean Rain #8eb971 Ocean Grass Block
Modified Badlands Plateau Mesa No #90814d No Badlands Grass Block
Modified Jungle Jungle Rain #59c93c Jungle Grass Block
Modified Jungle Edge Jungle Rain #64c73f File:Jungle Edge Grass Block.png
Modified Wooded Badlands Plateau Mesa No #90814d No Badlands Grass Block
Mountain Edge Extreme Hills Rain #8ab689 File:Mountains Grass Block.png
Mountains Extreme Hills Rain #8ab689 File:Mountains Grass Block.png
Mushroom Fields Mushroom Rain #55c93f Mushroom Fields Grass Block
Mushroom Field Shore Mushroom Rain #55c93f Mushroom Fields Grass Block
Nether Nether No #bfb755 Desert Grass Block
Ocean Ocean Rain #8eb971 Ocean Grass Block
Plains Plains Rain #91bd59 Plains Grass Block
River River Rain #8eb971 Ocean Grass Block
Savanna Savanna No #bfb755 Desert Grass Block
Savanna Plateau Savanna No #bfb755 Desert Grass Block
Shattered Savanna Savanna No #bfb755 Desert Grass Block
Shattered Savanna Plateau Savanna No #bfb755 Desert Grass Block
Small End Islands The End No #8eb971 Ocean Grass Block
Snowy Beach Beach Snow #83b593 Snowy Beach Grass Block
Snowy Mountains Icy Snow #80b497 File:Snowy Tundra Grass Block.png
Snowy Taiga Taiga Snow #80b497 File:Snowy Tundra Grass Block.png
Snowy Taiga Hills Taiga Snow #80b497 File:Snowy Tundra Grass Block.png
Snowy Taiga Mountains Taiga Snow #80b497 File:Snowy Tundra Grass Block.png
Snowy Tundra Icy Snow #80b497 File:Snowy Tundra Grass Block.png
Stone Shore None Rain #8ab689 File:Mountains Grass Block.png
Sunflower Plains Plains Rain #91bd59 Plains Grass Block
Swamp Swamp Rain #6A7039 If temperature below -0.1, used #4C763C. File:Olive Swamp Grass Block.png / File:Green Swamp Grass Block.png
Swamp Hills Swamp Rain #6A7039 If temperature below -0.1, used #4C763C. File:Olive Swamp Grass Block.png / File:Green Swamp Grass Block.png
Taiga Taiga Rain #86b783 Taiga Grass Block
Taiga Hills Taiga Rain #86b783 Taiga Grass Block
Taiga Mountains Taiga Rain #86b783 Taiga Grass Block
Tall Birch Forest Forest Rain #88bb67 Birch Forest Grass Block
Tall Birch Hills Forest Rain #88bb67 Birch Forest Grass Block
The End The End No #8eb971 Ocean Grass Block
The Void None No #8eb971 Ocean Grass Block
Warm Ocean Ocean Rain #8eb971 Ocean Grass Block
Wooded Badlands Plateau Mesa No #90814d No Badlands Grass Block
Wooded Hills Forest Rain #79c05a Forest Grass Block
Wooded Mountains Extreme Hills Rain #8ab689 File:Mountains Grass Block.png

Bedrock Edition

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Usage

Using bone meal on grass blocks causes grass, tall grass, ferns[Bedrock Edition only], large ferns[Bedrock Edition only] and flowers to grow.

Passive mobs tend to wander toward grass blocks. They also wander toward light.

When a sheep eats a grass block, the block becomes dirt, and a shorn sheep regrows its wool.

Grass paths can be created by using any type of shovel on the side or top of a grass block with air above it. The shovel loses 1 durability for each grass path block created.

Death

Grass dies and changes to dirt after a random time (when a random tick lands on the block) if directly covered by any opaque block. Transparent blocks can kill grass in a similar manner, but only if they cause the light level above the grass block to be four or below (like water does), and the surrounding area is not otherwise sufficiently lit up.

Tilling a grass block with a hoe converts it to a farmland block.

Grass blocks also change to dirt when sheep eat them.

Grass dies when turned into a grass path.

Spawning

Animals occasionally spawn on grass blocks that have light level 9 or brighter in the space directly above. This is quite rare and requires that there be few other animals nearby or in the spawn chunks. Most animals are instead created along with the terrain.

Composting

Grass blocks can be used to fill up composters.‌[Bedrock Edition only]

Sounds

Java Edition:

SoundSubtitlesSourceDescriptionResource locationTranslation keyVolumePitchAttenuation
distance
Block brokenBlocksOnce the block has brokenblock.grass.breaksubtitles.block.generic.break1.00.816
Block placedBlocksWhen the block is placedblock.grass.placesubtitles.block.generic.place1.00.816
Block breakingBlocksWhile the block is in the process of being brokenblock.grass.hitsubtitles.block.generic.hit0.250.516
None[sound 1]Entity-DependentFalling on the block with fall damageblock.grass.fallNone[sound 1]0.50.7516
FootstepsEntity-DependentWalking on the blockblock.grass.stepsubtitles.block.generic.footsteps0.151.016
  1. a b MC-177082

Bedrock Edition:

SoundSourceDescriptionResource locationVolumePitch
BlocksOnce the block has brokendig.grass0.70.8-1.0
BlocksWhen the block is placeddig.grass0.80.8-1.0
BlocksWhile the block is in the process of being brokenhit.grass0.30.5
PlayersFalling on the block with fall damagefall.grass0.41.0
PlayersWalking on the blockstep.grass0.31.0
PlayersJumping from the blockjump.grass0.111.0
PlayersFalling on the block without fall damageland.grass0.211.0

Data values

ID

Java Edition:

NameIdentifierBlock tags (JE)Translation key
Grass Blockgrass_blockenderman_holdable
bamboo_plantable_on
valid_spawn
block.minecraft.grass_block

Bedrock Edition:

NameIdentifierNumeric ID Translation key
Grass Blockgrass2tile.grass.name

Block states

See also: Block states

Java Edition:

Name Default value Allowed values Description
snowyfalsefalse
true
If true, the block uses a snowy side and top texture.
In-game, this is true when a snow block or snow is on top.

History

This section is missing information about In 18w15a (where it started and when it was removed is unknown), frozen ocean biomes exhibited an effect similar to swamps in which areas of the same biome could have different foliage colors, easily visible with biome blend turned off. When was this implemented, when was it removed, and can we get renders of all biome-affected blocks with both of the distinct colors applied on their respective pages?. 
Please expand the section to include this information. Further details may exist on the talk page.
Realms Plus Icon
This section would benefit from the addition of isometric renders. 
Please remove this notice once you've added suitable isometric renders to the article.
The specific instructions are:
  • Renders of biome grass in a1.2.0-b1.7.3 biomes
  • Beta 1.8 Prelease inventory fix
  • Beta 1.9 Prerelease 5 grass and snowy grass top texture changes
  • Pocket Edition's first two grass blocks.
pre-classic
Cave game tech testGrass Block JE1 Added grass blocks.
Grass blocks are one of the first two blocks in Minecraft, along with cobblestone.
The same top texture is used on all six sides of grass blocks, resulting in "grass cubes".[2]
rd-20090515Grass Block JE2 The texture of grass blocks has now been changed. Grass blocks have now been given side textures, and the top texture has now been brightened.
Grass now spreads to dirt under sunlight, allowing new grass blocks to be created.
Due to the lack of dynamic lighting mode, grass in shadows eventually dies and changes to dirt.
classic
0.24 SURVIVAL TESTGrass blocks now drop dirt when broken.
October 25, 2009On Notch's blog, sheep were shown to eat grass to regrow wool on their bodies, reverting the block to dirt. Often, the grass would regrow just as quickly as sheep would eat it.
0.28Sheep added, with the behavior described above.
0.30 (Creative)Attempting to place grass blocks by means of hacking one's inventory in Classic Creative multiplayer now causes the server to automatically kick the player.
Grass blocks in the player's inventory, at this point, have the green top-texture on all sides of the block.
indev
0.3120091223-2With the introduction of dynamic lighting, grass is now able to grow in more dimly-lit areas, not having to be fully lit by the sun.
20100125-2Grass blocks have now became available from the chests in The Indev House.
Grass blocks are now placeable, although grass placed from the chest never reverts to dirt when in the shade. The only way to kill the grass is to break the block, so that it drops as dirt.
20100206Grass can now be tilled with a hoe into farmland, and had a chance of dropping seeds.
?The Indev House and its chests of blocks have now been removed with the end of the Indev development phase, leaving no legitimate way to obtain grass blocks in the player's inventory.
alpha
? Grass blocks now have a buggy top texture when obtained in the inventory via an inventory editor. [when?]
v1.0.4Snowy Grass Block JE1 BE1 With the introduction of snowfall in Winter Mode worlds, grass block side textures now turn snowy-colored when the block is under snow layers.
v1.2.0previewGrass Block JE3 BE1 With biomes that have now been added as part of the Halloween Update, the color of the top texture has now been made to vary according to the biome it is located in.
beta
1.5Grass Block JE4 The grass texture around the sides has now been given the same biome-dependent color as the top texture, when in Fancy Graphics mode.
1.6Test Build 3Seeds can no longer obtained by using a hoe on a grass block; tall grass instead occasionally drops seeds when broken.
? The inventory texture of grass blocks has now been changed. The top texture is now flipped in the inventory.
1.6.6Bone meal now causes tall grass to grow when applied to grass blocks.
1.8?The inventory texture bug that grass blocks had has now been fixed.
It was again possible to legitimately obtain grass blocks in one's inventory, with the introduction of Creative mode.
Java Edition
1.0.0Beta 1.9 Prerelease 4Grass blocks have become obtainable obtainable for the first time in survival mode through use of the Silk Touch enchantment, introduced with the new enchanting system.
Beta 1.9 Prerelease 5The top textures of grass and snowy grass have now been slightly changed, to look more fitting with standard biomes.
File:Grass Block JE5 BE2.png The side texture of grass blocks has now been slightly changed.
?Slabs have now been changed so that they no longer revert grass blocks beneath them to dirt, allowing grass to spread to and from underneath.
1.4.212w38aNew sounds were added for walking on grass blocks.
1.7.213w36aA "grassless" dirt variant, that grass would not spread to, has now been added.
1.814w10aGrass Block 14w10a The dirt on the sides of grass blocks is now also tinted by biome.[3]
14w10bThe sides of grass blocks are no longer tinted.
14w27bThe top texture of grass is now rotated randomly, due to the addition of arrays to the block model format.
1.915w31aGrass blocks can now be turned into grass paths by right-clicking on them with a shovel.
Grass blocks can now be obtained by killing an enderman that is holding the block.
The texture of grass blocks has now been changed from Grass Block 1.8.8 to Grass Block 15w31a to match up with the Pocket Edition Alpha 0.9.0 texture.
1.1317w47aThe ID of grass blocks has been changed from grass to grass_block.
Prior to The Flattening, this block's numeral ID was 2.
1.1419w05aGrass blocks are now renewable because wandering traders now offer to sell podzol.
19w08aGrass Block JE6 BE5 Snowy Grass Block JE2 BE2 The textures of grass blocks and snowy grass blocks have now been changed.
Pocket Edition Alpha
Pre-releaseAdded grass blocks, with an unknown texture.
0.1.0Grass Block JE3 BE1 The texture of grass blocks has now been changed.
0.2.0File:Grass Block JE5 BE2.png The texture of grass blocks has now been changed to match up with Java Beta 1.9 Prerelease 5.
0.4.0Grass can now be tilled with a hoe into farmland, and has a chance of dropping seeds.
0.8.0build 3Grass now has a chance to drop beetroot seeds, carrots, or potatoes when tilled.
build 4Tilling can no longer spawn carrots or potatoes.
?Grass Block BE3 The texture of grass blocks has now been changed.
0.9.0build 1Grass coloration is now biome specific.
Grass Block BE4 The texture of grass blocks has now been changed, once again.
0.11.0build 1Grass now can be pressed into grass path blocks when tapped with a shovel.
0.12.1build 1Grass blocks no longer drop beetroot seeds when a hoe is used.
build 8Grass blocks no longer drop wheat seeds when a hoe is used.
build 10The sound of grass blocks has now been changed to match up with grass sound from Java 1.4.2.
?Grass blocks can now be obtained using the Silk Touch enchantment.
0.14.0build 1Grass blocks can now be obtained by killing an enderman that is holding the block.
0.16.0?The biome-dependent colors of grass blocks now appear on maps.
Bedrock Edition
1.11.0beta 1.11.0.1Grass blocks can now be used to fill up composters.
beta 1.11.0.5Grass Block JE6 BE5 Snowy Grass Block JE2 BE2 The textures of grass blocks and snowy grass blocks have now been changed.
Legacy Console Edition
TU1CU1 1.0 Patch 11.0.1File:Grass Block JE5 BE2.png Added grass blocks.
?Grass block sides are now 3D.
1.90 Grass Block JE6 BE5 The texture of grass blocks has now been changed.
1.91 Snowy Grass Block The texture of snowy grass blocks has now been changed.
New Nintendo 3DS Edition
0.1.0File:Grass Block JE5 BE2.png Added grass blocks.

Issues

Issues relating to "Grass Block" are maintained on the bug tracker. Report issues there.

Trivia

  • Grass block, along with cobblestone, were the first two blocks added to Minecraft.
  • Grass blocks and dirt blocks changing between each other is a very common cause of chunk updates.
  • A grass block has become the favicon for minecraft.net, and is the icon for the Minecraft launcher and the Bedrock Edition app.
  • In MINECON's goodie-bags, grass, along with the creeper, diamond, and the player, were given as foldable decorations.

References

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