A shulker box is a dyeable block that stores items, and, unlike all other storage blocks, keeps its contents in item form when broken.
Obtaining[]
Breaking[]
Shulker boxes can be mined with any tool or by hand, but using a pickaxe is the most effective. Shulker boxes drop themselves when mined. Unlike other containers, the contents of shulker boxes are stored within the dropped item, and not dropped separately. When instantly mined in Creative mode, shulker boxes drop as an item if there are items stored within, unless /gamerule doTileDrops
is set to "false".
Block | Shulker Box | |
---|---|---|
Hardness | 2 | |
Tool | ||
Breaking time[A] | ||
Default | 3 | |
Wooden | 1.5 | |
Stone | 0.75 | |
Iron | 0.5 | |
Diamond | 0.4 | |
Netherite | 0.35 | |
Golden | 0.25 |
- ↑ Times are for unenchanted tools as wielded by players with no status effects, measured in seconds. For more information, see Breaking § Speed.
Crafting[]
Name | Ingredients | Crafting recipe | Description |
---|---|---|---|
Shulker Box | Shulker Shell + Chest |
||
Shulker Box | Any Shulker Box + Matching Dye |
The shulker box retains its contents. If it is renamed on an anvil, it also retains its name. |
Usage[]
A shulker box has 27 inventory slots, the same as a chest.
Shulker boxes are portable chests: they keep their items when broken, which can be retrieved when placed again. This is different from other containers, which drop their contained items as item entities when broken. A shulker box drops itself as an item if pushed by pistons or destroyed by an explosion. Unlike most blocks with inventory, shulker boxes always drop themselves when destroyed by explosions. When a shulker box with items inside is being held [Bedrock Edition only] or is in a container's inventory, the items are listed on the tooltip as properties.
A shulker box's items can be fed or removed by a hopper.
Shulker boxes can be stored in all containers except for other shulker boxes and bundles.
When placed on a wall or ceiling, shulker boxes face and open sideways or upside-down, respectively. Shulker boxes cannot be opened if a solid opaque block is on their top surface, similar to a chest. For example, if a shulker box is facing upside-down and a solid opaque block is below it, the shulker box cannot be opened. A shulker box can also be placed using dispensers.
Like a chest, a shulker box requires a transparent area above to be opened, and it opens only if the hitbox of the top of the open shulker box does not intersect with another hitbox. This way, a shulker box can be opened with an upside-down slab or an upper trapdoor on top of it. It is also unique in that when opened, its hitbox expands to 1.5 blocks high/wide, physically pushing entities where it is facing.
By default, the GUI of a shulker box is labeled "Shulker Box", which can be changed by naming it in an anvil or by changing the CustomName
tag using the /data
command[Java Edition only].
When a shulker box item is destroyed, the contents of the shulker box are dropped as items.
Undyeing[]
Dyed shulker boxes can be undyed using a cauldron. To do this, use a dyed shulker box on a cauldron that has water in it. This causes the cauldron's water level to decrease by 1, and the shulker box loses its dye color.
Piglins[]
Piglins become hostile toward players who open or mine shulker boxes.[1]
Sounds[]
Generic[]
Sound | Subtitles | Source | Description | Resource location | Translation key | Volume | Pitch | Attenuation distance |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Block broken | Blocks | Once the block has broken | block | subtitles | 1.0 | 0.8 | 16 | |
Block placed | Blocks | When the block is placed | block | subtitles | 1.0 | 0.8 | 16 | |
Block breaking | Blocks | While the block is in the process of being broken | block | subtitles | 0.25 | 0.5 | 16 | |
None[sound 1] | Entity-Dependent | Falling on the block with fall damage | block | None[sound 1] | 0.5 | 0.75 | 16 | |
Footsteps | Entity-Dependent | Walking on the block | block | subtitles | 0.15 | 1.0 | 16 |
Sound | Source | Description | Resource location | Volume | Pitch |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Blocks | Once the block has broken | dig | 1.0 | 0.8-1.0 | |
Blocks | When the block is placed | dig | 1.0 | 0.8-1.0 | |
Blocks | While the block is in the process of being broken | hit | 0.37 | 0.5 | |
Players | Falling on the block with fall damage | fall | 0.4 | 1.0 | |
Players | Walking on the block | step | 0.3 | 1.0 | |
Players | Jumping from the block | jump | 0.12 | 1.0 | |
Players | Falling on the block without fall damage | land | 0.22 | 1.0 |
Unique[]
Sound | Subtitles | Source | Description | Resource location | Translation key | Volume | Pitch | Attenuation distance |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Shulker closes | Blocks | When a shulker box closes | block | subtitles | 0.5 | 0.9-1.0 | 16 | |
Shulker opens | Blocks | When a shulker box opens | block | subtitles | 0.5 | 0.9-1.0 | 16 | |
Chest locked[sound 1] | Blocks | When a player attempts to open a shulker box locked using the Lock tag | block [sound 1] | subtitles [sound 1] | 1.0 | 1.0 | 16 |
Sound | Source | Description | Resource location | Volume | Pitch |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Blocks | When a shulker box closes | random | 0.5 | 0.9-1.0 | |
Blocks | When a shulker box opens | random | 0.5 | 0.9-1.0 |
Data values[]
ID[]
Name | Identifier | Form | Block tags | Translation key |
---|---|---|---|---|
Shulker Box | shulker_box | Block & Item | guarded_by_piglins shulker_boxes | block.minecraft.shulker_box |
White Shulker Box | white_shulker_box | Block & Item | guarded_by_piglins shulker_boxes | block.minecraft.white_shulker_box |
Orange Shulker Box | orange_shulker_box | Block & Item | guarded_by_piglins shulker_boxes | block.minecraft.orange_shulker_box |
Magenta Shulker Box | magenta_shulker_box | Block & Item | guarded_by_piglins shulker_boxes | block.minecraft.magenta_shulker_box |
Light Blue Shulker Box | light_blue_shulker_box | Block & Item | guarded_by_piglins shulker_boxes | block.minecraft.light_blue_shulker_box |
Yellow Shulker Box | yellow_shulker_box | Block & Item | guarded_by_piglins shulker_boxes | block.minecraft.yellow_shulker_box |
Lime Shulker Box | lime_shulker_box | Block & Item | guarded_by_piglins shulker_boxes | block.minecraft.lime_shulker_box |
Pink Shulker Box | pink_shulker_box | Block & Item | guarded_by_piglins shulker_boxes | block.minecraft.pink_shulker_box |
Gray Shulker Box | gray_shulker_box | Block & Item | guarded_by_piglins shulker_boxes | block.minecraft.gray_shulker_box |
Light Gray Shulker Box | light_gray_shulker_box | Block & Item | guarded_by_piglins shulker_boxes | block.minecraft.light_gray_shulker_box |
Cyan Shulker Box | cyan_shulker_box | Block & Item | guarded_by_piglins shulker_boxes | block.minecraft.cyan_shulker_box |
Purple Shulker Box | purple_shulker_box | Block & Item | guarded_by_piglins shulker_boxes | block.minecraft.purple_shulker_box |
Blue Shulker Box | blue_shulker_box | Block & Item | guarded_by_piglins shulker_boxes | block.minecraft.blue_shulker_box |
Brown Shulker Box | brown_shulker_box | Block & Item | guarded_by_piglins shulker_boxes | block.minecraft.brown_shulker_box |
Green Shulker Box | green_shulker_box | Block & Item | guarded_by_piglins shulker_boxes | block.minecraft.green_shulker_box |
Red Shulker Box | red_shulker_box | Block & Item | guarded_by_piglins shulker_boxes | block.minecraft.red_shulker_box |
Black Shulker Box | black_shulker_box | Block & Item | guarded_by_piglins shulker_boxes | block.minecraft.black_shulker_box |
Name | Identifier |
---|---|
Block entity | shulker_box |
Name | Identifier | Alias ID | Numeric ID | Form | Item ID[i 1] | Translation key |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Shulker Box | undyed_shulker_box | None | 205 | Block & Giveable Item[i 2] | Identical[i 3] | tile.shulkerBox.name |
White Shulker Box | white_shulker_box | shulker_box / 0 | 218 | Block & Giveable Item[i 2] | Identical[i 3] | tile.shulkerBoxWhite.name |
Orange Shulker Box | orange_shulker_box | shulker_box / 1 | -613 | Block & Giveable Item[i 2] | Identical[i 3] | tile.shulkerBoxOrange.name |
Magenta Shulker Box | magenta_shulker_box | shulker_box / 2 | -614 | Block & Giveable Item[i 2] | Identical[i 3] | tile.shulkerBoxMagenta.name |
Light Blue Shulker Box | light_blue_shulker_box | shulker_box / 3 | -615 | Block & Giveable Item[i 2] | Identical[i 3] | tile.shulkerBoxLightBlue.name |
Yellow Shulker Box | yellow_shulker_box | shulker_box / 4 | -616 | Block & Giveable Item[i 2] | Identical[i 3] | tile.shulkerBoxYellow.name |
Lime Shulker Box | lime_shulker_box | shulker_box / 5 | -617 | Block & Giveable Item[i 2] | Identical[i 3] | tile.shulkerBoxLime.name |
Pink Shulker Box | pink_shulker_box | shulker_box / 6 | -618 | Block & Giveable Item[i 2] | Identical[i 3] | tile.shulkerBoxPink.name |
Gray Shulker Box | gray_shulker_box | shulker_box / 7 | -619 | Block & Giveable Item[i 2] | Identical[i 3] | tile.shulkerBoxGray.name |
Light Gray Shulker Box | light_gray_shulker_box | shulker_box / 8 | -620 | Block & Giveable Item[i 2] | Identical[i 3] | tile.shulkerBoxSilver.name |
Cyan Shulker Box | cyan_shulker_box | shulker_box / 9 | -621 | Block & Giveable Item[i 2] | Identical[i 3] | tile.shulkerBoxCyan.name |
Purple Shulker Box | purple_shulker_box | shulker_box / 10 | -622 | Block & Giveable Item[i 2] | Identical[i 3] | tile.shulkerBoxPurple.name |
Blue Shulker Box | blue_shulker_box | shulker_box / 11 | -623 | Block & Giveable Item[i 2] | Identical[i 3] | tile.shulkerBoxBlue.name |
Brown Shulker Box | brown_shulker_box | shulker_box / 12 | -624 | Block & Giveable Item[i 2] | Identical[i 3] | tile.shulkerBoxBrown.name |
Green Shulker Box | green_shulker_box | shulker_box / 13 | -625 | Block & Giveable Item[i 2] | Identical[i 3] | tile.shulkerBoxGreen.name |
Red Shulker Box | red_shulker_box | shulker_box / 14 | -626 | Block & Giveable Item[i 2] | Identical[i 3] | tile.shulkerBoxRed.name |
Black Shulker Box | black_shulker_box | shulker_box / 15 | -627 | Block & Giveable Item[i 2] | Identical[i 3] | tile.shulkerBoxBlack.name |
Name | Savegame ID |
---|---|
Block entity | ShulkerBox |
Block states[]
Name | Default value | Allowed values | Description |
---|---|---|---|
facing | up | down east north south up west | The direction the shulker box is pointing. The opposite from the direction the player faces while placing the shulker box. |
Bedrock Edition:
Dyed shulker box:
Name | Metadata Bits | Default value | Allowed values | Values for Metadata Bits |
Description |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
color (Deprecated) | 0x1 0x2 0x4 0x8 | white
| white | 0 | White Shulker Box |
orange | 1 | Orange Shulker Box | |||
magenta | 2 | Magenta Shulker Box | |||
light_blue | 3 | Light Blue Shulker Box | |||
yellow | 4 | Yellow Shulker Box | |||
lime | 5 | Lime Shulker Box | |||
pink | 6 | Pink Shulker Box | |||
gray | 7 | Gray Shulker Box | |||
silver | 8 | Light Gray Shulker Box | |||
cyan | 9 | Cyan Shulker Box | |||
purple | 10 | Purple Shulker Box | |||
blue | 11 | Blue Shulker Box | |||
brown | 12 | Brown Shulker Box | |||
green | 13 | Green Shulker Box | |||
red | 14 | Red Shulker Box | |||
black | 15 | Black Shulker Box |
Block data[]
A shulker box has a block entity associated with it that identifies its contents.
- Block entity data
- Tags common to all block entities
- CustomName: Optional. The name of this container in JSON text component, which appears in its GUI where the default name ordinarily appears.
- Items: List of items in this container.
- : An item, including the slot tag. Shulker box slots are numbered 0–26, 0 starts in the top left corner.
- Tags common to all items
- : An item, including the slot tag. Shulker box slots are numbered 0–26, 0 starts in the top left corner.
- Lock: Optional. When not blank, prevents the container from being opened unless the opener is holding an item whose name matches this string.
- LootTable: Optional. Loot table to be used to fill the shulker box when it is next opened, or the items are otherwise interacted with.[note 1]
- LootTableSeed: Optional. Seed for generating the loot table. 0 or omitted uses a random seed.[note 1]
Item data[]
Shulker boxes, as items, use an NBT tag BlockEntityTag
to indicate the contents and details of the box when it is placed.
The following NBT structure is provided to show how the BlockEntityTag
tag is organized, and is not comprehensive above the tag
tag. The full NBT for an item can be found here.
- Entity data
- Item: The item
- tag: Additional information about the item. This tag is optional for most items.
- BlockEntityTag: The details of the shulker box.
- All block data, except tags common to all block entities.
- BlockEntityTag: The details of the shulker box.
- tag: Additional information about the item. This tag is optional for most items.
- Item: The item
Achievements[]
Icon | Achievement | In-game description | Actual requirements (if different) | Gamerscore earned | Trophy type (PS4) | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
PS4 | Other | |||||
Organizational Wizard | Name a Shulker Box with an Anvil | — | 30G | Bronze |
History[]
Java Edition | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1.11 | 16w39a | Added shulker boxes. | |||
16w39c | "Silver Shulker Boxes" have been now renamed to "Light Gray Shulker Boxes", in keeping with naming consistencies across dyed blocks. | ||||
1.12 | 17w16a | Shulker boxes have been recolored. | |||
17w17a | The color of purple shulker boxes has been reverted. | ||||
1.13 | 17w47a | The ID has been changed from silver_shulker_box to light_gray_shulker_box .
| |||
Prior to The Flattening, these blocks' numeral IDs were 219 through 234. | |||||
18w10b | Added a default shulker box. | ||||
The purple shulker box texture has been changed to the one used in 17w16a. | |||||
18w10d | Shulker boxes can now be undyed in a cauldron. | ||||
1.14.2 | Pre-Release 1 | Empty shulker boxes no longer drop themselves when destroyed in Creative mode.[2] | |||
1.17 | 20w45a | Shulker post-generation mechanic is now added, making shulker boxes renewable. | |||
Due to a bug,[3] when Shulkers run their "peeking" animation, shulker boxes make a "peeking" animation too, including the inventory item in the players hand, and in its dropped item form. | |||||
20w46a | Shulker boxes no longer have a "peeking" animation. | ||||
20w51a | Shulker boxes now drop their contents when destroyed as an item entity. | ||||
1.19.3 | 22w45a | Blocks attached to the sides and lid of a shulker box now pop off when the shulker box opens.[4] | |||
Pocket Edition | |||||
1.1.0 | alpha 1.1.0.0 | Added shulker boxes. | |||
alpha 1.1.0.9 | The color palette for shulker boxes has been updated. | ||||
? | ? | Shulker boxes no longer use the wood sound. | |||
Bedrock Edition | |||||
1.2.0 | beta 1.2.0.2 | Added a default shulker box. | |||
The purple shulker box color has been changed to the new palette. | |||||
1.8.0 | beta 1.8.0.13 | A recipe for undyed shulker boxes has been added. | |||
1.16.0 | beta 1.16.0.51 | Shulker boxes can now be undyed in a cauldron. | |||
1.17.30 | beta 1.17.30.22 | Shulker boxes now drop their contents when destroyed as an item entity. | |||
1.18.30 | beta 1.18.30.22 | Shulker post-generation mechanic is now added, making shulker boxes renewable. | |||
1.20.10 | beta 1.20.10.20 | The different block states for the shulker_box ID have now been split up into their own IDs. | |||
Legacy Console Edition | |||||
TU53 | CU43 | 1.49 | Patch 23 | 1.0.3 | Added shulker boxes.[5] |
1.88 | Added a default shulker box. | ||||
The purple shulker box color has been changed to the new palette. | |||||
New Nintendo 3DS Edition | |||||
1.9.19 | Added 16 variants of shulker boxes. There is no default shulker box separate from the purple shulker box; the purple shulker box uses the texture of the default shulker box.[more information needed] |
Gallery[]
Issues[]
Issues relating to "Shulker Box" are maintained on the bug tracker. Report issues there.
Trivia[]
- With 37 shulker boxes in a player's inventory, hotbar, and off-hand slot, 999 stacks of up to 64 items (up to 63,936 total items; 63,973 if counting shulker boxes themselves) can be held. With 37 shulker boxes and an ender chest with 27 shulker boxes in one of the shulker box slots, 1,727 stacks (up to 110,528 items; 1,728 stacks with up to 110,592 items if counting stacked ender chests) can be held.
- When the camera is far enough from a shulker box, the shulker box is invisible, even though it is still within the render distance, this is because the shulker box is still considered a mob.
- Before they were added to Minecraft, storage objects that keep their inventory when picked up were already present in Minicraft.
References[]
External Links[]
- Block of the Week: Shulker Box – Minecraft.net on November 19, 2020