Sign

Sign

Renewable	Yes
Stackable	Yes (16)
Tool
Blast resistance	1
Hardness	1
Luminant	No
Transparent	Yes
Flammable	No
Catches fire from lava	No

A sign is a non-solid block that can display text. A sign can also be used to block or redirect the flow of water or lava while still allowing entities to pass.

Obtaining

Natural generation

An oak sign can be found in igloo basements.

Spruce signs can be found in taiga village houses, as part of a chair.

Breaking

Signs can be broken with any tool, or without a tool, but an axe is fastest.

Block	Sign
Hardness	1
Tool
Breaking time
Default	1.5
Wooden	0.75
Stone	0.4
Iron	0.25
Diamond	0.2
Netherite	0.2
Golden	0.15

A sign also breaks and drops itself as an item if the block the sign is attached to is moved, removed, or destroyed.

If a sign is broken while being edited, the player continues to edit the sign, although in Bedrock Edition breaking the sign stops the editing operation.

Chest loot

Item	Structure	Container	Quantity	Chance
Bedrock Edition
Oak Sign	Village	Taiga house chest	1	10.7%

Item	Structure	Container	Quantity	Chance
Java Edition
Spruce Sign	Village	Taiga house chest	1	9.7%

Crafting

Ingredients	Crafting recipe
Matching Planks + Stick	333333333

Usage

Signs can be used to display text; They're commonly used to identify chest inventories, display information to other players, or note areas of interest. They may also be used to restrict lava or water movements such as in Spawner traps, or crude airlocks into submerged areas.

Placement

Comparison of the sign sizes.

Signs may be placed on the top or side of other blocks (including some non-solid blocks like fences, glass, and other signs). To place a sign, use a sign item while pointing at the block the sign should be attached to, enter the desired text (possibly none), and click the "Done" button or press "escape" on a keyboard (or press × in Bedrock Edition, on an Xbox controller, on a PlayStation controller, or B on a Nintendo Switch controller. Closing the virtual keyboard on a mobile device also exits the typing menu). To place a sign on a block that can be interacted with by the use control (for example, chests, note blocks, etc.), sneak while placing the sign.

Signs on the top of a block stand on a short post and face toward the player who placed it, in any of 16 different directions. Signs placed on the side of a block simply float there, even if the block doesn't make contact with the sign.

For more information about the blocks signs can be placed on, see Opacity/Placement.

Text

Placing a sign opens an editor interface resembling a magnified view of the sign. Up to four lines of text can then be entered using a keyboard (hardware or on-screen). The editor supports limited editing, including moving the cursor and inserting and deleting characters. Formatting codes can also be used to apply decorative effects such as color, bold, italic, and underline to various bits of the text.‌^{[Bedrock Edition only]} Depending on the edition and platform in use, copy and paste operations may be supported and the editor may also support keyboard entry of Alt-codes for displaying Unicode characters.

As text is entered in the editor, the sign is updated in-world and other players can watch the message develop. Closing the interface saves the text permanently, after which the message can only be changed by replacing the sign with a new one.

After placing and affixing text on a sign, a player can change the text color by using a dye on it. When colored with dye, the text color may differ from any color specified by formatting codes.^{[more information needed]}

Oak sign with Glow Ink in Java edition 1.17-pre1.

A player can use a glow ink sac on a sign to make its text glow. The glowing text is not affected by lighting. The player can use a regular black ink sac on the sign to remove the glowing effect.

Glow ink colors

Name	Main Color	Edge Color
Black	#000000	#EDE8CA
Red	#FC0000	#650000
Green	#00FC00	#006500
Brown	#894413	#361B07
Blue	#0000FC	#000065
Purple	#9E20ED	#3F0C5F
Cyan	#00D6D6	#006565
Light Gray	#D0D0D0	#535353
Gray	#7E7E7E	#323232
Pink	#FC68B2	#652947
Lime	#8DFC00	#4B6500
Yellow	#FCFC00	#656500
Light Blue	#98BECB	#3C4B51
Magenta	#FC00FC	#650065
Orange	#FC671F	#65280C
White	#FCFCFC	#656565

In Creative mode, the combination Ctrl + pick block can be used to copy an already-placed sign, including its text (with decorations), into the player's inventory.

A dyed sign facing east or west will have its text appear more saturated and bright than a sign facing north or south. However, it is actually the sign that is dimmer, because Minecraft's lighting engine uses side lighting to make the world appear less flat, but the text on signs is not affected by this.^{[needs testing]}

In Bedrock Edition, inappropriate words or phrases in a sign's text are displayed as asterisks.

In Java Edition, signs can be created with JSON text, which allows complex formatting (colors, bold, italic, etc.), hover and click events, localized translation (for Minecraft technical terms, like "Redstone Repeater", otherwise translations must be provided in language files in resource packs), and the incorporation of scoreboard values into text. Use the /data merge block command to create or alter JSON signs.

Example: /data merge block ~ ~1 ~ {Text2:'{"text":"line2","color":"blue"}'}

Signs can post the success count of JSON text hover and click events to scoreboard objectives. The objectives to be used can be specified by running the /execute store command or by modifying the sign's NBT data directly with the /data merge block command.

Interaction

Signs act as though they have a use action, so the player is unable to place blocks or use items while the cursor is pointed at them without sneaking.

Signs are removed and drop as an item when pushed by a piston (trying to pull them does nothing), except in Java Edition, where a sign causes the piston to not extend.

Signs have no collision mask (they are completely non-solid), so items and mobs can move through sign blocks. Other blocks (including other signs) can be placed on any edge of a sign.

Water and lava flow around signs. Lava can create fire in air blocks next to signs as if the signs were flammable, but the signs do not burn (and cannot be burned by other methods either, except in Bedrock Edition).

Fuel

Wooden signs can be used as a fuel in furnaces, smelting 1 item per sign.

Note Blocks

Signs can be placed under note blocks to produce "bass" sounds.

Sounds

Generic

Java Edition:

Sound	Subtitles	Source	Description	Resource location	Translation key	Volume	Pitch	Attenuation distance
	Block broken	Blocks	Once the block has broken	block.wood.break	subtitles.block.generic.break	1.0	0.8	16
	None	Blocks	Falling on the block with fall damage	block.wood.fall	None	0.5	0.75	16
	Block breaking	Blocks	While the block is in the process of being broken	block.wood.hit	subtitles.block.generic.hit	0.25	0.5	16
	Block placed	Blocks	When the block is placed	block.wood.place	subtitles.block.generic.place	1.0	0.8	16
	Footsteps	Blocks	Walking on the block	block.wood.step	subtitles.block.generic.footsteps	0.15	1.0	16

Bedrock Edition:

Sound	Source	Description	Resource location	Volume	Pitch
?	Blocks	Once the block has broken	dig.wood	1.0	0.8
?	Blocks	Falling on the block with fall damage	fall.wood	0.4	1.0
?	Blocks	While the block is in the process of being broken	hit.wood	0.23	0.5
?	Blocks	Jumping from the block	jump.wood	0.12	1.0
?	Blocks	Falling on the block without fall damage	land.wood	0.18	1.0
?	Blocks	Walking on the block	step.wood	0.3	1.0
?	Blocks	When the block is placed	use.wood	1.0	0.8

Unique

Sound	Subtitles	Source	Description	Resource location	Translation key	Volume	Pitch	Attenuation distance
	Glow Ink Sac splotches	Blocks	Using glow ink sac on the block	item.glow_ink_sac.use	subtitles.item.glow_ink_sac.use	?	?	?
	Ink Sac splotches	Blocks	Using ink sac on the block	item.ink_sac.use	subtitles.item.ink_sac.use	?	?	?
	Dye stains	Blocks	Using dye on the block	item.dye.use	subtitles.item.dye.use	?	?	?

Data values

ID

Java Edition:

Name	Identifier	Form	Block tags	Item tags	Translation key
Oak Sign	oak_sign	Block & Item	signs standing_signs wall_post_override	signs	block.minecraft.oak_sign
Spruce Sign	spruce_sign	Block & Item	signs standing_signs wall_post_override	signs	block.minecraft.spruce_sign
Birch Sign	birch_sign	Block & Item	signs standing_signs wall_post_override	signs	block.minecraft.birch_sign
Jungle Sign	jungle_sign	Block & Item	signs standing_signs wall_post_override	signs	block.minecraft.jungle_sign
Acacia Sign	acacia_sign	Block & Item	signs standing_signs wall_post_override	signs	block.minecraft.acacia_sign
Dark Oak Sign	dark_oak_sign	Block & Item	signs standing_signs wall_post_override	signs	block.minecraft.dark_oak_sign
Mangrove Sign	mangrove_sign	Block & Item	signs standing_signs wall_post_override	signs	block.minecraft.mangrove_sign
Crimson Sign	crimson_sign	Block & Item	non_flammable_wood signs standing_signs wall_post_override	non_flammable_wood signs	block.minecraft.crimson_sign
Warped Sign	warped_sign	Block & Item	non_flammable_wood signs standing_signs wall_post_override	non_flammable_wood signs	block.minecraft.warped_sign
Oak Wall Sign	oak_wall_sign	Block	signs wall_signs	—	block.minecraft.oak_wall_sign
Spruce Wall Sign	spruce_wall_sign	Block	signs wall_signs	—	block.minecraft.spruce_wall_sign
Birch Wall Sign	birch_wall_sign	Block	signs wall_signs	—	block.minecraft.birch_wall_sign
Jungle Wall Sign	jungle_wall_sign	Block	signs wall_signs	—	block.minecraft.jungle_wall_sign
Acacia Wall Sign	acacia_wall_sign	Block	signs wall_signs	—	block.minecraft.acacia_wall_sign
Dark Oak Wall Sign	dark_oak_wall_sign	Block	signs wall_signs	—	block.minecraft.dark_oak_wall_sign
Mangrove Wall Sign	mangrove_wall_sign	Block	signs wall_signs	—	block.minecraft.mangrove_wall_sign
Crimson Wall Sign	crimson_wall_sign	Block	non_flammable_wood signs wall_signs	—	block.minecraft.crimson_wall_sign
Warped Wall Sign	warped_wall_sign	Block	non_flammable_wood signs wall_signs	—	block.minecraft.warped_wall_sign

Name	Identifier
Block entity	sign

Bedrock Edition:

Sign	Identifier	Alias ID	Numeric ID	Form	Item ID	Translation key
Oak standing	standing_sign	None	63	Block & Ungiveable Item	Identical	tile.standing_sign.name
Spruce standing	spruce_standing_sign	None	436	Block & Ungiveable Item	Identical	tile.spruce_standing_sign.name
Birch standing	birch_standing_sign	None	441	Block & Ungiveable Item	Identical	tile.birch_standing_sign.name
Jungle standing	jungle_standing_sign	None	443	Block & Ungiveable Item	Identical	tile.jungle_standing_sign.name
Acacia standing	acacia_standing_sign	None	445	Block & Ungiveable Item	Identical	tile.acacia_standing_sign.name
Dark Oak standing	darkoak_standing_sign	None	447	Block & Ungiveable Item	Identical	tile.darkoak_standing_sign.name
Crimson standing	crimson_standing_sign	None	505	Block & Ungiveable Item	Identical	tile.crimson_standing_sign.name
Warped standing	warped_standing_sign	None	506	Block & Ungiveable Item	Identical	tile.warped_standing_sign.name
Oak wall	wall_sign	None	68	Block & Ungiveable Item	Identical	—
Spruce wall	spruce_wall_sign	None	437	Block & Ungiveable Item	Identical	—
Birch wall	birch_wall_sign	None	442	Block & Ungiveable Item	Identical	—
Jungle wall	jungle_wall_sign	None	444	Block & Ungiveable Item	Identical	—
Acacia wall	acacia_wall_sign	None	446	Block & Ungiveable Item	Identical	—
Dark Oak wall	darkoak_wall_sign	None	448	Block & Ungiveable Item	Identical	—
Crimson wall	crimson_wall_sign	None	507	Block & Ungiveable Item	Identical	tile.crimson_wall_sign.name
Warped wall	warped_wall_sign	None	508	Block & Ungiveable Item	Identical	tile.warped_wall_sign.name
Oak item	sign	None	358	Item	—	item.sign.name
Spruce item	spruce_sign	None	576	Item	—	item.spruce_sign.name
Birch item	birch_sign	None	577	Item	—	item.birch_sign.name
Jungle item	jungle_sign	None	578	Item	—	item.jungle_sign.name
Acacia item	acacia_sign	None	579	Item	—	item.acacia_sign.name
Dark Oak item	dark_oak_sign	darkoak_sign	580	Item	—	item.darkoak_sign.name
Crimson item	crimson_sign	None	614	Item	—	item.crimson_sign.name
Warped item	warped_sign	None	615	Item	—	item.warped_sign.name

Name	Savegame ID
Block entity	Sign

Block states

See also: Block states

Java Edition:

Standing

Name	Default value	Allowed values	Description
rotation	0	0	The block is facing south.
		1	The block is facing south-southwest.
		2	The block is facing southwest.
		3	The block is facing west-southwest.
		4	The block is facing west.
		5	The block is facing west-northwest.
		6	The block is facing northwest.
		7	The block is facing north-northwest.
		8	The block is facing north.
		9	The block is facing north-northeast.
		10	The block is facing northeast.
		11	The block is facing east-northeast.
		12	The block is facing east.
		13	The block is facing east-southeast.
		14	The block is facing southeast.
		15	The block is facing south-southeast.
lit	false	false true	Whether or not this sign has glowing text.
waterlogged	false	false true	Whether or not there's water in the same place as this sign.

Wall

Name	Default value	Allowed values	Description
facing	north	east north south west	The direction the block is facing. For example, a block facing east is attached to a block to its west. Opposite from the direction a player faces when placing the block.
lit	false	false true	Whether or not this sign has glowing text.
waterlogged	false	false true	Whether or not there's water in the same place as this sign.

Bedrock Edition:

Standing

Name	Metadata Bits	Default value	Allowed values	Values for Metadata Bits	Description
ground_sign_direction	0x1 0x2 0x4 0x8	0	0	0	The block is facing south.
			1	1	The block is facing south-southwest.
			2	2	The block is facing southwest.
			3	3	The block is facing west-southwest.
			4	4	The block is facing west.
			5	5	The block is facing west-northwest.
			6	6	The block is facing northwest.
			7	7	The block is facing north-northwest.
			8	8	The block is facing north.
			9	9	The block is facing north-northeast.
			10	10	The block is facing northeast.
			11	11	The block is facing east-northeast.
			12	12	The block is facing east.
			13	13	The block is facing east-southeast.
			14	14	The block is facing southeast.
			15	15	The block is facing south-southeast.

Wall

Name	Metadata Bits	Default value	Allowed values	Values for Metadata Bits	Description
facing_direction	0x1 0x2 0x4	2	2 3 4 5	2 3 4 5	The direction the block is facing. For example, a block facing east is attached to a block to its west. 2: north 3: south 4: west 5: east
			0 1	0 1	Unused

Block data

A sign has a block entity associated with it that holds additional data about the block.

Java Edition:

See also: Block entity format

• Block entity data
  • Tags common to all block entities
  •  GlowingText: 1 or 0 (true/false) - true if the sign has been dyed with a glow ink sac.
  •  Color: The color that has been used to dye the sign. The default value is "black". One of "white", "orange", "magenta", "light_blue", "yellow", "lime", "pink", "gray", "light_gray", "cyan", "purple", "blue", "brown", "green", "red", or "black".
  •  Text1: First row of text.
  •  Text2: Second row of text.
  •  Text3: Third row of text.
  •  Text4: Fourth row of text.

The character limit for the Text tags depends on the width of the characters. Although the Text tags are string objects, they should contain JSON text which are evaluated as compound objects.

Bedrock Edition:

See Bedrock Edition level format/Block entity format.

Achievements

Icon		Achievement	In-game description	Actual requirements (if different)	Gamerscore earned	Trophy type (PS4)
PS4	Other platforms
		It's a Sign!	Craft and place an Oak Sign.	—	15G	Bronze

Advancements

Icon	Advancement	In-game description	Parent	Actual requirements (if different)	Resource location
	Glow and Behold!	Make the text of a sign glow	Husbandry	Use a glow ink sac on a sign.	husbandry/make_a_sign_glow

History

Main article: /History

Java Edition Classic
0.24_SURVIVAL_TEST					Signs are currently being tested as entities. They always display "This is a test of the signs. Each line can be 15 chars!" and can only be spawned by pressing B.
0.27 SURVIVAL TEST					Signs can no longer be spawned by pressing B.
Java Edition Infdev
20100607					Signs have been re-implemented as blocks, although still rendering as entities.
					Signs now have a crafting recipe and the text can now be edited. Editing a sign pauses the game in singleplayer.
					Signs are currently huge and drop planks when destroyed.
					Signs do not have a particle texture defined. As such, they default to using the grass block texture instead.
20100608					Signs are now broken faster.
					Signs now drop themselves when destroyed, instead of planks.
					Signs now use planks particles.
Java Edition Alpha
v1.0.1					Added wall signs.
					Signs are now smaller.
v1.0.5					Signs no longer require a free block above it to place.
Java Edition Beta
April 27, 2011					Hand-drawn signs are mentioned.
Java Edition
1.0.0		Beta 1.9 Prerelease 6			Signs are now broken faster using an axe.
1.3.1		12w18a			Editing a sign no longer pauses the game in singleplayer.
		12w27a			Signs are now stackable up to 16.
					The same crafting recipe now produces 3 signs instead of 1.
June 9, 2014					Searge tweeted a picture of a sign showing a username and a scoreboard score.
1.8		14w25a			Added support for JSON text to signs.
					Sign character limit now depends on character width.
		14w29a			Signs now display the cracking animation.
1.9		15w43a			A sign now generates within igloo basements.
1.11		16w33a			Signs can now be used as fuel in furnaces.
1.13		17w47a			The standing sign ID has been changed from standing_sign to sign.
					Prior to The Flattening, these blocks' numeral IDs were 63 and 68, and the item's 323.
		18w10d			Water can now be placed on the same block as signs.
1.14		18w43a			"Sign" has been renamed to "Oak Sign".
					The texture of oak sign items has been changed.
					Added spruce, birch, jungle, acacia and dark oak signs.
					The sign's text has been changed from black to white.
					A sign's recipe now requires the same type of wood instead of a random assortment.
		18w44a			Signs can now be used while holding a dye to change the text color.
					Default text color for signs has been changed back to black.
		18w45a			A new movable cursor for free text editing to signs has been added.
					Selection and copy/paste support have been added to signs.
		18w50a			Spruce signs now generate in some taiga village houses.
					Spruce sign items can now be found in chests in taiga village houses.
		19w12a			Signs can now be dyed only in Creative mode.
		19w12b			Signs can now be dyed in Survival mode again.
1.16		20w06a			Added crimson and warped signs.
		20w09a			Crimson and warped signs can now be crafted.
1.17		21w03a			Signs can now be tinted with glow ink sacs to make the text glow.
					Works with both undyed and dyed signs.
					Signs now have a sound for being dyed.
		21w11a			The textures of signs have been changed to reflect the changes made to planks in the Texture Update.
		Pre-release 1			Glowing text on signs now has an outer glow, making text more visible in the dark.
1.18		21w41a			Changed all signs textures as items.
Upcoming Java Edition
1.19		22w11a			Added mangrove sign.
Pocket Edition Alpha
v0.5.0					Signs have been added, though they can be obtained only through inventory editors.
					The player currently cannot write on signs.
v0.6.0					Signs can now be legitimately obtained in Survival and Creative mode.
					The player can now write on signs.
v0.10.0		build 1			Signs now have a selection overlay.
Pocket Edition
1.0.0		alpha 0.17.0.1			Signs can now be found in igloo basements.
Bedrock Edition
1.9.0		beta 1.9.0.0			"Sign" has been renamed to "Oak Sign".
					Added spruce, birch, jungle, acacia and dark oak signs.
					The sign's text has been changed from black to white.
					A sign's recipe now requires the same type of wood instead of a random assortment.
		beta 1.9.0.2			The default sign text color has been changed back to black.
					Sign variants are now grouped in their own inventory category.
1.10.0		beta 1.10.0.3			The texture of oak sign items has been changed.
					Spruce signs now generate in new taiga and snowy taiga village houses.
1.11.0		beta 1.11.0.1			Signs can now be used as a fuel in furnaces.
					Oak signs can now be found inside taiga and snowy taiga village house chests.
1.16.0		beta 1.16.0.51			Added crimson and warped signs.
					The texture of all signs except oak sign have been changed.
1.16.20		beta 1.16.20.50			Crimson and warped signs now uses regular plank sounds instead of their stem variant sounds.
1.16.210		beta 1.16.210.59			Signs can now be used while holding a dye to change the text color.
					Signs can now be tinted with glow ink sacs to make the text glow.
					Works with both default and dyed signs.
		beta 1.16.210.60			Color on dyed signs disappears and the text turns back to black.
					Signs with applied glowing effect as well as color stops glowing and color is removed.
1.16.220		beta 1.16.220.50			Signs can now be used while holding a dye to change the text color again.
					Signs can now be tinted with glow ink sacs to make the text glow again.
		beta 1.16.220.52			Now has sounds for being dyed.
		release			A glowing effect can no longer be applied to signs due to glow ink sacs becoming inaccessible in the full release.
1.17.0		beta 1.17.0.50			Textures of sign items was updated.
					The textures of oak signs have been changed to reflect the changes made to planks in the Texture Update.
1.17.10		beta 1.17.10.21			Glowing text on signs now has an outer glow, making text more visible in the dark.
1.18.10		beta 1.18.10.20			Changed all signs textures as items.
Upcoming Bedrock Edition
1.19.0		beta 1.19.0.20			Added mangrove sign.
Legacy Console Edition
TU1	CU1	1.0	Patch 1	1.0.1	Added signs.
TU9					Signs are now stackable up to 16.
					The same crafting recipe for signs now produces 3 signs instead of 1.
		1.88			Added spruce, birch, jungle, acacia and dark oak signs.
		1.90			The texture of oak sign items has been changed.
New Nintendo 3DS Edition
0.1.0					Added signs.

• 

  Test of signs in early Classic.

• 

  Another early sign image.

• 

  First image of sign blocks during Alpha.

• 

  First image of signs on Pocket Edition.

• 

  First image of editing text on PE iOS.

• 

  First image of editing text on PE Android.

• 

Gallery

• 

  Oak sign with Glow Ink in the dark in 21w03a.

• 

  Difference in visibility of a lime text, from left to right, in a lit birch sign, unlit birch sign, lit dark oak sign, and unlit dark oak sign.

• 

  The comparison between glow text and non-glow text.

• 

  Signs being different shades depending on orientation.

• 

  All sixteen colors of glow text.

Issues

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

References

Items

View at: Template:Items/content [edit]