Template:BlockTileEntity
Signs are non-solid blocks that can display text.
Obtaining
Signs can be broken with any tool, or without a tool, but an axe is fastest.
| Block | Sign | |
|---|---|---|
| Hardness | 1 | |
| Tool | ||
| Breaking time[A] | ||
| Default | 1.5 | |
| Wooden | 0.75 | |
| Stone | 0.4 | |
| Iron | 0.25 | |
| Diamond | 0.2 | |
| Netherite | 0.2 | |
| Golden | 0.15 | |
- ↑ Times are for unenchanted tools as wielded by players with no status effects, measured in seconds. For more information, see Breaking § Speed.
A sign will also break and drop 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 will[Java and Legacy Console editions only][1]/will not[Bedrock Edition only] continue to edit the sign.
Crafting
Signs can be crafted from wood planks and a stick.
| Ingredients | Crafting recipe | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Any Planks + Stick |
[until BE Edition 1.9] [until BE Edition 1.9] |
| Ingredients | Crafting recipe | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Matching Planks + Stick |
[upcoming: BE Edition 1.9 & Lua error in Module:Version_link at line 112: attempt to concatenate local 'text' (a nil value).] |
Natural generation
An oak sign can be found in igloo basements.
Spruce signs generate in some taiga village houses.[upcoming: Lua error in Module:Version_link at line 112: attempt to concatenate local 'text' (a nil value).]
Spruce signs can be found inside taiga village house chests.[upcoming: Lua error in Module:Version_link at line 112: attempt to concatenate local 'text' (a nil value).]
Usage
Signs can be used to display text.
Placement
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,
in an Xbox controller,
in a PlayStation controller). 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 placed on the top of a block stand on a short post and will face in the direction of 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.
Text
When entering text, four lines of text are available. To switch between lines, the player can press Enter or the up/down arrow keys. The line which is currently selected will have a greater-than (>) at the beginning and a less-than sign (<) at the end.
While editing, typing and backspacing occur only at the end of a line. It is impossible to insert text in the middle of an already typed line - the player must delete and re-enter text in order to make edits.
After the editing window is closed, the sign's text can only be changed by removing and replacing it, removing the text in the process. Copy and Paste cannot be performed, and no more than the basic/shifted characters on a keyboard may be entered. The Xbox 360 Edition and Bedrock Edition supports both the on-screen keyboard and direct editing of text using a USB keyboard or controller chatpad.
The combination Ctrl + pick block can be used to copy an already-placed sign and place it down again with the same text shown as the original.[Java Edition only]
With a map editor, the color of sign text can be changed with formatting codes.
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 ~ standing_sign {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.
The text color can be changed by right clicking with dye.[upcoming: Lua error in Module:Version_link at line 112: attempt to concatenate local 'text' (a nil value).]
The text displayed on a sign will not be affected by lighting.[upcoming: Lua error in Module:Version_link at line 112: attempt to concatenate local 'text' (a nil value).]
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 will be removed and drop as an item when pushed by a piston (trying to pull them does nothing), except in Java Edition, where a sign will cause 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 will flow around signs. Lava can create fire in air blocks next to signs as if the signs were flammable, but the signs will not burn up (and can't be burned by other methods either, except in Bedrock Edition).
Fuel
Signs can be used as a fuel in furnaces, smelting 1 item per sign.[Java and Legacy Console editions only]
Collecting cacti
When attempting to place a sign on a cactus, the cactus will break and the sign will drop as an item.[Bedrock Edition only]
When attempting to place a sign on a cactus, the cactus will break and the sign will drop as an item after the menu is closed.[Java Edition only]
Breaking double tall grass
When replacing the top half of tall grass, the grass will break and the sign will drop as an item.[Bedrock Edition only]
Data values
Reason: Bedrock has new signs.
ID
Sign/ID
Block data
In Bedrock Edition, a sign's block data specifies the direction it is facing.
- Standing
| Bits | Description |
|---|---|
| 0x1 0x2 0x4 0x8 |
A four-bit field storing a value from 0 to 15 specifying the block's orientation:
|
- Wall
| Bits | Description |
|---|---|
| 0x1 0x2 0x4 |
A three-bit field storing a value from 2 to 5 specifying the block's orientation:
|
| 0x8 | (unused) |
Block states
- Non-hanging:
- 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. | ||
| waterlogged | false | falsetrue | Whether or not there's water in the same place as this sign. |
- Wall
| Name | Default value | Allowed values | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| facing | north | eastnorthsouthwest | 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. |
| waterlogged | false | falsetrue | Whether or not there's water in the same place as this sign. |
- Hanging:
- Hanging
| Name | Default value | Allowed values | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| attached | false | falsetrue | [more information needed] |
| 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. | ||
| waterlogged | false | falsetrue | Whether or not there's water in the same place as this hanging sign. |
- Wall
| Name | Default value | Allowed values | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| facing | north | eastnorthsouthwest | The direction the block is facing. |
| waterlogged | false | falsetrue | Whether or not there's water in the same place as this hanging sign. |
- Standing
| Name | Metadata Bits | Default value | Allowed values | Values for Metadata Bits |
Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ground_sign_direction | 0x10x20x40x8 | 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 | 0x10x20x4 | 2 | 2345 | 2345 | The direction the block is facing. For example, a block facing east is attached to a block to its west.
|
01 | 01 | Unused |
- Hanging
| Name | Metadata Bits | Default value | Allowed values | Values for Metadata Bits |
Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| attached_bit | Not Supported | false | falsetrue | Unsupported | Whether or not the hanging block is attached to face in a specific direction. |
| facing_direction | Not Supported | 2 | 2345 | Unsupported | The direction the block is facing. For example, a block facing east is attached to a block to its west.
|
01 | Unsupported | Unused | |||
| ground_sign_direction | Not Supported | 0
| 0 | Unsupported | The hanging block is facing south. |
1 | Unsupported | The hanging block is facing south-southwest. | |||
2 | Unsupported | The hanging block is facing southwest. | |||
3 | Unsupported | The hanging block is facing west-southwest. | |||
4 | Unsupported | The hanging block is facing west. | |||
5 | Unsupported | The hanging block is facing west-northwest. | |||
6 | Unsupported | The hanging block is facing northwest. | |||
7 | Unsupported | The hanging block is facing north-northwest. | |||
8 | Unsupported | The hanging block is facing north. | |||
9 | Unsupported | The hanging block is facing north-northeast. | |||
10 | Unsupported | The hanging block is facing northeast. | |||
11 | Unsupported | The hanging block is facing east-northeast. | |||
12 | Unsupported | The hanging block is facing east. | |||
13 | Unsupported | The hanging block is facing east-southeast. | |||
14 | Unsupported | The hanging block is facing southeast. | |||
15 | Unsupported | The hanging block is facing south-southeast. | |||
| hanging | Not Supported | false | falsetrue | Unsupported | Whether or not the block is hanging under another block. |
Block entity
A sign has a block entity associated with it that holds additional data about the block. The block's block entity ID is sign.
- 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 sign and Hanging Sign share the same structure.
- Block entity data
- Tags common to all block entities
- is_waxed: 1 or 0 (true/false) - true if the text is locked with honeycomb.
- front_text: A compound which discribes front text.
- has_glowing_text: 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
blackOne ofwhite,orange,magenta,light_blue,yellow,lime,pink,gray,light_gray,cyan,purple,blue,brown,green,red, andblack. - messages: A list of text for each line.
- : Text for each line. Must be Raw JSON text format.
- back_text: A compound which discribes back text. The same structure as front_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.
Achievements
| Icon | Achievement | In-game description | Actual requirements (if different) | Gamerscore earned | Trophy type (PS4) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PS4 | Other | |||||
| It's a Sign! | Craft and place an Oak Sign. | — | 15G | Bronze | ||
Video
Note: This video is outdated, since signs in different wood types were added in 1.14 snapshot 18w43a.Sign/video
History
| classic | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0.24_SURVIVAL_TEST | Tested signs as entities, however they had a preset text and could only be spawned in by pressing B.[2] | ||||
| infdev | |||||
| June 7, 2010 | Sign re-implemented as a block. They also have a crafting recipe and the text can be edited. | ||||
| June 8, 2010 | Signs are now broken faster. | ||||
| alpha | |||||
| v1.0.1 | Signs can now be placed on walls. | ||||
| v1.0.5 | Signs will now no longer require a free block above it to place. | ||||
| Java Edition | |||||
| 1.3.1 | 12w18a | Editing a sign will now no longer pause the game in singleplayer. | |||
| 12w27a | Signs are now stackable up to 16. | ||||
| The same crafting recipe will now produce 3 signs instead of 1. | |||||
| 1.7.2 | 13w37a | The item forms of block IDs 63 (free-standing sign) and 68 (wall mounted sign) have now been removed from the game. They can now no longer exist in inventories, only as blocks in the world. | |||
| 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. | |||
| Sign character limit will now depend on character width. | |||||
| 14w29a | Signs will now display the cracking animation. | ||||
| 1.9 | 15w43a | A sign will now generate within igloo basements. | |||
| 1.11 | 16w33a | Signs can now be used as fuel in furnaces. | |||
| 1.13 | 17w47a | The standing sign ID has now 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. | ||||
| Upcoming Java Edition | |||||
| 1.14 | 18w43a | "Sign" has now been renamed to "Oak Sign". | |||
| Added spruce, birch, acacia, jungle and dark oak signs. | |||||
| The sign's text has now been changed from black to white. | |||||
| A sign's recipe will now require 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 now been changed back to black. | |||||
| 18w45a | Added a new movable cursor for free text editing. | ||||
| Added selection and copy/paste support. | |||||
| Pocket Edition Alpha | |||||
| 0.5.0 | Signs have now been added, though they can only be obtained through inventory editors. | ||||
| The player cannot write on signs. | |||||
| 0.6.0 | Signs can now be legitimately obtained in survival and creative mode, thus the player can now write on them. | ||||
| 0.10.0 | build 1 | Signs will now have a selection overlay. | |||
| Pocket Edition | |||||
| 1.1 | build 1 | Sign can now be found in igloo basements. | |||
| Upcoming Bedrock Edition | |||||
| 1.9 | beta 1.9.0.0 | "Sign" has now been renamed to "Oak Sign". | |||
| Added spruce, birch, acacia, jungle and dark oak signs. | |||||
| The sign's text has now been changed from black to white. | |||||
| A sign's recipe will now require the same type of wood instead of a random assortment. | |||||
| beta 1.9.0.2 | Changed default sign text color back to black. | ||||
| Sign variants are now grouped in their own inventory category. | |||||
| Legacy Console Edition | |||||
| TU1 | CU1 | 1.0 | Patch 1 | Patch s1 | Added signs. |
| TU9 | Signs are now stackable up to 16. | ||||
| The same crafting recipe will now produce 3 signs instead of 1. | |||||
Trivia
- If a sign is placed within a ring of four cacti, only certain cacti will break, depending on the direction.[3]
Issues
Issues relating to "Sign" are maintained on the bug tracker. Report issues there.
