Snow
Renewable |
Yes |
---|---|
Stackable |
Yes (64) |
Tool | |
Blast resistance |
0.1 |
Hardness |
0.1 |
Luminant |
No |
Transparent |
Yes |
Flammable |
No |
Catches fire from lava |
No |
Snow[a] is a ground cover block that is commonly caused by snowfall.
Contents
Obtaining[edit]
Breaking[edit]

Snow can be obtained using a shovel with the Silk Touch enchantment. Destroying snow with a non-silk-touch shovel yields one snowball per layer. If it is destroyed with anything other than a shovel, nothing is dropped (even if using a different Silk Touch tool). Explosions by TNT or creepers will also cause snow to yield a snowball. Snow can also be obtained by causing it to drop into an invalid block space, in which case it drops itself.[Bedrock Edition only] The dropped snow layer also corresponds with how many layers were in the broken snow pile.
Block | Snow | |
---|---|---|
Hardness | 0.1 | |
Tool | ||
Breaking time[A] | ||
Default | 0.5 | |
Wooden | 0.1 | |
Stone | 0.05 | |
Iron | 0.05 | |
Diamond | 0.05 | |
Netherite | 0.05 | |
Golden | 0.05 |
- ↑ Times are for unenchanted tools as wielded by players with no status effects, measured in seconds. For more information, see Breaking § Speed.
Natural generation[edit]
Snow naturally generates in snowy biomes – snowy tundra, ice spikes, frozen oceans, snowy taiga, frozen river and snowy beach – and in the mountains biome above y-level 90–95. Only blocks with direct access to the sky can generate snow layers naturally (with the exception of some snowy villages, which are intentionally made to generate extra snow in areas inaccessible to the sky).[1]
Snow generates where there is sky access atop buildings in snowy taiga villages. [Bedrock Edition only]
Snow generates in multiple layers as part of many snowy tundra village structures.
Snow generates exclusively in single layers in Java Edition, but can generate in multiple layers in Bedrock Edition.
Crafting[edit]
Ingredients | Crafting recipe |
---|---|
Snow Block |
Post-generation[edit]
Weather[edit]
In snowy biomes or in cold biomes at varying layers, the weather can snow instead of rain. In snowy weather, snow generates on random non-transparent blocks with a block light level of 10 or less, with the exception of ice and packed ice.[more information needed]
Reason: Some of the info in this table may be outdated, or possibly just outright incorrect.
Biome | Layer |
---|---|
y 0 | |
y 90–95 | |
y 120–125 | |
y 150–155 | |
y 160–165 | |
y 256 |
In Bedrock Edition, multiple snow layers are built up naturally during snowfall; in Java Edition, snowfall creates only one layer.
Snow layers do not generate if the gamerule doweathercycle has been set to false.[Bedrock Edition only]
Snow golems[edit]
Snow golems generate a trail of snow in snowy, cold, and some medium biomes, or any non-dry biome in Bedrock Edition.
Usage[edit]
Snow can be placed only on a solid block that is not ice. In Java Edition, snow breaks if its support block is removed. In Bedrock Edition, snow is affected by gravity and falls if it becomes unsupported, and breaks if it falls onto an unsuitable block. A player can jump up 1 block and 3 snow layers.
Cover[edit]
If the snow is on a grass block (or mycelium or podzol in Java Edition[2]) the ground cover turns white on the top and around the sides. Snow does not damage tilled and hydrated field areas – it cannot be placed on farmland. A gravity-affected block like sand or gravel does not fall if snow covers the block below it, but the gravity-affected block does replace a snow layer when falling onto it. The texture of the grass block changes to snowy when a single layer of snow is placed on top.[3][4] Thicker layers of snow causes the grass block to revert to plain dirt when the block receives a random tick, similar to regular grass when covered by an opaque block. A plain dirt block with a single layer of snow on top gains a snowy texture if grass spreads to it.
In Bedrock Edition, if leaves are topped with a layer of snow, particles of snow appear to fall through the leaves from the snow layer.
In Bedrock Edition, snow layers can occupy the same space as one-block flowers, mushrooms, and one-block ferns and grass, (however two-block tall plants do not work)[5] and can be layered and mined normally. Placing snow on already-existing plant blocks causes snow to appear around them, but placing plants into an area where there is snow removes the snow.[6]
Snow layers can be used to kill nylium, a mechanic intentionally programmed into the game by Mojang.[7]
Melting[edit]
Snow melts if there is a heat block[BE & EE only], or block light level of 12 or more. In Bedrock Edition, it also melts in dry biomes, regardless of block light or daylight level. If there are multiple layers, all layers melt at once; the snow levels do not gradually reduce in height.
Most light sources can melt snow but some cannot.
Item | Melt | Melt Radius |
---|---|---|
Beacon | Yes | 3 |
Campfire | Yes | 3 |
Soul Campfire | No | N/A |
Conduit | Yes | 3 |
Glowstone | Yes | 3 |
Jack o'Lantern | Yes | 3 |
Lantern | Yes | 3 |
Soul Lantern | No | N/A |
Lava | Yes | 3 |
Redstone Lamp | Yes | 3 |
Respawn Anchor 1/4 Charge | No | N/A |
Respawn Anchor 2/4 Charge | No | N/A |
Respawn Anchor 3/4 Charge | No | N/A |
Respawn Anchor 4/4 Charge | Yes | 3 |
1 Sea Pickle | No | N/A |
2 Sea Pickles | No | N/A |
3 Sea Pickles | No | N/A |
4 Sea Pickles | Yes | 3 |
Shroomlight | Yes | 3 |
End Rod | Yes | 2 |
Torch | Yes | 2 |
Soul Torch | No | N/A |
Redstone Torch | No | N/A |
Ender Chest | No | N/A |
Furnace | Yes | 1 |
Blast Furnace | Yes | 1 |
Smoker | Yes | 1 |
Crying Obsidian | No | N/A |
Magma Block | No | N/A |
Brewing Stand | No | N/A |
Brown Mushroom | No | N/A |
Dragon Egg | No | N/A |
Redstone Ore | No | N/A |
End Portal Frame | No | N/A |
Fire | Yes | 3 |
Soul Fire | No | N/A |
Nether Portal | No | N/A |
Sea Lantern | Yes | 3 |
Foxes[edit]
When a fox gets stuck in the snow after missing an attack on prey, it emits particles as it emerges from the snow.
Sounds[edit]
Sound | Subtitle | Source | Description | Namespaced ID | Translation key | Volume | Pitch | Attenuation distance |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Block broken | Blocks | Once the block has broken | block.snow.break | subtitles.block.generic.break | 1.0 | 0.8 | 16 | |
None[sound 1] | Blocks | Falling on the block with fall damage | block.snow.fall | None[sound 1] | 0.5 | 0.75 | 16 | |
Block breaking | Blocks | While the block is in the process of being broken | block.snow.hit | subtitles.block.generic.hit | 0.25 | 0.5 | 16 | |
Block placed | Blocks | When the block is placed | block.snow.place | subtitles.block.generic.place | 1.0 | 0.8 | 16 | |
Footsteps | Blocks | Walking on the block | block.snow.step | subtitles.block.generic.footsteps | 0.15 | 1.0 | 16 |
Bedrock Edition: [needs in-game testing]
Sound | Source | Description | Namespaced ID | Volume | Pitch |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
? | Blocks | Once the block has broken | dig.snow | ? | 0.8 |
? | Blocks | Falling on the block with fall damage | fall.snow | ? | ? |
? | Blocks | While the block is in the process of being broken | hit.snow | ? | 0.5 |
? | Blocks | Jumping from the block | jump.snow | ? | ? |
? | Blocks | Falling on the block without fall damage | land.snow | ? | ? |
? | Blocks | Walking on the block | step.snow | ? | ? |
? | Blocks | When the block is placed | use.snow | ? | 0.8 |
Data values[edit]
ID[edit]
Name | Namespaced ID | Block tags (JE) | Form | Translation key |
---|---|---|---|---|
Snow | snow | inside_step_sound_block[upcoming: JE 1.17] | Block & Item | block.minecraft.snow |
Name | Namespaced ID | Numeric ID | Form | Translation key |
---|---|---|---|---|
Top Snow | snow_layer | 78 | Block & Item | tile.snow_layer.name |
Metadata[edit]
In Bedrock Edition, top snow uses the following data values:
DV | Description | |
---|---|---|
0 | One layer, 2 pixels thick | |
1 | Two layers, 4 pixels thick | |
2 | Three layers, 6 pixels thick | |
3 | Four layers, 8 pixels thick | |
4 | Five layers, 10 pixels thick | |
5 | Six layers, 12 pixels thick | |
6 | Seven layers, 14 pixels thick | |
7 | Eight layers, 16 pixels thick |
Block states[edit]
Name | Default value | Allowed values | Description |
---|---|---|---|
layers | 1 | 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 | The number of layers thick. Each layer adds two pixels to the block height, and each layer after the first adds two pixels to the collision box. |
Name | Default value | Allowed values | Description |
---|---|---|---|
height | 0 | 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 | The number of layers in addition to the bottom layer. |
covered_bit | 0 | 0 1 | [check the code] |
History[edit]
The specific instructions are: Appearance when affected by MC-50254
Java Edition Classic | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
May 20, 2009 | Notch briefly mentioned, "Winter is an awesome idea. I can see snow and tiles slowly getting covered in a layer of snow. Also, ice on lakes. :D" | ||||
May 21, 2009 | Notch reveals that snow "on top of topmost tiles" was on his to-do list. | ||||
Java Edition Alpha | |||||
v1.0.4 | ![]() | ||||
Snow can not fall onto any non solid blocks, and instead falls through them. The exception to this is leaves. | |||||
v1.0.5 | Disturbing a snow layer by any means other than replacing it now causes a snowball to drop. This includes melting and mining snow or the block under it. | ||||
A player can now easily harvest snow by placing a block of water. By doing so, the player receives a large amount of snowballs with little effort. | |||||
Snow can now fall onto many non solid blocks including glass, stairs, slabs, doors, signs, and pressure plates. | |||||
v1.0.5_01 | Snowballs can now be harvested from snow only by using with shovels. | ||||
v1.0.17 | Snow can no longer fall on non solid blocks, including leaves. Any snow on top of non solid blocks break given a block update. | ||||
v1.2.0 | preview | With the removal of Winter Mode, snow can no longer regenerate. | |||
Java Edition Beta | |||||
1.5 | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() | ||||
Snow regeneration has now returned as part of the new weather features.[8] | |||||
Snow can now occur in arctic biomes. | |||||
1.7 | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() | ||||
1.8 | Pre-release | Snow biomes have been temporarily removed as Notch is currently trying to improve them. | |||
Dropped snow layer items no longer appear larger than normal blocks. | |||||
Java Edition | |||||
1.0.0 | Beta 1.9 Prerelease | Snow biomes have been re-added. | |||
Snow now occurs in tundra biomes, as well as arctic biomes. | |||||
1.3.1 | 12w21a | Snow has been made available in the creative inventory. | |||
1.5 | 13w05a | Snow can now be crafted and is obtainable in Survival mode. | |||
Stacked snow layers now have correct collisions, and can be placed. | |||||
1.8 | 14w28b | The number of snowballs dropped from snow has been increased from 1-8 to 2-9, depending on thickness. | |||
1.13 | 17w47a | The ID of snow has been changed from snow_layer to snow .
| |||
Prior to The Flattening, this block's numeral ID was 78. | |||||
Layer 1 snow now has empty collision instead of solid collision of height 0, allowing entities to once again pass through it. | |||||
1.14 | 18w43a | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() | |||
19w03c | Seven layer high snow now uses correct cullface arguments. | ||||
Pocket Edition Alpha | |||||
Pre-release | ![]() | ||||
v0.4.0 | ![]() | ||||
v0.8.0 | build 2 | Added snow to the Creative mode inventory. | |||
v0.12.1 | build 1 | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() | |||
Snow is now affected by gravity, so that unsupported snow layers show falling dust particles. | |||||
Snow can now be placed inside flowers, mushrooms and tall grass. | |||||
Snow is now obtained by using a shovel on it. Previously, snow was mined like any dirt-type block. | |||||
Bedrock Edition | |||||
1.2.0 | ? | Snow layers can now generate in extreme hills biomes. | |||
1.10.0 | beta 1.10.0.3 | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() | |||
1.16.0 | beta 1.15.0.51 | Snow now drops itself when mined with a Silk Touch shovel. | |||
Legacy Console Edition | |||||
TU1 | CU1 | 1.0 | Patch 1 | 1.0.1 | ![]() |
TU54 | CU44 | 1.52 | Patch 24 | 1.0.4 | Snow can now be placed on top of upside-down stairs. |
TU69 | CU57 | 1.76 | Patch 38 | Snow is now affected by gravity. | |
1.90 | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() | ||||
New Nintendo 3DS Edition | |||||
0.1.0 | ![]() |
Issues[edit]
Issues relating to "Snow", "Snow layer", or "Top snow" are maintained on the bug tracker. Report issues there.
Trivia[edit]
- Snow can be stacked to a full block beside a cactus without destroying the cactus.
- Snow layers of 2 to 7 thickness prevent hostile mobs from spawning.
- In Spectator mode, a player positioned at the correct height can see the snowy texture of the top of the grass blocks.
Gallery[edit]
Java Edition[edit]
Bedrock Edition[edit]
Notes[edit]
- ↑ Known as Snow in Java Edition and Top Snow in Bedrock Edition.