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Tom Stone Mojang avatar

Once placed, the sponge block will slurp up surrounding water and any more water that's foolish enough to cross its path. Impressively, this thirsty block can drink up to 65 water blocks before becoming a wet sponge.

Tom Stone[1]

Michael Stoyke Mojang avatar

So you used a sponge and it's wet now? How about applying some heat to dry it, you might be able to reuse it. #CookMeASponge

Searge[2]

A sponge is a block that can be used to remove water around itself when placed, turning into a wet sponge in the process.

Obtaining

Either type of sponge can be mined by hand, or with any tool, dropping itself as an item. Mining time is not affected by the tool used.

Block Sponge
Wet Sponge
Hardness 0.6
Breaking time (secs)
Default 0.9

Drops

An elder guardian drops one wet sponge when killed by the player. Since elder guardians do not respawn, this does not make sponges renewable.

Natural generation

Ocean monuments have a chance of spawning with or without one or more rooms containing wet sponges. Each room contains an average of 30 sponges.

Drying

A wet sponge can be dried in a furnace, making the sponge reusable.

Ingredients Smelting recipe Description
Wet Sponge +
Any fuel


If a bucket is in the fuel slot at the time the sponge completes its drying, the water will drain into the bucket, leaving a bucket of water in the fuel slot. Otherwise, the water just evaporates.

Usage

SpongeUsage

A sponge absorbing water in a lake.

A sponge can be used to turn water into air (it "absorbs" the water). To place a sponge, use a sponge item while pointing at a surface facing the space the sponge should occupy.

A sponge instantly absorbs nearby water when it is placed next to water or when water comes into contact with it (by being placed next to the sponge, or by flowing towards it). A sponge absorbs water around itself (water source blocks or flowing water) out to a taxicab distance of 7 in all directions (including up and down), but won't absorb more than 65 blocks of water (water closest to the sponge will be absorbed first). The absorption only propagates from water to water and won't "jump over" non-water blocks (including air).

When a sponge absorbs water, it turns into a wet sponge, and will be incapable of absorbing more water in this state.

Data values

A sponge has the ID name minecraft:sponge and is further defined by its block data. A sponge also has a block state which is expected to replace the functionality of block data in a future version.

Block data

See also: Data values
DV Description
0 Sponge
1 Wet Sponge

Block state

See also: Block states

Bedrock Edition:

NameMetadata Bits Default value Allowed valuesValues for
Metadata Bits
Description
sponge_type0x1dry dry0Sponge
wet1Wet Sponge

Achievements

Icon Achievement In-game description Actual requirements (if different) Gamerscore earned Trophy type (PS4)
PS4 Other
Dry SpellDry a sponge in a furnace15GBronze

Video

Sponge/video

History

classic
May 24, 2009Sponge was suggested on the TIGSource forums.
0.0.18a_02Sponge block test.
0.0.19aFile:Sponge (Indev).png Added sponge. The sponge was a temporary fix to stop water from flooding until finite water was implemented. It soaked up water in a 5×5×5 volume around it. Sponges did not need light to survive, and would decay.
0.0.19a_06Sponges no longer decay.
infdev
?Sponges became non-functional and available only by inventory editing.
alpha
?A sponge could be used in redstone builds for updating blocks, in conjunction with BUDs (block update detectors): if a sponge was placed and then removed, all blocks within its 5×5×5 range would be updated. The cause of this was some remaining code for the sponge's water removing property.
beta
1.8Sponges became available in Creative mode.
release
1.2.112w07aSponges would no longer update blocks within their 5×5×5 range.
1.8June 8, 2014Jeb tweeted that the ability to erase water blocks would be returned to the sponge. The linked image revealed that the sponge would have a new texture which becomes darker once it absorbs water.
14w25aSponge Sponges were retextured, became obtainable in Survival Mode, and now soak up contiguous water source blocks out to a taxicab distance of 7 when placed, thereupon turning into the new wet sponge.
14w25bWet sponges, when smelted, will fill an empty bucket in the fuel slot with water.
1.915w43aElder guardians will now drop dry sponges instead of wet ones.
1.1116w33aElder guardians now drop wet sponges on player kills, rather than dry sponges.[3]
Pocket Edition Alpha
0.8.0build 2File:Sponge (Indev).pngAdded sponges to Creative mode.
0.16.0build 1Sponge Sponges were retextured, became obtainable in Survival Mode, and now soak up contiguous water source blocks out to a taxicab distance of 7 when placed, thereupon turning into the new wet sponge.
Wet sponges, when smelted, will fill an empty bucket in the fuel slot with water.
Legacy Console Edition
TU5CU1 1.0 Patch 1Added sponges to Creative mode.
TU28CU16 1.19 Updated texture.
TU31CU19 1.22 Patch 3Sponges are now obtainable in Survival Mode, and now soak up contiguous water source blocks out to a taxicab distance of 7 when placed, thereupon turning into the new wet sponge.

Issues

Issues relating to "Sponge" or "Wet Sponge" are maintained on the bug tracker. Report issues there.

Gallery

References

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