Overview
A command block runs a Minecraft command when it receives a redstone signal, and it is the foundation of every adventure map, minigame and custom server mechanic in the game. It cannot be crafted and cannot be obtained in survival mode at all: you need creative mode and the give command, or operator permissions on a server. There are three types, cycled inside the block's interface. An impulse command block runs once per redstone pulse. A chain command block runs immediately after the block pointing into it, which is how multi-step sequences are built without timing them by hand. A repeating command block runs every game tick while powered, which is how continuous checks and effects are implemented. Each block also toggles between needing redstone and being always active, and between conditional mode, where it only runs if the previous block in the chain succeeded, and unconditional. For an ordinary survival player the block's relevance is mostly that it explains how the servers and maps they play were built. It is immune to explosions, cannot be pushed by pistons and has a blast resistance high enough that nothing in survival can remove one, which is deliberate: a map's logic should not be destructible by the players walking through it.
Running commands automatically — teleporting players, giving items, spawning entities, checking conditions — which is how adventure maps, minigames and custom server mechanics are built.
Command Block is a technical block in Minecraft Java Edition 1.21.4. It cannot be obtained in Survival — it exists for Creative mode and commands. It is indestructible outside of Creative mode.
At 3,600,000 blast resistance it is a genuinely blast-proof building material. It is not used in any crafting recipe.
How to get it
It cannot be crafted or found in any structure. Use the give command in creative mode or with operator permissions on a server; there are 3 variants and none of them exist in survival play.
Tips
- The 3 modes are impulse, chain and repeating; chain blocks run in the order they point at each other.
- Conditional mode makes a block run only if the previous one in the chain succeeded, which is how error handling works.
- Always-active mode removes the need for a redstone signal, which is standard for repeating blocks.
- Survival players cannot obtain one at all — it requires creative mode or operator permissions.
Properties
With 3,600,000 blast resistance Command Block holds up to a creeper or TNT at point-blank range. It is fully opaque and produces no light. A single slot takes 64, the usual full stack.
- Transparent
- No
- Required tool
- Any
Guides and tools that cover this
Frequently asked questions
How do you get Command Block in Minecraft?
Command Block generates naturally in the world and does not drop anything without Silk Touch.
What tool do you need to break Command Block?
No specific tool is required — Command Block can be broken by hand.
Is Command Block blast resistant?
Command Block has a blast resistance of 3,600,000, so it survives creeper and TNT explosions.
How many Command Block fit in one stack?
A stack is 64, and a double chest of them comes to 3,456.
