Overview
A block of redstone is a permanent power source of strength 15 that never turns off, and unlike every other power source in the game it can be moved by a piston. That combination is what makes it a component rather than just storage. A redstone block shoved into position by a piston powers everything it touches for as long as it is there and stops the instant it is pulled away, which is how flying machines carry their own power supply, how compact clocks work, and how a signal is delivered into a place that dust cannot reach. It powers adjacent blocks and any dust, repeater or component directly beside it, including diagonally attached dust. As storage it is also perfectly ordinary: 9 redstone dust in, 9 dust back out, so a full stack of blocks is 576 dust in a single slot, which matters when you are hauling the output of a deepslate mine. It is worth noting that it does not power the block it sits on in the way a redstone torch does, so it will not activate a piston through a solid block above it.
Compact storage for redstone dust, a movable always-on power source for flying machines and piston clocks, and a way to deliver a full-strength signal into a tight space with no wiring.
In Minecraft 1.21.4, Block of Redstone is a redstone block. Block of Redstone has a crafting recipe, so it is renewable as long as you can source its ingredients. At hardness 5 this is one of the tougher blocks in the game.
It needs at least a wooden pickaxe to drop anything; a weaker tool destroys it for nothing. Mining it returns the block itself, so it is safe to relocate. A full stack holds 64.
It is crafted from Redstone Dust. Nothing on the crafting grid is made from it.
How to get it
Craft it from 9 redstone dust and uncraft it back into 9 at any time. Redstone ore peaks around Y -59 and drops 4 to 5 dust per block before Fortune, so a single deepslate mining trip fills several blocks.
Tips
- It is the only power source a piston can push, which is why every flying machine carries one.
- 9 dust in, 9 dust out with no loss, so store redstone as blocks and a stack becomes 576 dust in 1 slot.
- It powers dust and components directly adjacent to it, but it does not strongly power the block it rests on.
- Redstone ore lights up when stepped on, so a floor of ore rather than blocks makes a decorative pressure-sensitive path.
How long it takes to break
Block of Redstone has a hardness of 5. By hand that is 25 seconds per block; with the correct tool at netherite tier it is 0.85 seconds.
An iron tool takes 1.3 seconds and a diamond one 0.95, so the jump that actually matters for this block is the one to diamond.
The block still breaks with a weaker tool, but below wooden it yields nothing at all — the time is spent and the drop is lost, which is the single most common way players waste a vein.
Efficiency adds its level squared plus one to the tool speed, so Efficiency V is about 3.4 times faster than the same tool unenchanted.
| Tool | No enchantment | Efficiency III | Efficiency V |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hand * | 25 s | 25 s | 25 s |
| Wooden | 3.8 s | 0.65 s | 0.3 s |
| Stone | 1.9 s | 0.55 s | 0.25 s |
| Iron | 1.3 s | 0.5 s | 0.25 s |
| Diamond | 0.95 s | 0.45 s | 0.25 s |
| Netherite | 0.85 s | 0.4 s | 0.25 s |
| Golden | 0.65 s | 0.35 s | 0.2 s |
Properties
Blast resistance on Block of Redstone is 6, so an explosion nearby will usually take it out. It stops light entirely and gives off no light. Stack size is 64 — the standard full stack. The block is tagged for pickaxes, and only that class gets the speed bonus; everything else mines at bare-hand rate.
- Transparent
- No
- Required tool
- Wooden Pickaxe
Crafting recipe
Crafting Table
Block of Redstone
Drops
Mined with Wooden Pickaxe, Block of Redstone drops itself.
Used to craft
Block of Redstone is an ingredient in 1 recipes, producing Redstone Dust.
Guides and tools that cover this
Frequently asked questions
How do you get Block of Redstone in Minecraft?
Block of Redstone is crafted from Redstone Dust.
What tool do you need to break Block of Redstone?
Wooden Pickaxe or better is required; anything weaker destroys the block without dropping it.
Is Block of Redstone blast resistant?
Block of Redstone has a blast resistance of 6, so an explosion nearby will destroy it.
How many Block of Redstone fit in one stack?
A stack is 64, and a double chest of them comes to 3,456.
How long does Block of Redstone take to break?
0.85 seconds with a netherite-tier tool of the right class, or 25 seconds bare-handed.
