Overview
Snow, the layer block rather than the solid one, is what settles on the ground in cold biomes when it snows and what you scoop up with a shovel. It stacks from 1 to 8 layers deep in the same block space, and the depth matters: a single layer can be walked over freely, but 2 or more layers slow you down, and 8 layers fill the block completely and look identical to a snow block. Crops, saplings and grass survive under a layer, so a snowy farm is inconvenient rather than impossible. A shovel is the correct tool and it produces snowballs — one layer gives one snowball, and 4 snowballs make a snow block — which makes any snowy biome an infinite ammunition supply, since the layers regenerate as long as it keeps snowing. Silk Touch on the shovel collects the layer block itself instead, which is what you want for building. Snowballs deal no damage to almost everything but do damage blazes, and they knock mobs back, which makes a stack of them a surprisingly useful crowd-control tool.
Snowballs for throwing and for crafting snow blocks, white ground cover for builds, and an infinite renewable resource in any cold biome given a shovel.
In Minecraft 1.21.4, Snow is a naturally generated block. Snow is made at a crafting table. A hardness of 0.1 means it is one of the quicker blocks to clear.
Mine it with a wooden shovel or better, or you get no drop at all. With a blast resistance of only 0.1 it will not survive an explosion. Sixty-four fit in one inventory slot.
The recipe calls for Snow Block. It is not used in any crafting recipe.
How to get it
Dig it with a shovel in any snowy biome; 1 layer gives 1 snowball and 4 snowballs make a snow block. Layers regenerate whenever it snows, so the supply is effectively unlimited.
Tips
- Silk Touch on a shovel collects the layer intact, which is what you want for a build rather than snowballs.
- Snowballs damage blazes specifically, at 3 points each, which makes them useful on a fortress trip.
- 2 or more layers slow your movement, so clear a path through a snowy base rather than wading.
- A snow golem leaves a trail of snow layers as it walks, which is a renewable snow farm with no digging.
How long it takes to break
Snow sits at hardness 0.1: 0.5 seconds per block with your fists, 0.05 with the correct netherite tool.
Below wooden the block breaks and simply vanishes. Bring the right tier or leave it in the ground.
Efficiency contributes its level squared plus one to tool speed, and on something this soft that reaches instant mining almost at once.
| Tool | No enchantment | Efficiency III | Efficiency V |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hand * | 0.5 s | 0.5 s | 0.5 s |
| Wooden | 0.1 s | instant | instant |
| Stone | instant | instant | instant |
| Iron | instant | instant | instant |
| Diamond | instant | instant | instant |
| Netherite | instant | instant | instant |
| Golden | instant | instant | instant |
Properties
Snow has a blast resistance of 0.1, so any explosion nearby destroys it. It blocks light completely and emits no light of its own. One inventory slot holds 64, the normal full stack. It is renewable, so a single world can supply an unlimited amount of it. A shovel is fastest here; any other class mines it at bare-hand speed, because the bonus only applies to the class the block is tagged for.
- Transparent
- No
- Required tool
- Wooden Shovel
- Renewable
- Yes
Crafting recipe
Crafting Table
Snow ×6
Guides and tools that cover this
Frequently asked questions
How do you get Snow in Minecraft?
Snow is crafted from Snow Block.
What tool do you need to break Snow?
Wooden Shovel or better is required; anything weaker destroys the block without dropping it.
Is Snow blast resistant?
Snow has a blast resistance of 0.1, so an explosion nearby will destroy it.
How many Snow fit in one stack?
64 per stack, so a double chest holds 3,456 Snow.
Is Snow renewable?
Renewable: one world will supply Snow indefinitely.
How long does Snow take to break?
About 0.05 seconds if you bring the correct netherite tool; 0.5 seconds with your fists.
