Overview
Redstone existed for years before 1.5 as a wiring toy — you could light a lamp, open a door, and build a clock — but you could not really automate anything, because there was no way to move an item from one container to another. The Hopper fixed that in one block, and the consequences are everywhere in modern Minecraft: every furnace array, every item sorter, every mob farm collection system and every auto-smelter descends from it. Droppers ejected items without launching them across the room, giving redstone a gentler alternative to dispensers. But the component that changed contraption design most is the comparator, which reads how full a container is and subtracts one signal from another. That single ability is what makes item sorters, storage indicators and brewing automation possible at all, and it is still one of the hardest components for new players to reason about. Nether quartz ore arrived in the same release precisely because comparators, daylight sensors and later observers need quartz. Trapped chests, weighted pressure plates, the block of redstone and activator rails filled out the toolkit, and the lighting engine was rewritten underneath.
Item transport and automation: hoppers to move items between containers, droppers to eject them, and comparators to read container fullness and subtract signals. It also introduced nether quartz as the ingredient those components need.
The Redstone Update turned redstone from a wiring toy into an automation system. Hoppers and droppers made item transport possible without water streams, and comparators let contraptions read chest contents and brewing stands, which is the basis of every sorting system built since. Nether quartz ore arrived alongside it as the ingredient for comparators, daylight sensors and observers.
How to get it
Java Edition 1.5 was released on 13 March 2013, with 1.5.2 following within 2 months. Every redstone tutorial written since assumes hoppers and comparators exist, so this is the earliest version modern automation guides apply to.
Tips
- A hopper moves 1 item every 4 game ticks, which is 2.5 items per second — the number every throughput calculation starts from.
- A comparator in subtraction mode outputs the difference between its back and side inputs, which is what item sorters rely on.
- Hoppers point at the block you were looking at when you placed them, so face the destination container as you place.
- Read redstone basics before building a sorter; comparators are the component people get wrong.
Version notes
Released 13 March 2013. Added hoppers, droppers, comparators, daylight sensors, activator rails, trapped chests, weighted pressure plates, the block of redstone, nether quartz ore and the quartz block family.
What it added
- Hoppers, the first block for moving items between containers
- Droppers, which eject items without launching them
- Redstone comparators, enabling container reading and signal subtraction
- Daylight sensors and activator rails
- Trapped chests and weighted pressure plates
- The block of redstone, a permanent power source
- Nether quartz ore and the quartz block family
- TNT minecarts and a rewritten lighting engine
Properties
Minecraft 1.5 was released on March 13, 2013 as a major release. It added 0 mobs, 9 blocks and items the site documents, and 0 generated structures.
- New blocks and items
- 9
- New structures
- 0
New blocks and items
Hopper, Dropper, Redstone Comparator, Daylight Detector, Activator Rail, Trapped Chest and 3 more were added, and each has its own page with the recipe, the drops and the break times.
Where it sits in the release line
1.5 sits 23 of 28 in the release list this site covers, with 1.6.1 after it and 1.4.2 before.
Worlds always upgrade forwards and never downgrade: a world opened in a newer version cannot be opened in an older one again, so back it up before the first launch on a new release.
| Version | Name | Released | Type | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | Minecraft 1.6.1 | Horse Update | July 1, 2013 | Major release |
 | Minecraft 1.5 ← | Redstone Update | March 13, 2013 | Major release |
 | Minecraft 1.4.2 | Pretty Scary Update | October 25, 2012 | Major release |
Guides and tools that cover this
Frequently asked questions
What does a comparator actually do?
In comparison mode it passes its back signal through unless a side input is stronger. In subtraction mode it outputs back minus side. It can also read how full a container is, which is the basis of item sorting.
How fast is a hopper?
One item every four game ticks, which is 2.5 items per second. Chains of hoppers do not speed that up, so throughput calculations start there.
Why was nether quartz added in a redstone update?
Because comparators and daylight sensors are crafted from it. The ore gave the Nether an economic reason to exist beyond blaze rods and wart.
What did Minecraft 1.5 add?
Hoppers, the first block for moving items between containers Droppers, which eject items without launching them Redstone comparators, enabling container reading and signal subtraction
When was Minecraft 1.5 released?
Java Edition 1.5 was released on March 13, 2013. Bedrock dates for the same content often differ by days or weeks.