Black Shulker Box
Black Shulker Box is a dyeable storage block that keeps all 27 slots of items inside when broken — a portable chest for hauling loot.
Description
In everyday play, the Black Shulker Box works as a portable chest: fill the 27 slots, break the block, carry one item, place the box again, and the whole load reappears. A hopper fills or empties a placed Black Shulker Box, and a redstone comparator reads how full the box is even when the lid cannot open. Two limits shape any sorting system: shulker boxes refuse storage inside other shulker boxes and inside bundles, and piglins turn hostile the moment a player opens or mines a Black Shulker Box. Washing a Black Shulker Box in a water-filled cauldron strips the black color and lowers the cauldron's water level by one.
Block properties
| Item ID |
minecraft:black_shulker_box
|
|---|---|
| /give command |
/give @p minecraft:black_shulker_box
|
| Stackable | No |
| Best tool | Pickaxe |
| Renewable | Yes |
| Java Edition | 1.11 |
| Bedrock Edition | 1.1.0 |
Guide
How to Craft and Use a Black Shulker Box in Minecraft
-
1
Craft the base shulker box
Place two shulker shells around one chest in the middle column of the crafting grid: shell on top, chest in the center, shell on the bottom. Two shulker shells plus one chest produce one shulker box.
-
2
Dye the shulker box black
Put one shulker box and one black dye anywhere on the crafting grid. Dyeing keeps every item already stored inside, so a filled shulker box changes color without losing cargo.
-
3
Fill and pick up the Black Shulker Box
Place the Black Shulker Box, load the 27 slots, then break the block with any tool — a pickaxe works fastest. The Black Shulker Box drops as a single item carrying all 27 slots of contents.
-
4
Move and reopen the Black Shulker Box
Carry the box as one inventory item and place the Black Shulker Box at the destination. The lid opens when the half block of space in front of the lid stays clear, and a hopper can fill or empty the placed box.
Piglins turn hostile when a player opens or mines a Black Shulker Box, and washing the box in a water-filled cauldron removes the black dye at the cost of one water level.
How to craft this block
Used in crafts
- Gray Wool
- Light Gray Wool
- White Wool
Frequently asked questions
Does a Black Shulker Box keep its items when broken?
Yes. A Black Shulker Box stores all contents inside the dropped item, so breaking the block yields one item holding the full 27 slots. The Black Shulker Box also drops itself when destroyed by an explosion.
How do you craft a Black Shulker Box?
Combine any shulker box with one black dye on the crafting grid. The base shulker box requires two shulker shells around one chest.
How many item slots does a Black Shulker Box hold?
A Black Shulker Box holds 27 slots — the same capacity as a single chest.
Can a Black Shulker Box go inside another shulker box?
No. Shulker boxes fit into every container except other shulker boxes and bundles.
Which tool breaks a Black Shulker Box fastest?
Any tool or a bare hand breaks a Black Shulker Box, and a pickaxe is the most effective option. The Black Shulker Box always drops itself, even after an explosion.
Which Minecraft version added the Black Shulker Box?
Shulker boxes arrived in Java Edition 1.11 and Bedrock Edition 1.1.0, and all shulker boxes count as renewable from Java 1.17 and Bedrock 1.18.30.
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