Bone
Skeleton drop crafted into bone meal fertilizer, dyed white, built into bone blocks, and used to tame wild wolves into dogs.
Description
Crafting one bone produces three bone meal, a fertilizer that instantly advances the growth stage of crops, saplings, grass, and flowers. Nine bone meal arranged in a 3×3 grid craft one bone block, a directional decorative block with a pale, striated fossil texture; a bone block can be crafted back into nine bone meal at any time. Bone meal also works as white dye for wool, beds, and other dyeable items.
Bones are the standard tool for taming wolves: using a bone on a wild wolf has roughly a one-in-three chance to tame it, turning it into a loyal dog that follows and defends the player. A composter filled with plant matter is an alternative renewable source of bone meal when skeletons are scarce.
Java & Bedrock Guide
How to get and use Bone in Minecraft
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1
Collect bones
Kill skeletons, strays, or skeleton horses, or dig through fossil structures in deserts and swamps. Each skeleton drops 0–2 bones.
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2
Craft bone meal
Place a single bone in any crafting slot to turn it into three bone meal.
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3
Fertilize or dye
Use bone meal on crops and saplings for instant growth, or as white dye on wool, beds, and banners.
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4
Build bone blocks
Arrange nine bone meal in a 3×3 grid to craft a directional bone block for fossil-themed builds.
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5
Tame a wolf
Use a bone on a wild wolf repeatedly; each attempt has about a one-in-three chance to tame it into a dog.
If skeletons are scarce, fill a composter with crops, leaves, or seeds to produce bone meal renewably.
Used in crafts
Frequently asked questions
How do you make bone meal from a bone?
Place one bone in any crafting grid slot to craft three bone meal.
How many bones do you need for a bone block?
A bone block is crafted from nine bone meal, so you need three bones — each bone makes three bone meal.
Can you tame a wolf with a bone?
Yes. Using a bone on a wild wolf has about a one-in-three chance to tame it; you may need several bones.
Where do bones generate naturally?
Inside fossil structures underground between Y -8 and Y 40 in desert and swamp biomes.
Can bone meal be used as dye?
Yes. Bone meal acts as white dye for wool, beds, banners, and other dyeable items.
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