Clay
Clay is the soft pale-grey block of shallow riverbeds and beaches — drops four small balls used for bricks and terracotta.
Description
A shovel mines the block fastest. Mining without Silk Touch destroys the block and drops four clay balls — round white pellets that smelt in any furnace into bricks (the item used for brick blocks). Combining four clay balls in a 2×2 grid recreates the source block. The block can also be smelted directly into terracotta, the earthen building material that dyes into sixteen vibrant colours and forms the base palette of every concrete and decorative-block recipe in modern Minecraft. Silk Touch returns clay intact, useful for collectors and decorators.
Java & Bedrock Guide
How to find and use Clay in Minecraft
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1
Locate a clay patch
Search shallow water in rivers, ponds, swamps, and beaches; clay also forms pools in lush caves. It appears as soft grey-cream blocks just below the surface.
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2
Mine with a shovel
A shovel breaks clay fastest. Without Silk Touch each block drops four clay balls; a Silk Touch shovel returns the clay block itself.
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3
Smelt into bricks or terracotta
Smelt one clay ball in a furnace to get a brick item, or smelt a whole clay block to get one terracotta block.
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4
Build or craft
Combine four bricks in a 2x2 grid for a brick block, or dye terracotta into sixteen colours for colourful builds.
Drip water from pointed dripstone onto a mud block to convert it into clay, making clay a renewable resource in both Java and Bedrock Edition.
How to craft this block
Clay Ball
x4
Used in crafts
- Terracotta
Frequently asked questions
Where do you find clay in Minecraft?
Clay generates in patches under shallow water in rivers, ponds, swamps, and beaches, and as pools in lush caves.
How many clay balls does one block drop?
Each clay block drops four clay balls when mined without Silk Touch. The Fortune enchantment does not increase the amount.
What is the best tool to mine clay?
A shovel mines clay fastest, although clay can also be broken by hand or with any other tool.
How do you make terracotta from clay?
Smelt a full clay block in a furnace to produce one terracotta block, which you can then dye into any of sixteen colours.
Is clay renewable?
Yes. Dripping water from pointed dripstone onto a mud block turns it into clay, so clay is a renewable resource.
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