Ink Sac — Minecraft block

Ink Sac

Ink Sac is a black dye item dropped 1-3 per kill by Squids in Minecraft, added in Beta 1.2.

Block ID minecraft:ink_sac
Mod Vanilla
Game versions
1.21

Description

Ink Sac is a black dye item dropped by Squids in Minecraft, added in Beta 1.2 (January 2011). Squids spawn in rivers, oceans, and most water bodies at any light level on Java Edition, and at light level 0-7 on Bedrock Edition. Killing a Squid drops 1-3 Ink Sacs, and the mob is fully renewable since squids continually respawn in water. Ink Sac is Minecraft's primary source of black coloration: placing 1 Ink Sac in any crafting slot crafts Black Dye 1:1 on every edition. Direct dyeing with Ink Sac itself — on wool, beds, candles, banners, and glass — works only on Bedrock and Education Editions; on Java Edition, dye items directly with Ink Sac stopped working in 1.14, so craft Black Dye first. Ink Sac is also one of three ingredients in Book and Quill, combining with 1 feather and 1 book on the crafting grid. Players use Ink Sac on a glowing sign or hanging sign to revert glowing text back to its plain dark color on both editions; dyeing a tamed wolf or cat collar black likewise needs Black Dye on Java, while Bedrock accepts Ink Sac directly. Journeyman Librarians buy 5 Ink Sacs for 1 emerald, and Wandering Traders no longer sell Ink Sacs — they offer Black Dye (3 for 1 emerald) instead. The item ID is minecraft:ink_sac, and the drop count scales with the Looting enchantment on the weapon used to kill the squid.

Block properties

Item ID minecraft:ink_sac
/give command /give @p minecraft:ink_sac
Stackable Yes (64)
Renewable Yes

Guide

How to get Ink Sac in Minecraft

  1. 1

    Find a Squid

    Locate a Squid in any river, ocean, or lake; Squids spawn at any light level in Java Edition.

  2. 2

    Equip a weapon

    Bring a sword or trident; a Looting III sword raises the maximum drop to 6 Ink Sacs per Squid.

  3. 3

    Kill the Squid

    Hit the Squid until it dies; it drops 1-3 Ink Sacs onto the water surface or seabed.

  4. 4

    Collect the drops

    Swim to the floating Ink Sac items quickly before they despawn after 5 minutes.

  5. 5

    Craft with Ink Sac

    Use 1 Ink Sac to make Black Dye, or combine 1 Ink Sac + 1 feather + 1 book to craft Book and Quill.

Tip

Journeyman Librarians buy 5 Ink Sacs for 1 emerald — a use for surplus drops. Wandering Traders no longer sell Ink Sacs; they offer Black Dye instead.

Used in crafts

Related blocks

Frequently asked questions

Where do you find Squids in Minecraft?

Squids spawn in rivers, oceans, and most water bodies. On Java Edition they spawn at any light level; on Bedrock Edition they require light level 0-7.

How do you craft Book and Quill?

Place 1 Ink Sac, 1 feather, and 1 book anywhere on the 3x3 crafting grid. The recipe is shapeless and yields one Book and Quill.

Can Ink Sac dye blocks directly?

1 Ink Sac in any crafting slot produces 1 Black Dye on every edition. Direct dyeing with Ink Sac itself (wool, beds, candles, banners, glass) works only on Bedrock and Education Editions — on Java Edition, craft Black Dye first since 1.14.

Is Ink Sac renewable?

Yes. Squids continually respawn in water, so Ink Sac is fully renewable on both Java and Bedrock Editions.

Does the Wandering Trader sell Ink Sac?

No. Current Wandering Trader tables on both Java and Bedrock offer Black Dye (3 for 1 emerald) instead of Ink Sacs. Journeyman Librarians buy 5 Ink Sacs for 1 emerald if you want to sell surplus Ink Sacs.

What is the Ink Sac item ID?

The item ID is minecraft:ink_sac. The item was added in Beta 1.2 in January 2011 and exists in both Java and Bedrock Editions.

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