Powder Snow Bucket is created by using an empty bucket on a powder snow block, which forms inside cauldrons left under open sky during snowfall in Minecraft's snowy biomes such as Snowy Slopes, Grove, Jagged Peaks, and Frozen Peaks. Added in the 1.17 Caves & Cliffs update, Powder Snow Bucket lets players collect and relocate powder snow that cannot be picked up with a shovel. The bucket holds exactly one block of powder snow and looks like a standard bucket filled with soft white snow.

Powder Snow Bucket places a single powder snow block in any open space, even a one-block-wide gap, making it a favorite for traps and parkour challenges. Entities without leather boots sink into the block and take freezing damage over time, shown by a blue frost overlay on the screen, while players wearing leather boots can walk on top of powder snow and sneak to climb down. Powder snow also cancels all fall damage, so builders pair Powder Snow Bucket placements with high drops to create safe landings or hidden mob traps.