Sponge
Sponge is an Ocean Monument block that absorbs up to 118 nearby water blocks (flowing and source) when placed, turning into a wet sponge that must be dried before reuse.
Description
After absorbing water the block becomes a wet sponge, which no longer absorbs anything. Drying methods: place in the Nether (dehydrates instantly), smelt in a furnace (returns the dry form; an empty bucket in the furnace's fuel slot fills with water), or, in Bedrock Edition only, place it in a dry Overworld biome and wait a few minutes.
Sponges are invaluable for draining Ocean Monuments before looting, clearing flooded caves, and setting up underwater construction sites. They are also used decoratively in aquatic builds. A sponge room holds an average of 30 wet sponges, but not every monument generates one.
Block properties
| Item ID |
minecraft:sponge
|
|---|---|
| /give command |
/give @p minecraft:sponge
|
| Stackable | Yes (64) |
| Best tool | Hoe |
| Renewable | No |
| Hardness | 0.6 |
| Blast resistance | 0.6 |
Java & Bedrock Guide
How to use a Sponge to drain water in Minecraft
-
1
Get a sponge
Defeat an Elder Guardian inside an Ocean Monument for a guaranteed wet sponge drop, or mine the sponge room some monuments generate, which holds an average of 30 wet sponges.
-
2
Place the sponge in water
Set the dry sponge against the water you want gone. The sponge instantly absorbs water—flowing and source alike—up to 6 blocks away (taxicab distance), up to 118 blocks total.
-
3
Pick up the wet sponge
Break the now wet sponge with any tool and collect it; the wet sponge will not absorb again until it is dried.
-
4
Dry the sponge for reuse
Smelt the wet sponge in a furnace to get a dry sponge back (an empty bucket in the furnace's fuel slot fills with water), or place it in the Nether to dehydrate instantly.
A sponge only absorbs water connected to its placement point; pockets of water more than 6 blocks away or cut off by any non-water block, including air, remain. Always work outward from the center of a flooded area.
How to craft this block
Wet Sponge
x1
Frequently asked questions
Can you craft a sponge in Minecraft?
No. Sponge has no crafting recipe; you obtain it only by killing Elder Guardians or looting the sponge room some Ocean Monuments generate.
How much water does a sponge absorb?
A single sponge absorbs up to 118 water blocks—flowing and source alike—within 6 blocks (taxicab distance) of where it is placed, then turns into a wet sponge.
How do you dry a wet sponge?
Smelt a wet sponge in a furnace, or place it anywhere in the Nether to dehydrate it instantly back into a dry sponge. In Bedrock Edition, a wet sponge left in a dry Overworld biome also dries after a few minutes.
Is sponge renewable?
Sponge is not truly renewable: each Ocean Monument generates three Elder Guardians and can generate one sponge room, and Elder Guardians do not respawn, so you must find more monuments to gather extra sponges.
Does sponge work in both Java and Bedrock Edition?
Yes. Sponge absorbs water the same way in Java and Bedrock Edition, and both support furnace and Nether drying; the only difference is that in Bedrock Edition a wet sponge also dries on its own in dry Overworld biomes.
Minecraft and all related materials are trademarks and copyrights of Mojang Studios © 2009–2026. This site is not an official Minecraft product and is not affiliated with or endorsed by Mojang Studios or Microsoft Corporation.