Moss Block

A moss block is a natural block that can be spread to some other blocks by using bone meal.

Obtaining

Natural generation

Moss generates on the floor and ceiling within the lush caves biome.

Trading

Moss blocks can be obtained by trading with a wandering trader, who may sell 2 moss blocks for 1 emerald.

Breaking

Moss blocks can be mined using any tool or by hand, but a hoe is the fastest way to break it.

Block	Moss Block
Hardness	0.1
Tool
Breaking time^[A]
Default	0.15
Wooden	0.1
Stone	0.05
Iron	0.05
Diamond	0.05
Netherite	0.05
Golden	0.05

↑ Times are for unenchanted tools as wielded by players with no status effects, measured in seconds. For more information, see Breaking § Speed.

Chest loot

Item	Structure	Container	Quantity	Chance
Java Edition
Moss Block	Shipwreck	Supply chest	1–4	42.1%
Bedrock Edition
Moss Block	Shipwreck	Supply chest	1–4	42.1%

Post–generation

In Java Edition, using bone meal on a moss block causes nearby blocks with the base_stone_overworld, cave_vines and dirt tags to be converted to moss blocks.^{[more information needed for Bedrock Edition]}

Moss spreads to any blocks with 2 air blocks above them in a corner-less 7×11×7 volume centered on the original moss block in Java Edition, and centered a few blocks below the original moss block in Bedrock Edition. Foliage can replace air on any of these blocks.

Behavior

In Java Edition, all plants can be placed on moss except for cactus. Nether fungi can also be placed on moss, but mushrooms can be placed only at light level 12 or below. In Bedrock Edition, cactus, bamboo, dead bush, and sugar cane are the only plants that cannot be placed on moss.

Using bone meal on moss blocks causes certain types of adjacent blocks to be replaced with moss blocks. To allow moss to spread to them, blocks need to have air above.

Blocks that can convert to moss
Block
Andesite
Cave Vines
Coarse Dirt
Deepslate
Diorite
Dirt
Granite
Grass Block
Mud‌^{[Java Edition only]}
Mycelium
Podzol
Polished Andesite‌^{[Bedrock Edition only]}
Polished Diorite‌^{[Bedrock Edition only]}
Polished Granite‌^{[Bedrock Edition only]}
Rooted Dirt
Stone
Tuff

When a moss block generates with air above it, it has a chance to have grass, an azalea, or a moss carpet growing on it.

Bone meal on moss blocks
Block	Chance
Grass	52.08%
Moss Carpet	26.04%
Tall Grass	10.42%
Azalea	7.29%
Flowering Azalea	4.17%

Spreading specifics

In Java Edition, when bone meal is used on a moss block, first it is checked that the block directly above the moss block is air. If successful, maximum X and Z distances are chosen (independently from each other) with a 50% chance of being either 2 or 3. Then, in a rectangular area centered on the moss block restricted by those maximum distances, it is decided independently for each vertical column whether a block is converted to moss. This chance is 0% for the corners of the chosen area, 75% for the edges and 100% for the other columns. If this check succeeds a scan is started at a y-level one above the moss block to find a block with air above it. If the scan starts in an air block, it searches up to 6 blocks downward. If it starts in a non-air block, it searches up to up to 4 blocks upward. Both scans stop on the first block with air above it, even if it can not be converted to moss. The chosen block is converted to moss if it can be, and if it can (or already was a moss block) there is a 60% chance vegetation generates above it.

So for every bonemeal that is used, you get on average 27 moss blocks (varies widely though), which gives about 2.5 bonemeal when put through a composter.

Effective conversion chance as seen from above
0%	18.75%	37.5%	37.5%	37.5%	18.75%	0%
18.75%	62.5%	87.5%	87.5%	87.5%	62.5%	18.75%
37.5%	87.5%	100%	100%	100%	87.5%	37.5%
37.5%	87.5%	100%		100%	87.5%	37.5%
37.5%	87.5%	100%	100%	100%	87.5%	37.5%
18.75%	62.5%	87.5%	87.5%	87.5%	62.5%	18.75%
0%	18.75%	37.5%	37.5%	37.5%	18.75%	0%

Piston interactivity

Moss blocks are destroyed and dropped as items when pushed by pistons. They do not stick to sticky pistons, slime blocks or honey blocks.

Usage

Crafting ingredient

Name	Ingredients	Crafting recipe
Moss Carpet	Moss Block	3
Mossy Cobblestone	Cobblestone + Moss Block
Mossy Stone Bricks	Stone Bricks + Moss Block

Composting

Placing a moss block into a composter has a 65% chance of raising the compost level by 1.

Hatching

A sniffer egg hatches twice as fast as normal when on top of a moss block.

Sounds

Java Edition:

Subtitles	Source	Description	Resource location	Translation key	Volume	Pitch	Attenuation distance
Block broken	Blocks	Once the block has broken	`block.moss.break`	`subtitles.block.generic.break`	varies ^{[sound 1]}	0.8	16
Block placed	Blocks	When the block is placed	`block.moss.place`	`subtitles.block.generic.place`	0.93	0.8	16
Block breaking	Blocks	While the block is in the process of being broken	`block.moss.hit`	`subtitles.block.generic.hit`	0.25	0.5	16
None^{[sound 2]}	Entity-Dependent	Falling on the block with fall damage	`block.moss.fall`	None^{[sound 2]}	0.5	0.75	16
Footsteps	Entity-Dependent	Walking on the block	`block.moss.step`	`subtitles.block.generic.footsteps`	0.15	1.0	16

↑ 0.93 for all except break1, which is 0.95
↑ ^a ^b MC-177082

Bedrock Edition:

Source	Description	Resource location	Volume	Pitch
Blocks	Once the block has broken	`dig.moss`	0.93	1.0
Blocks	When the block is placed	`place.moss`	0.93	1.0
Blocks	While the block is in the process of being broken	`hit.moss`	1.0	1.0
Players	Falling on the block with fall damage	`fall.moss`	1.0	1.0
Players	Walking on the block	`step.moss`	1.0	1.0
Players	Jumping from the block	`jump.moss`	1.0	1.0
Players	Falling on the block without fall damage	`land.moss`	1.0	1.0

Data values

ID

Java Edition:

Name	Identifier	Form	Block tags	Translation key
Moss Block	`moss_block`	Block & Item	`dirt` `lush_plants_replaceable` `small_dripleaf_placeable‌` `#sniffer_diggable_block`	`block.minecraft.moss_block`

Bedrock Edition:

Name	Identifier	Numeric ID	Form	Item ID^{[i 1]}	Translation key
Moss Block	`moss_block`	`575`	Block & Giveable Item^{[i 2]}	Identical^{[i 3]}	`tile.moss_block.name`

↑ ID of block's direct item form, which is used in savegame files and addons.
↑ Available with /give command.
↑ The block's direct item form has the same id as the block.

History

Java Edition
October 3, 2020		Moss blocks are shown unnamed as part of lush caves at Minecraft Live 2020.
1.17	21w05a	Added moss blocks.
	21w10a	Moss blocks now naturally generate in the newly added lush caves biome.
	21w11a	Moss blocks can now be used to craft mossy cobblestone and mossy stone bricks.
	21w11a	Hoes are now also the appropriate tool for breaking moss blocks.
	21w13a	Axes are no longer considered an appropriate tool for breaking moss blocks.^[1]
		Moss blocks can now generate as loot in shipwreck chests.
		Wandering traders can now sell 2 moss blocks for 1 emerald.
	21w16a	Moss blocks are now in the `dirt` tag.
	21w16a	Moss patches obtained from fertilizing moss blocks contain less vegetation and are now smaller and more irregular in shape.
	21w17a	Small dripleaves can now be placed on moss blocks.
1.18	Experimental Snapshot 1	Lush caves now generate naturally in default worlds, where moss blocks can be found.
1.20 (Experimental)	23w07a	Sniffers now drop and dig moss blocks.
1.20	23w12a	Sniffer eggs on top of moss blocks now make sniffer eggs hatch 10 minutes - half of the time than on top of other blocks.
1.20	23w13a	Sniffers no longer drop moss blocks.
Bedrock Edition
Caves & Cliffs (experimental)	beta 1.16.220.52	Added moss blocks.
1.17.0	beta 1.16.230.54	Moss blocks can now generate as loot in shipwreck chests.
		Wandering traders can now sell moss blocks.
		Moss can now also spread vertically when using bone meal.
		Applying bone meal to a moss block can now also grow vegetation on it.
	beta 1.17.0.50	Moss blocks can now replace dirt, podzol, rooted dirt, stone, and cave vines.
	beta 1.17.0.52	Moss blocks are no longer available only through Experimental Gameplay.
	release	Cave vines are no longer affected by moss blocks.
1.17.30	beta 1.17.20.23	Moss blocks now break when moved by pistons and sticky pistons can no longer pull them.
Sniffer (Experimental)	beta 1.19.70.23	Sniffers now drop moss blocks.

Issues

Issues relating to "Moss Block" are maintained on the bug tracker. Report issues there.

Gallery

This section would benefit from the addition of more images.

Please remove this notice once you've added suitable images to the article.

A preview of the lush caves with moss blocks from Minecraft Live 2020.
An additional preview from Minecraft Live.
A preview of the lush caves with moss blocks, tweeted by LadyAgnes.
Another preview of the lush caves with moss blocks, in an interview with LadyAgnes.

References

↑ MC-219960 — resolved as "Fixed".

External Links

Block of the Week: Moss – Minecraft.net on July 1, 2021

[breakingtimenote-1] Times are for unenchanted tools as wielded by players with no status effects, measured in seconds. For more information, see Breaking § Speed.

[2] 0.93 for all except break1, which is 0.95

[bugMC-177082-3] MC-177082

[bedrock-item-id-4] ID of block's direct item form, which is used in savegame files and addons.

[bedrock-give-available-5] Available with /give command.

[bedrock-item-form-6] The block's direct item form has the same id as the block.

[7] MC-219960 — resolved as "Fixed".

[A]

[sound 1]

[sound 2]

[i 1]

[i 2]

[i 3]

[1]