Sand

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 "label": "Tool"
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 {
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 "label": "(link to Explosion#Blast resistance article, displayed as Blast resistance)"
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 {
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 "field": "No",
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 "field": "No",
 "label": "Catches fire<br>from (link to lava article, displayed as lava)"
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Sand is a gravity-affected block found abundantly in deserts and beaches, and less commonly in or near surface water.

The suitable tool to break sand is a shovel.

Sand drops itself when it's destroyed.

Sand generates naturally in many biomes of the Overworld, in disk-like formations replacing dirt in shallow water, usually rivers, lakes, and oceans in most grassy biomes except swamps.

It generates in abundance in deserts and beaches, generally in four-block-deep layers, supported by sandstone below. Sand also generates as the ocean floor of lukewarm oceans and warm oceans, in a single layer not supported by sandstone.

Sand also generates as part of warm ocean ruins and some cold ocean ruins, some desert village houses, desert wells, desert pyramids, and has a chance to generate in trial chamber entrances.

Sand can spawn floating in the air. The floating cluster of sand falls when one of the sand blocks receives an update (e.g. when a block is placed near it or when a block near it is broken). While floating, it emits the falling_dust‌^{[Java Edition only]} or the falling_dust_sand_particle‌^{[Bedrock Edition only]} particle.

An enderman holding a sand block drops the block upon death.

In Bedrock Edition, wandering traders have a chance of 8.5% (increased by 1% per level of Looting) to drop 8 sand when killed while showing the item as trade offer, if the player holds an emerald.

{ "item": "Sand", "stacksize": "1–8", "chance": 0.5904, "structure": "Desert Pyramid", "container": "Chest" }

Wandering traders may sell 8 sand for 1 emerald. This is the only renewable method of obtaining sand. Because new wandering traders require at least 20 minutes to spawn and have a limited number of trades per spawn, it is more practical to obtain sand by other means.

Suspicious sand becomes regular sand when brushed.

If the supporting block below a block of sand is removed, it falls until it lands on the next available block. More specifically, the sand block turns into a "falling block" entity, which is affected by gravity; when the falling block lands on a block with a solid top surface, it becomes a block again. More information about the falling block entity is available in the main article listed above.

If falling sand lands and covers the head of a mob or the player, the mob or player buried in it continuously receives suffocation damage. If falling sand lands in the space occupied by a non-solid block (such as torch, rail, or redstone dust) or a block less than a full block tall (such as slab or soul sand^[1]), the sand drops and turns into an item. If it falls onto a cobweb, it falls slowly until it has gone through completely; if it touches the ground while still inside the cobweb, the sand becomes an item. Sand that falls onto a lifting bubble column floats on top of the water until the bubble column is blocked or removed.

Though TNT does not break any blocks if it explodes underwater, if sand, concrete powder (in one-block-deep water only), or gravel falls and covers the TNT before it explodes, blocks are broken as normal.

In Bedrock Edition, if falling sand is stacked in cobweb is pushed with a piston, entities standing behind it teleports to the number of falling sand blocks stacked.^[verify]

Sand is required for farming cactus and can also be used for farming bamboo, sugar cane, and kelp.

A turtle egg can hatch only if it is placed on sand, red sand, or suspicious sand.

Sand rarely emits ambient noises if there is sand or red sand 8 blocks away in at least 3 of the 4 horizontal directions. In order to emit sounds, the block directly above sand must be air.

Java Edition:

Bedrock Edition:

Java Edition:

Bedrock Edition:

{
 "title": "Falling Block",
 "rows": [
 {
 "field": "Height: 0.98 blocks<br>Width: 0.98 blocks",
 "label": "(link to Hitbox article, displayed as Hitbox size)"
 }
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 "invimages": [],
 "images": []
}

Issues relating to "Sand" are maintained on the bug tracker. Issues should be reported and viewed there.

• If a block of sand has snow on it and is made to fall, the snow is destroyed‌^{[Java Edition only]} and does not drop snowballs.
• Because falling sand is considered an entity, it can be launched in a TNT cannon, similar to an ignited piece of TNT.
• Sand falls at the same rate when submerged in water, or lava, or air.
• If a player is standing on a stack of sand or gravel, and the stack falls onto a non-solid block, the player can fall fast enough to take damage or even die.
• Sand falls through torches without breaking, if there is air below the torch.^[3]
• Sand and gravel take about 0.45 seconds to fall one meter.
• The sand texture is rotated if a block of sand turns into a falling_block entity, similar to ignited TNT blocks. This is not the case with gravel.
• Because falling_block is considered an entity, blocks of sand without supports may disappear for a split second and a falling_block entity is summoned. This is also the case when it is landing, but the entity (not the block) disappears instead before a block is placed.

• 👁 Naturally generated sand in a desert
  
  Naturally generated sand in a desert
• 👁 Naturally generated sand in a beach
  
  Naturally generated sand in a beach
• 👁 Sand as generated as a warm ocean floor
  
  Sand as generated as a warm ocean floor
• 👁 Naturally generated sand in a snowy beach
  
  Naturally generated sand in a snowy beach
• 👁 Naturally generated sand in a lukewarm ocean
  
  Naturally generated sand in a lukewarm ocean
• 👁 Naturally generated sand in a warm ocean
  
  Naturally generated sand in a warm ocean
• 👁 Floating sand in desert biome before updating it...
  
  Floating sand in desert biome before updating it...
• 👁 ... and after updating it
  
  ... and after updating it
• 👁 A single floating sand block
  
  A single floating sand block
• 👁 Another example of floating sand, this time above small water lake
  
  Another example of floating sand, this time above small water lake
• 👁 A lot of sand floating above a cave entrance
  
  A lot of sand floating above a cave entrance
• 👁 A large amount of floating sand in desert, the torches were placed by a player
  
  A large amount of floating sand in desert, the torches were placed by a player
• 👁 A large amount of sand floating above a cave and being broken
  
  A large amount of sand floating above a cave and being broken
• 👁 A large quantity of sand floating over a ravine
  
  A large quantity of sand floating over a ravine
• 👁 2 blocks of sand floating with nothing below them
  
  2 blocks of sand floating with nothing below them
• 👁 Sand floating above a desert cave entrance
  
  Sand floating above a desert cave entrance
• 👁 Sand in a buffet-type beach
  
  Sand in a buffet-type beach
• 👁 Sand in a buffet-type snowy beach
  
  Sand in a buffet-type snowy beach

• 👁 A block of sand
  
  A block of sand
• 👁 Steve in despair with a block of sand
  
  Steve in despair with a block of sand

• Explained physics of falling blocks.
• Desert
• Sandstone

• Block of the Week: Sand – Minecraft.net on March 11, 2017