Soul Sand

{
 "title": "Soul Sand",
 "rows": [
 {
 "field": "Yes",
 "label": "(link to Renewable resource article, displayed as Renewable)"
 },
 {
 "field": "Yes (64)",
 "label": "Stackable"
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 {
 "field": "<span class=\"sprite-file\" style=\"height:32px;width:32px;--vertical-align:middle\">(link to File:SlotSprite Shovel Required.png article, displayed as 32x32px|link=|alt=SlotSprite Shovel Required.png: Sprite image for Shovel Required in Minecraft|class=pixel-image|)</span>",
 "label": "Tool"
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 "field": "0.5",
 "label": "(link to Explosion#Blast resistance article, displayed as Blast resistance)"
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 {
 "field": "0.5",
 "label": "(link to Breaking#Blocks by hardness article, displayed as Hardness)"
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 {
 "field": "No",
 "label": "(link to Light article, displayed as Luminous)"
 },
 {
 "field": "No",
 "label": "(link to Opacity article, displayed as Transparent)"
 },
 {
 "field": "No, but burns indefinitely on the top side as soul fire",
 "label": "(link to Flammable article, displayed as Flammable)"
 },
 {
 "field": "No",
 "label": "Catches fire<br>from (link to lava article, displayed as lava)"
 },
 {
 "field": "<span style=\"white-space: nowrap;\"><span style=\"display: inline-block; background-color: rgb(102, 76, 51); border: 1px solid #888; border-radius: 0.3em; color: transparent; width: 1em; height: 1em; vertical-align: -0.36em; margin-right: -0.1em\"><br></span> 26 COLOR<wbr/>_BROWN</span>",
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 {
 "field": "Cow Bell",
 "label": "(link to Note Block#Instruments article, displayed as Note block instrument)"
 },
 {
 "field": "High Resistance",
 "label": "(link to Sulfur Cube#Archetypes article, displayed as Sulfur cube archetype)"
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 "invimages": [
 "Soul Sand"
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 "images": [
 "Soul Sand.png"
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}

Soul sand is a block found primarily in the Nether that slows down entities walking on it unless they are wearing Soul Speed boots. It can also be used to grow Nether wart, create soul fire, and make upward bubble columns.

Soul sand can be mined with any tool or by hand, but shovels are the quickest.

Soul sand generates most abundantly in soul sand valleys, where it and soul soil make up the surface terrain. It is also found below Y=34 in the Nether wastes along the shores of lava seas, generally in four-block-deep layers.

Soul sand can generate in the Nether in the form of ore blobs. Soul sand attempts to generate 12 times per chunk in blobs of size 0 to 23 at altitudes from 0 to 31‌^{[JE only]} or 32‌^{[BE only]} in soul sand valleys. It can replace only netherrack.

Soul sand is found naturally in Nether wart rooms of Nether fortresses. It also generates in hoglin stables and housing unit bastion remnants.

Soul sand is also found in ancient cities, the only location with soul sand in the Overworld.

{ "item": "Soul Sand", "stacksize": "2–7", "chance": 0.22793887963348602, "structure": "Bastion Remnant", "container": "Hoglin stable chest" }

Piglins have approximately an 8.53% (⁴⁰⁄₄₆₉) chance to barter 2–8 soul sand when given a gold ingot.

Movement on or just above soul sand is slowed down for any mob or player that is not wearing boots enchanted with Soul Speed by approximately 41.91% (i.e. a player's speed is 2.508 m/s with no Speed or Slowness effects), and standing on soul sand causes entities to sink 2 pixels (or 0.125 blocks) into the block. A cover with solid blocks of any non-zero physical thickness prevents sinking, and any solid cover thicker than half a block also eliminates the slowing effect.

The effect applies to sneaking, walking, sprinting, and crawling (but not gliding), and to both regular and sprint-swimming. It also applies to riding mounts. Travel by boat is also slowed, although this requires water no more than 2/8 a block in depth for the boat to sit low enough to be affected. Furthermore, it does not matter whether the player or mob moves actively or is being moved, like by flowing water.

Most blocks that can be placed on full blocks can be placed on soul sand, with the exceptions of both types of Nether fungi, crimson roots, warped roots, and Nether sprouts.^[1] In addition, a falling block that lands on soul sand turns into an item,^[2] which prevents gravel from replacing lava if soul sand is underneath.

A hopper underneath a soul sand block can collect items that are dropped on it.

Soul sand cannot be used in place of regular sand as a falling block because it is not affected by gravity.

Striders are slowed down by soul sand underneath a layer of lava.

Soul sand has a height of ¹⁴⁄₁₆ of a block.

Soul sand is used for growing Nether wart, a primary base ingredient for many types of potions. Nether warts can be placed on soul sand and grow through four growth stages over time. Placing Nether wart on soul sand grants the "A Seedy Place" advancement‌^{[Java Edition only]}. Nether wart can grow in any dimension and does not have any light level requirements. Nether wart can also be placed only in soul sand, not soul soil.

Four blocks of soul sand (or soul soil) are used to construct the wither. The four blocks are arranged in a "T"-like formation (similar to the summoning of an iron golem) and 3 wither skeleton skulls are placed in a row on top of the "T" to summon the wither.

Placing soul sand under source water blocks creates a lifting bubble column, which causes items, entities, players, and mobs inside the column to rise to the surface. The bubble column extends upward through any number of empty water source blocks (not waterlogged blocks).

A player can restore breath by entering a soul sand bubble column.

Fire lit on soul sand becomes soul fire, which burns indefinitely.

Because soul sand is not as high as a full block, a player is set on fire if standing next to lava while on soul sand.^[3] Standing near water while on soul sand extinguishes the player.

Java Edition:

Bedrock Edition:

Java Edition:

Bedrock Edition:

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

• Soul sand has inner collision boxes every eighth of a block. However, these collision boxes have an effect only if entities are clipped into soul sand.
• If a water current is pushing the player diagonally against a wall and soul sand is the block adjacent to the player's head when the current ends, it causes the player to jump.
• Just like with other blocks of less than full height that can have (flowing) water above it, riding a boat on dry soul sand into an oncoming stream of flowing water leaves the boat itself on the sand while the player character is "carved" out of the boat by the water "blade".

• 👁 Naturally occurring soul sand.
  
  Naturally occurring soul sand.
• 👁 The first image released by Notch of soul sand.
  
  The first image released by Notch of soul sand.

• 👁 Soul Sand as it appeared in Minecraft Earth
  
  Soul Sand as it appeared in Minecraft Earth
• 👁 Soul sand as it appears in Minecraft Dungeons
  
  Soul sand as it appears in Minecraft Dungeons
• 👁 Tyler Collins holding soul sand
  
  Tyler Collins holding soul sand
• 👁 Image
  
• 👁 Jens Bergensten wearing a soul sand shirt for Minecraft Live – March 2026
  
  Jens Bergensten wearing a soul sand shirt for Minecraft Live – March 2026

• "Block of the Week: Soul Sand" by Marsh Davies – Minecraft.net, November 24, 2016.