Sticky Piston

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A sticky piston is a variant of the piston that can additionally pull most blocks when it retracts.

A sticky piston can be broken using any tool with equal efficiency, and always drops itself. In Java Edition, it is faster to break them with a pickaxe. The pickaxe is also the preferred tool for breaking the head when extended.^[1]

Three sticky pistons generate as part of each jungle pyramid. Five sticky pistons also generate in each ancient city.

A sticky piston behaves the same way as a normal piston, except when pulling. A sticky piston pulls when it is unpowered.

In Bedrock Edition, the start delay is fixed at 1 redstone tick which is 2 game ticks (0.1 seconds), meaning that the sticky piston starts to extend or retract 1 redstone tick (2 game ticks) after it is activated. Sticky pistons can only activate on the input/consumer redstone tick (C-tick).

A sticky piston also pulls the block attached to its head and any blocks attached to the head via slime- or honey blocks, but not any of the other blocks it may have pushed.

A sticky piston cannot pull a falling block.

Sticky pistons finish extending early and start retracting if they lose power before the extension process is over; most 2 game tick long pulses, some 3 game tick long pulses (when start delay is present) and all pulses equal to or shorter than 1 game tick that pistons can react to allow this to happen. This causes a sticky piston to "drop" the blocks it's pushing, leaving them behind when it starts to retract. Also, the first out of the blocks that are being moved ends up in its final position as soon as the piston starts retracting. This behavior is referred to as "block dropping"^[2] or sometimes "block spitting".

A sticky piston still pulls a block back if the piston extended through an air gap to contact the block.

Sticky pistons have the same limitations for pushing as normal pistons. These limitations also apply for pulling: when a sticky piston is unpowered but cannot pull a block, it retracts without doing so.

The table below lists which blocks can or cannot be pulled.

Sticky pistons have 2 technical blocks that cannot be obtained. These include the piston head and moving piston blocks.

Java Edition:

Bedrock Edition (piston):

Bedrock Edition (arm):

Java Edition:

Bedrock Edition:

Java Edition:

Bedrock Edition:

The sticky_piston block uses following block states:

Java Edition:

Bedrock Edition:

In Bedrock Edition, a sticky piston has a block entity associated with it that holds additional data about the block.

See Bedrock Edition level format/Block entity format.

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

• Mojang stated that the 12-block push limit for sticky pistons would not be changed, because "the current limitations are by design".^[14]
• When toggled between on and off rapidly with a gravity affected block (such as sand) above it, a sticky piston can eventually break the block, which can be picked up as a resource. However, gravel broken this way never drops flint.
• If a sticky piston powered by a short pulse directly pushes a waterlogged block, the block remains waterlogged at its new position.
• Carpet can be placed on the sticky piston extension block, and remains even if it is replaced with a solid block using /setblock.

• 👁 An example of sticky piston use with glass panes.
  
  An example of sticky piston use with glass panes.
• 👁 An example of sticky piston use with rails.
  
  An example of sticky piston use with rails.
• 👁 An example of sticky piston use with fences.
  
  An example of sticky piston use with fences.

• 👁 First screenshot of pistons.
  
  First screenshot of pistons.
• 👁 Efe tinkering with a sticky piston.[15]
  
  Efe tinkering with a sticky piston.^[15]
• 👁 A sticky piston.
  
  A sticky piston.
• 👁 Two sticky pistons atop a temple.
  
  Two sticky pistons atop a temple.
• 👁 Sticky pistons spelling out the word piston.
  
  Sticky pistons spelling out the word piston.

• Piston
• Slime block
• Redstone
• Tutorial:Piston uses
• Tutorial:Headless pistons
• Mechanics/Redstone/Piston circuits

• "Block of the Month: Sticky Piston" by Duncan Geere – Minecraft.net, July 14, 2025.