Snow

Breaking Edit

In Java Edition, destroying snow with a non-Silk-Touch shovel yields one snowball per layer. Explosions by TNT or creepers also cause snow to yield a snowball. Snow drops one item of itself per layer when mined using a shovel enchanted with Silk Touch, except for 8 layers of snow, which drops a snow block.^[1] Any other tool, even if enchanted with Silk Touch, destroys the snow and drops nothing.

In Bedrock Edition, destroying snow with a shovel yields 1 snowball per layer. If the shovel is enchanted with Silk Touch, the layers drop themselves instead at one item per layer. Snow can also be removed by using a shovel on it if there is no block directly above the snow layer, yielding 1-4 snowballs depending on the amount of layers. One snowball is dropped — regardless of the number of layers — if top snow falls into an invalid block space after its support block is destroyed.

Block	Snow
Hardness	0.1
Tool
Breaking time (sec)[A]
Default	0.5
Wooden	0.1
Stone	0.05
Iron	0.05
Diamond	0.05
Netherite	0.05
Golden	0.05

Natural generation Edit

Snow naturally generates in snowy biomes, cold biomes, and other biomes depending on the elevation and temperature. Only blocks with direct access to the sky can generate snow layers naturally (with the exception of some buildings in snowy villages, which generate extra snow in areas inaccessible to the sky).^[2]

Top snow generates where there is sky access atop buildings in snowy taiga villages.‌^{[Bedrock Edition only]}

Snow generates as piles and in multiple layers as part of many snowy plains village structures.

By default, snow generates exclusively in single layers in Java Edition, it can be modified with /gamerule snowAcculumationHeight. Top snow can generate in multiple layers in Bedrock Edition.

Snow also generates in ancient cities.

Crafting Edit

Ingredients	Crafting recipe
Snow Block	6

Post-generation Edit

Weather Edit

In snowy biomes or in cold biomes at higher altitudes, the weather can produce snow instead of rain. In snowy weather, snow generates on random blocks with a complete solid top surface at integer y-values, with a block light level of 9 or less, with the exception of ice and packed ice. The rate at which snow forms is affected by the game rule randomTickSpeed.

Below are the altitudes at which rain ends and snow begins, depending on the biome. The exact height of the snow line is randomized. In taiga, for example, the lowest possible snow layer forms at y level 153, and the lowest height where snow forms at all locations is y=168, with snow lines ranging between y levels 153 and 168 across different locations.

In Bedrock Edition, anywhere from 1-12 layers of top snow can build up during snowfall, depending on the biome. In Java Edition, snowfall creates one layer of snow by default, and the number of layers that can accumulate can be altered by the game rule snowAccumulationHeight: the default value being 1, while setting it to 0 makes no snow form at all, and setting it to 8 or above lets snow form up to the level of a full block.

Snow layers do not generate if the game rule doWeatherCycle has been set to false.‌^{[Bedrock Edition only]}

Snow golems Edit

Snow golems generate a trail of snow in snowy, cold, and some medium biomes, or any non-dry biome in Bedrock Edition.

Snow can be placed only on a solid block that is not ice. In Java Edition, snow breaks if its support block is removed. In Bedrock Edition, snow is affected by gravity and falls if it becomes unsupported, and breaks if it falls onto an unsuitable block. A player can jump up 1 block and 3 snow layers.

Cover Edit

If the snow is on a grass block (or mycelium or podzol in Java Edition^[5]) the ground cover turns white on the top and around the sides. Snow does not damage tilled and hydrated field areas – it cannot be placed on farmland. A gravity-affected block like sand or gravel does not fall if snow covers the block below it, but the gravity-affected block does replace a snow layer when falling onto it. The texture of the grass block changes to snowy when a single layer of snow is placed on top.^[6][7] Thicker layers of snow causes the grass block to revert to plain dirt when the block receives a random tick, similar to regular grass when covered by an opaque block. A plain dirt block with a single layer of snow on top gains a snowy texture if grass spreads to it.

Snow layers placed on top of nylium revert it to netherrack.^[8]

In Bedrock Edition, if leaves are topped with a layer of snow, particles of snow appear to fall through the leaves from the snow layer.

In Bedrock Edition, snow layers can occupy the same space as one-block flowers, mushrooms, and one-block ferns and short grass, (however two-block tall plants do not work)^[9] and can be layered and mined normally. Placing snow on already-existing plant blocks causes snow to appear around them, but placing plants into an area where there is snow removes the snow.^[10]

Melting Edit

Snow melts if there is a heat block‌^{[BE & edu only]} or block light level of 12 or more. In Bedrock Edition, it also melts in dry biomes, regardless of block light or daylight level. If there are multiple layers, layers melt gradually in Bedrock Edition, but they melt all at once in Java.

Some light sources can melt snow but many cannot. The melt radius is taxicab distance.

Foxes Edit

When a fox gets stuck in the snow after missing an attack on prey, it emits particles as it emerges from the snow.

Java Edition:

v t e snow sound type
Sound	Subtitles	Source	Description	Resource location	Translation key	Volume	Pitch	Attenuation distance
	​Block broken	Blocks	Once the block has broken	block.snow.break	subtitles.block.generic.break​	1.0	0.8	16
	​Block placed	Blocks	When the block is placed	block.snow.place	subtitles.block.generic.place​	1.0	0.8	16
	​Block breaking	Blocks	While the block is in the process of being broken	block.snow.hit	subtitles.block.generic.hit​	0.25	0.5	16
	​Something falls on a block​[upcoming JE 1.21.4][sound 1]	Entity-Dependent	Falling on the block with fall damage	block.snow.fall	subtitles.block.generic.fall​​​[upcoming JE 1.21.4]​	0.5	0.75	16
	​Footsteps	Entity-Dependent	Walking on the block	block.snow.step	subtitles.block.generic.footsteps​	0.15	1.0	16

Bedrock Edition:

v t e snow sound type
Sound	Source	Description	Resource location	Volume	Pitch
	Blocks	Once the block has broken	dig.snow	1.0	0.8-1.0
	Blocks	When the block is placed	dig.snow	1.0	0.8-1.0
	Blocks	While the block is in the process of being broken	hit.snow	0.35	0.5
	Players	Falling on the block with fall damage	fall.snow	0.4	1.0
	Players	Walking on the block	step.snow	0.3	1.0
	Blocks	Jumping from the block	jump.snow	0.12	1.0
	Blocks	Falling on the block without fall damage	land.snow	0.22	1.0

ID Edit

Java Edition:

Name	Identifier	Form	Block tags	Translation key
Snow	snow	Block & Item	inside_step_sound_blocks snow mineable/shovel	block.minecraft.snow

Bedrock Edition:

Name	Identifier	Numeric ID	Form	Item ID[i 1]	Translation key
Snow	snow_layer	78	Block & Giveable Item[i 2]	Identical[i 3]	tile.snow_layer.name

Block states Edit

Java Edition:

Bedrock Edition:

Issues relating to "Snow", "Snow layer", or "Top snow" are maintained on the bug tracker. Issues should be reported and viewed there.

• Snow can be stacked to a full block beside a cactus without destroying the cactus.
• Snow layers of 2 to 7 thickness prevent hostile mobs from spawning.
• In Spectator mode, a player positioned at the correct height can see the snowy texture of the top of the grass blocks.

Screenshots Edit

• 

  Naturally generated snow in a snowy plains biome.

• 

  Naturally generated snow in an ice spikes biome.

• 

  Naturally generated snow in a snowy taiga biome.

• 

  Naturally generated snow in windswept hills.

• 

  Snow generated floating due to a carver cave.

• 

  Snow as seen having the ability to bury certain plants.

• 

  A fox stuck in a snow layer.

• Snowlogging