Item (entity)

Item

Health points	5HP[1]
Hitbox size	Height: 0.25 blocks Width: 0.25 blocks

{
    "title": "Item",
    "rows": [
        {
            "field": "5<span class=\"hidden-alt-text\">HP</span><span class=\"nowrap mc-hearts\"><span class=\"iconbar pixel-image nowrap\" style=\"--icon-offset:-1px;\" title=\"2.5  hearts\">(link to File:Heart (icon).png article, displayed as 9px|link=|alt=&#9829)(link to File:Heart (icon).png article, displayed as 9px|link=|alt=&#9829)(link to File:Half Heart (icon).png article, displayed as 9px|link=|alt=&#9829)</span></span>",
            "label": "(link to Health article, displayed as Health points)"
        },
        {
            "field": "Height: 0.25 blocks<br>Width: 0.25 blocks",
            "label": "(link to Hitbox article, displayed as Hitbox size)"
        }
    ],
    "invimages": [],
    "images": [
        "Item.gif"
    ]
}

Items are "dropped" blocks or items (non-block resources) that appear in the world, rather than being in the inventory of a player or block entity; they are a type of entity.

Appearance

Items have two possible appearances, generally corresponding to whether the item appears as a 3D or 2D shape in a player's inventory screens. 3D items appear as their 3D shape, miniaturized to about ¹⁄₄ scale, while 2D items appear as ¹⁄₂ scale with all the pixels extruded into a cube. Both types slowly rotate and bob up and down; this is merely a visual effect, the item itself does not actually rotate or bob up and down.

Item entities that represent a stack of more than one item appear as several items stuck together. Stacks of 1 appear as one item, 2-16 as two items, 17–32 as three, 33-48 as four, and 49+ as five.

The rotation rate of the item is approximately 2.9 degrees per tick, or 57.6 degrees per second.

Behavior

Item entities come from many sources. Some common ones are:

• The death of a mob or player.
• A block that is mined by a player, destroyed by an explosion, or washed away by water.
• An inventory item tossed by pressing the drop item key (default Q on PC, on Xbox, / on Nintendo Switch, on PlayStation) or dragging a stack outside of an inventory window.
  • In the mobile versions of Bedrock Edition, items in the hotbar can be dropped by pressing on the item's slot. The entire stack is dropped.
• A container (other than an ender chest or a shulker box) that is destroyed while holding items inside.

The player may be thought of as having an "item pickup" box that surrounds their hitbox. This pickup box extends 1 additional block to the horizontal sides, and 0.5 additional blocks up and down. Any item whose hitbox intersects with the pickup box can be picked up. The pickup box is inclusive on the horizontal sides (for distance less than or equal to 1), and exclusive on the vertical sides (distance less than 0.5). When the player's hitbox size changes, such as when crouching or sleeping, the pickup box size changes with it.

Once an item entity's hitbox overlaps with the player's pickup box, it can transfer its items. As many items as can fit in the player inventory, excluding the armor slots and the off-hand slot, are transferred. If any item is transferred, a "plopping" sound is played. If all items are transferred, the items appear to move into the center of the player. The item entity never physically moves, however, which means it can appear to go through lava and blocks in its path. This can happen through blocks that are thinner than a full block, but also through the shared edge of two full blocks. Unlike experience orbs, multiple item entities can be picked up simultaneously. Dropped items have a delay of 10 ticks (half a second) between appearing and being able to be picked up, or 40 ticks (2 seconds) if thrown by a player, dolphin, or fox.

Items do not collide with other entities (except boats) and are only moved or stopped by blocks.

Like other entities, items can be pushed by flowing water and bubble columns, pushed by a piston, launched by a moving slime block, stuck to a honey block, or caught in a cobweb. Items move at faster speeds if ice is placed under the flowing water. When in still water, items float slowly up to the surface.

In Java Edition, items can be reeled by fishing rods, costing 3 durability.

If an item is within a solid block, it then flies out one of the unobstructed sides, or out of the top of the block if surrounded by solid blocks on all sides. It does this even if the space below is unoccupied; therefore, it is possible to recover an item dropped by breaking a hole in a floor by quickly placing another block there.

Items visually disappear when the player is about 16 blocks away from them, and reappear when they get closer. In Java Edition, this distance can be adjusted by the "Entity Distance" slider in video settings.

Unlike most entities, items cannot be spectated in Spectator mode without use of the /spectate command.

When an item entity drops within the pickup box of two separate players simultaneously on a multiplayer server, the player who joined first automatically gets the item. If the item is tossed by one of said players, the other player is prioritized.

Merging

Two stackable items of the same type can merge together into a single item entity if the resulting stack size does not exceed that item's maximum stack size and if they are within a 0.5 x 0.25 x 0.5 square bounding box around the other item.

When this happens the item with the largest stack size gets its item count increased while the other is despawned, if the item count is the same the item that is processed first is the one that will be removed.

Items normally attempt to merge every 40 game ticks (2 seconds), however items moving across block boundaries can be processed every 2 ticks (0.1 s).

Damage

Items cannot be attacked by players or mobs; attempting to do so simply hits through them. However, they take damage and disappear from environmental or block-based damage such as explosions, fire, lava, and contact with cacti. Items have essentially no health, so they are destroyed by the slightest damage, though if set on fire they may remain for a few seconds before disappearing. Nether stars are immune to explosions, and netherite-based items and tools are immune to fire and float on top of lava. Also, some blocks that normally damage mobs, such as magma blocks, campfires, sweet berry bushes, wither roses and powder snow, do not damage items.

Despawning

Items despawn after 6000 game ticks (5 minutes) of being in a loaded, entity-ticking chunk; this is affected by the player's simulation distance. If two item stacks merge, the timer is set to the item that has more time remaining. The 5-minute timer is paused when the chunk is unloaded or no longer processing entities. In Bedrock Edition, nether stars do not despawn. In Java Edition, nether stars dropped by a dying wither despawn after 10 minutes, but they despawn after 5 minutes if dropped by any other means.

Items that fall into the void immediately despawn when they fall below world minumum build height - 64 (Y=-128 in the Overworld, Y=-64 in the Nether and the End).

Sounds

Java Edition:
Item Entities use the Ambient/Environment sound category for entity-dependent sound events.

Bedrock Edition:

Data values

ID

Java Edition:

Name	Identifier	Translation key
Item	item	entity.minecraft.item

Bedrock Edition:

Name	Identifier	Numeric ID	Translation key
Item	item	64	entity.item.name

Entity data

Dropped items have entity data associated with them that contain various properties of the entity.

Java Edition:

Bedrock Edition:

See Bedrock Edition level format/Entity format.

History

This section is missing information about: 25w07a changes.

 

Please expand the section to include this information. Further details may exist on the talk page.

Java Edition Classic
August 4, 2009							In the first public mention of item entities, "this early video of Minecraft (Classic 0.24) by Notch", they were referred to as "resources".[3]
August 4, 2009							Items were showcased by Notch in a blog post.
0.24_SURVIVAL_TEST							Added items to the game.
							Items currently take the form of destroyed blocks.
							Items currently pulse white (similar to the selection cursor).[3]
							Instead of appearing as shrunken down blocks, items use pixels the same size as block pixels.
Java Edition Indev
0.31			20091231-2255				Dropped items don't spin and don't glow white anymore.
							Dropped items now appear as shrunken down blocks.
							Items no longer prevent the placement of blocks but instead are moved to the nearest chunk. ​
							Non-block items added (as sprites); they now rotate to face the player.
?							Dropped items now spin again.
Java Edition Beta
1.8			Pre-release				A bug causing many item forms of blocks to be displayed at the 1⁄2 scale rather than 1⁄4 was fixed. The following items were affected by this at least at one point: Cactus Oak Trapdoor Oak Fence Oak Pressure Plate Stone Pressure Plate Stone Button Oak Stairs Cobblestone Stairs Snow (unobtainable at the time) Farmland (unobtainable) Cake (unobtainable version) Nether Portal (unobtainable) Water (unobtainable, before becoming 2D in Java Edition Infdev 20100615) Lava (unobtainable, before becoming 2D in Java Edition Infdev 20100615)
Java Edition
1.3.1			12w15a				Items that are moved into the same location now combine into stacks instead of remaining independent entities.
1.4.2			12w34a				Items, like other entities, can now travel through portals.
			12w34b				Some zombies, skeletons and zombie pigmen can now pick up items.
1.4.4			1.4.3				Items are now pushed out of transparent solid blocks as well as opaque ones.[4] Items can push into solid blocks while trying to escape a solid block instead of stopping (this has been used to create vertical transport of items). New feature: items are pushed out of the inside corner of stair blocks, causing "bouncing" effects.
December 11, 2012							Dinnerbone tweeted a picture of diamonds being rendered in 3D as dropped items.[5] He also revealed that other items would rendered in this way, but only in fancy graphics.[6]
December 12, 2012							TeamMojang (YouTube) posted a video showing off the new 3D items.[7]
1.4.6			12w49a				Nether stars are the first items to not be deleted by explosions.
			12w50a				When dropped, items now render in the fancy graphics setting as 3D spinning animations (non-block items no longer display as sprites).
							Dropped items now merge with nearby items and be stacked.
							Enchanted items now show the enchanted glow when dropped.
1.5			13w01a				Added hoppers, which can collect items.
			13w03a				Added hopper minecarts, which can collect items.
1.8			14w04a				Dropped items don't spin, and they are visible only from the south on fast graphics.
			14w04b				Dropped items are now completely invisible on fast graphics.
			14w05a				Dropped items on fast graphics now face the player on all three axes, and they spin again on fancy graphics.
			14w25a				Dropped items now render in 3D on fast graphics, instead of just on fancy graphics, likely due to item models being fully implemented and replacing the need for 2D items. However, they do not spin.
1.8.1			pre4				Dropped items now spin on fast graphics.
1.10			16w21a				Items can now be reared by fishing rods.
1.11			16w32a				The entity ID of items has been changed from Item to item.
1.13			18w07a				Items in water now float up.
1.16			20w06a				Netherite items are the first items to not burn in lava, and float in lava.
1.20			Pre-release 5				Items are no longer destroyed by falling anvils.[8]
1.21.2			24w33a				Items are no longer destroyed by TNTs submerged in water.
1.21.6			25w20a				Items are once again destroyed by TNTs submerged in water.
Pocket Edition Alpha
v0.2.0							Added items to the game.
v0.3.0							Players can now drop item entities from their hotbar in Survival mode by tapping and holding the respective hotbar slot for two seconds.
?							Items now have improved graphics.​
?							Players can now drop item entities in Creative mode.
Bedrock Edition
1.4.0			beta 1.2.14.2				Items in water now float up.
1.16.0			beta 1.15.0.51				When dropped, items now render as 3D spinning animations (non-block items no longer display as sprites).
			beta 1.16.0.51				Added netherite items, which float and do not burn in lava.
Legacy Console Edition
Xbox 360	Xbox One	PS3	PS4	PS Vita	Wii U	Switch
TU1	CU1	1.00	1.00	1.00	Patch 1	1.0.1	Added items to the game.
TU12							When dropped, items now render as 3D spinning animations (non-block items no longer display as sprites).
TU46	CU36	1.38	1.38	1.38	Patch 15		Items can now be reared by fishing rods.
TU69		1.76	1.76	1.76	Patch 38		Items in water now float up.

Trivia

• MC-4, the oldest standing bug in the Minecraft bug tracker, involves item entity positioning being incorrectly handled.

Gallery

• 
  First image of 3D dropped items.

See also

• Drops — items dropped by mobs when killed.
• Chunk format for more information about the attributes of items.

References

Navigation

v t e Entities
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Other entities Player Alex Ari Efe Kai Makena Noor Steve Sunny Zuri Blocks Falling Blocks Anvil Concrete Powder Dragon Egg Gravel Pointed Dripstone Sand Red Sand Scaffolding Suspicious Gravel Suspicious Sand Primed TNT BE & edu only Falling Block Deprecated Anvil Snow Primed Underwater TNT Vehicles Bamboo Raft Boat with Chest Minecart with Chest with Command Block with Hopper with TNT Java Edition only Minecart with Furnace with Monster Spawner Projectiles Fireball Small Dragon Launched Firework Rocket Llama Spit Shot Arrow Tipped Shulker Bullet Thrown Bottle o' Enchanting Thrown Egg Thrown Ender Pearl Thrown Eye of Ender Thrown Snowball Thrown Splash Potion Lingering Potion Thrown Trident Wind Charge Wither Skull Java Edition only Shot Spectral Arrow BE & EE only Thrown Ice Bomb Stationary objects Armor Stand End Crystal Leash Knot Painting Java Edition only Item Frame Glow Miscellaneous Area Effect Cloud Evoker Fangs Experience Orb Fishing Bobber Lightning Bolt Ominous Item Spawner BE & edu only Balloon Technical objects JE only Display Block Item Text Interaction Marker Joke Falling Block Gravtater Obsidian Boat Pink Wither Skull Mentioned Minecart with Dispenser Removed Shot Purple Arrow

v t e Items
Equipment Tools Axe Brush Elytra Fishing Rod Carrot on a Stick Warped Fungus on a Stick Flint and Steel Hoe Pickaxe Shears Shield Shovel Weapons Axe Mace Bow Crossbow Sword Trident Ammunition Arrow Tipped Arrow Firework Rocket JE only Spectral Arrow Armor Boots Chestplate Helmet Turtle Shell Horse Armor Leggings Wolf Armor
Utilities Aesthetic Armor Stand Item Frame Glow Painting Buckets Bucket Water Lava Milk Powder Snow Axolotl Cod Pufferfish Salmon Tadpole Tropical Fish Bottles Bottle o' Enchanting Glass Bottle Ominous Bottle Potion Lingering Splash Water Bottle Informational Book and Quill Written Clock Compass Recovery Map Empty Explorer Name Tag Spyglass Vehicles Boat with Chest Minecart with Chest with Hopper with TNT JE only Minecart with Furnace Music discs 13 cat blocks chirp far mall mellohi stal strad ward 11 wait otherside 5 Pigstep Relic Creator Music Box Precipice Tears Lava Chicken Other utility Bone Meal Bowl Bundle Dyed Enchanted Book End Crystal Eye of Ender Fire Charge Firework Rocket Goat Horn Harness Lead Saddle Totem of Undying Trial Key Ominous Wind Charge BE & edu only Balloon Glow Stick Ice Bomb Medicine Sparkler Super Fertilizer
Food Natural Apple Beetroot Carrot Chorus Fruit Glow Berries Melon Slice Sweet Berries Potato Baked Poisonous Spider Eye Supernatural Golden Apple Enchanted Golden Carrot Uncooked food Raw Beef Raw Chicken Raw Mutton Raw Porkchop Raw Rabbit Raw Cod Raw Salmon Tropical Fish Pufferfish Rotten Flesh Cooked food Steak Cooked Chicken Cooked Mutton Cooked Porkchop Cooked Rabbit Cooked Cod Cooked Salmon Dried Kelp Crafted Bread Cookie Honey Bottle Stews Mushroom Rabbit Suspicious Beetroot Soup Pumpkin Pie
Ingredients Seeds Beetroot Seeds Cocoa Beans Melon Seeds Nether Wart Pitcher Pod Pumpkin Seeds Torchflower Seeds Wheat Seeds Raw materials Amethyst Shard Armadillo Scute Blaze Rod Bone Breeze Rod Clay Ball Coal Diamond Disc Fragment 5 Dragon's Breath Echo Shard Egg Blue Brown Emerald Ender Pearl Feather Flint Ghast Tear Glowstone Dust Gunpowder Heart of the Sea Honeycomb Ink Sac Glow Kelp Lapis Lazuli Leather Magma Cream Nautilus Shell Nether Quartz Nether Star Phantom Membrane Prismarine Shard Prismarine Crystals Rabbit Hide Rabbit's Foot Raw Copper Raw Gold Raw Iron Redstone Dust Resin Clump Shulker Shell Slimeball Snowball Stick String Turtle Scute Wheat Processed Blaze Powder Book Brick Nether Resin Charcoal Copper Ingot Nugget​ Fermented Spider Eye Firework Star Glistering Melon Slice Gold Ingot Nugget Iron Ingot Nugget Netherite Ingot Netherite Scrap Paper Popped Chorus Fruit Sugar BE & edu only Bleach Compounds Dyes White Light Gray Gray Black Brown Red Orange Yellow Lime Green Cyan Light Blue Blue Purple Magenta Pink Banner patterns Bordure Indented Creeper Charge Field Masoned Flow Flower Charge Globe Guster Skull Charge Snout Thing Pottery sherds Angler Archer Arms Up Blade Brewer Burn Danger Explorer Flow Friend Guster Heart Heartbreak Howl Miner Mourner Plenty Prize Scrape Sheaf Shelter Skull Snort Smithing templates Armor Trim Bolt Coast Dune Eye Flow Host Raiser Rib Sentry Shaper Silence Snout Spire Tide Vex Ward Wayfinder Wild Netherite Upgrade
Creative or commands only Creative only Spawn Eggs JE only Debug Stick Minecart with Command Block Unused Paintings edu only Camera Photo Portfolio Commands only Boss Spawn Eggs Ender Dragon Wither JE only Knowledge Book BE only Minecart with Command Block China Edition only Mod armor (China Edition) Mod (China Edition)
Removed Java Edition only Cauldron Potions Horse Saddle Reverted Potions Bedrock Edition only Copper Horn Legacy Console only debug fourj item MinecraftEdu only Block Inspector
Unused Java Edition only Potion of Luck Uncraftable Potion Bedrock Edition only Camera Photo Portfolio Potion of Decay Unused Potions
Unimplemented All editions Ruby Quiver Java Edition only Crystallized Honey Minecart with Dispenser Studded Armor Bedrock Edition only Minecart with Furnace Hoglin Meat
Joke April Fools 2015 Obsidian Boat April Fools 2016 Smarter Watch Reality Vision Ankle Monitor April Fools 2019 3D Blue Key Red Key Yellow Key April Fools 2020 Footprint A Very Fine Item April Fools 2023 Air Bit Bottle of Entity Splash Bottle of Void La Baguette Le Tricolore minecraft:dupe_hack Moon Cow Spawn Egg New Thing Banner Pattern Longer String Potion of Big Splash Lingering Arrow Potion of Small Splash Lingering Arrow Tag April Fools 2024 Amber Gem Batato Spawn Egg Dent Golden Poisonous Potato Enchanted Hash Browns Hot potato Lashing Potato Mega Spud Spawn Egg Plaguewhale Slab Spawn Egg Poisonous Polytra Poisonous Pota-Toes Poisonous Potato Chestplate Poisonous Potato Chips Poisonous Potato Fries Poisonous Potato Hammer Poisonous Potato Plant Poisonous Potato Slices Poisonous Potato Sticks Poisonous Potato Zombie Spawn Egg Potato Eye Potato of Knowledge Potion of Sticky Splash Lingering Arrow Potato Oil Poisonous Potato Oil (Potion) Splash Lingering Arrow Poisonous Potato Oil (Potion) Splash Lingering Arrow Potato Peeler Potato Peels Corrupted Potatiesh, Greatstaff of the Peasant Toxic Beam Toxic Resin Toxifin Slab Spawn Egg Venomous Potato April Fools 2025 Displacement Wand Eye of Exit Fire Wand Grave Mine Mine Ingredient Music Disc And Action! Shazboots! Shimmering Key Sky Box Wind Wand