Opacity/Placement
Many transparent blocks exhibit unique behavior when it comes to being placed or being placed on. This page covers only those blocks that exhibit unique behavior. For example, glass is not covered as everything can be placed on it. In addition, only blocks that need some sort of support are covered in the columns.
Placement on top of blocks
PlacePlace OnOn
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|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No | Yes | No | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | No | No | No | No | No | Yes | No | No | Yes | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | No | Yes | ||
| Yes | No | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No[n 3] | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No[n 3] | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | ||
| No | Yes | No | No | Yes | No | Yes | No | No | No | Yes | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | Yes | Yes | No | No | No | Yes | ||
| Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | ||
| No | Yes | No[1] | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | No | No | No | No | No | Yes | No | No | Yes | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | No | Yes | ||
| No | Yes | No | No | Yes | No | Yes | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | Yes | No | No | No | Yes | ||
| No | Yes | No | No | Yes | No | Yes | No | No | No | No | No | No[n 4] | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No[n 4] | No | Yes | No | No | No | Yes | ||
| No | Yes | No[1] | No | Yes | No | Yes | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | No[2] | No | No | Yes | Yes | No | No | No | Yes | ||
| No | Yes | No | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | No | No | No | No | No | Yes | No | No | Yes | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | No | Yes | ||
| Yes | No | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | ||
| No | No | No | No | No | Yes[n 5] | Yes[n 5] | No | No | No | No | No | No[n 3] | Yes[n 5] | No | No | Yes[n 5] | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No[n 3] | Yes[n 5] | No | No | Yes[n 5] | No | No | ||
| No | Yes | No | No | Yes | No | Yes | No | No | No | No | No | No[n 3] | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No[n 3] | No | Yes | No | No | No | Yes | ||
| No | Yes | No[1] | No | Yes | No | Yes | No | No | No | Yes | No | No | No | No | No | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | No[2] | No | No | Yes | Yes | No | No | No | Yes | ||
| No | Yes | No | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | No | No | No | No | No | Yes | No | No | Yes | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | No | Yes | ||
| No | Yes[n 6] | No | No | Yes[n 6] | No | Yes[n 7] | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | Yes[n 6] | No | No | No | Yes | ||
| No | Yes | No | No | Yes | No | Yes | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | Yes | Yes | No | No | No | Yes | ||
| No | Yes | No | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | No | No | No | No | No | Yes | No | No | Yes | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | No | Yes | ||
| No | Yes | No | No[3] | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | No | No | No | No | No | Yes | No[3] | No | Yes | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | No | Yes | ||
| No | Yes | No | No | Yes | No | Yes | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | Yes | No | No | No | Yes | ||
| No | No | No | No | No | Yes | Yes | No | No | No | No | No | No[n 3] | Yes | No | No[n 8] | Yes | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No[n 3] | Yes | No | No | Yes | No | No | ||
| No | Yes[n 6] | No | No | Yes[n 6] | No | Yes[n 7] | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | Yes[n 6] | No | No | No | Yes | ||
| No | Yes | No | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | No | No | Yes[n 9] | No | No | Yes | No | No | Yes | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | No | No | ||
| No | Yes | No | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | No | No | Yes[n 10] | No | No | Yes[4] | No | No | Yes[4] | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | Yes[4] | Yes | No | Yes[4] | No | No | ||
| No | Yes | No | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | No | No | No | No | No | Yes | No | No | Yes | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | No | Yes | ||
| No | Yes | No | No[5] | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | No | No | No | No | No | Yes | No[5] | No | Yes | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | No | Yes | ||
| No | Yes | No | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | No | No | No | No | No | Yes | No | No | Yes | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | No | Yes | ||
| No | Yes | No | No | Yes | No | Yes | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | Yes | Yes | No | No | Yes | ||
| No | Yes | No[1] | No | Yes | No | Yes | No | No | No | No[6] | No | No | No | No | No | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No[2] | No | No | Yes | Yes | No | No | No | Yes | ||
| Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | ||
| Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | ||
| No | Yes | No | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | No | No | No | No | No | Yes | No | No | Yes | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | No | Yes | ||
| No | No | No | No | No | No | Yes | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | Yes | No | No | No | No | No | ||
| No | Yes | No | No | Yes | No | Yes | No | No | No | Yes | Yes | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | No | Yes | ||
| No | Yes | No | No | Yes | No | Yes | No | No | No | Yes | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | Yes | No | No | No | Yes | ||
| No | Yes | No | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | No | No | No | No | No | Yes | No | No | Yes | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | No | Yes | ||
| Yes | No | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | ||
| No | Yes | No | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | No | No | No | No | No | Yes | No | No | Yes | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | No | Yes | ||
| No | No | No | No | No | No | Yes | No | No | No | No | No | No[n 3] | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No[n 3] | No | No | Yes[n 11] | No | No | No | ||
| Yes | No | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No[n 3] | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No[n 3] | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | ||
| No | Yes | No | No | Yes | No | Yes | No | No | No | Yes[n 10] | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | Yes | Yes | No | No | No | Yes | ||
| No | Yes | No | No[7] | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | No | No | No | No | No | Yes | No[7] | No | Yes | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | No | No |
Everything can support:
Everything can be placed on:
- ↑ a b Need to have water first.
- ↑ Need to have a light level of at most 12 first.
- ↑ a b c d e f g h i j k l This block breaks when water flows into it.
- ↑ a b Cactus does not break when water flows against the side, but breaks when water flows on top.
- ↑ a b c d e f This can cause the chorus plant to update.
- ↑ a b c d e f Block is converted to dirt.
- ↑ a b Block is not converted to dirt when placed on top.
- ↑ End rods emit a light level of 14, which is more than the maximum light level that mushrooms can place on blocks that's not podzol, mycelium, and nylium.
- ↑ Works only for Overworld wood fences.
- ↑ a b Works only for Overworld wood fence gates.
- ↑ Adds a layer to the snow instead of placing a snow layer floating on top of the snow.
Placement on the side of blocks
PlacePlace OnOn
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| Yes | No | No | No | No | Yes | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | Yes | Yes | ||
| Yes | No | No | No | No | Yes | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | Yes | Yes | ||
| Yes | No | No | No | No | Yes | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | Yes | Yes | ||
| Yes | No | No | No | No | Yes | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | Yes | Yes | ||
| Yes[n 1] | No | No | No | No | Yes[n 1] | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | Yes | Yes | ||
| Yes | No | No | No | No | Yes | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | Yes | Yes | ||
| Yes | No | No | No | No | Yes | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | Yes | Yes | ||
| No | Yes[n 2] | Yes[n 2] | Yes[n 2] | Yes[n 2] | No | Yes[n 2] | Yes[n 2] | Yes[n 2] | Yes[n 2] | Yes[n 2] | Yes[n 2] | Yes[n 2] | Yes[n 2] | No | No | ||
| Yes | No | No | No | No | Yes | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | Yes | Yes | ||
| Yes | No | No | No | No | Yes | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | Yes | Yes | ||
| Yes | No | No | No | No | Yes | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | Yes | Yes | ||
| Yes | No | No | No | No | Yes | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | Yes | Yes | ||
| Yes | No | No | No | No | Yes | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | Yes | Yes | ||
| Yes | No | No | No | No | Yes | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | Yes | Yes | ||
| Yes | No | No | No | No | Yes | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | Yes | Yes | ||
| Yes | No | No | No | No | Yes | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | Yes | Yes | ||
| Yes | No | No | No | No | Yes | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | Yes | Yes | ||
| Yes | No | No | No | No | Yes | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | Yes | Yes | ||
| Yes | No | No | No | No | Yes | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | Yes | Yes | ||
| Yes | No | No | No | No | Yes | No | No | No | No | No | No | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | ||
| Yes | No | No | No | No | Yes | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | Yes | Yes | ||
| Yes | No | No | No | No | Yes | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | Yes | Yes | ||
| Yes | No | No | No | No | Yes | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | Yes | Yes | ||
| Yes | No | No | No | No | Yes | No | No | Yes | No | No | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | ||
| Yes | No | No | No | No | Yes | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | Yes | Yes | ||
| Yes | No | No | No | No | Yes | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | Yes | Yes | ||
| Yes | No | No | No | No | Yes | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | Yes | Yes | ||
| Yes | No | No | No | No | Yes | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | Yes | Yes | ||
| Yes | No | No | No | No | Yes | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | Yes | Yes |
Everything can be placed on the side of:
Beacon
Glass
Tinted Glass
Glowstone
Ice
Sea Lantern
Doors
Trapdoors (top or bottom, open)
Barrier
Composter
Observer
Everything cannot be placed on the side of:
Placement on bottom of blocks
PlacePlace OnOn
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| No | Yes | No | No | Yes | Yes | No | No | No | Yes | No | No | ||
| Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | ||
| No | Yes | No | No | Yes | Yes | No | No | No | Yes | No | No | ||
| No | Yes | No | No | Yes | Yes | No | No | No | Yes | No | No | ||
| Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | ||
| Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | ||
| No | Yes | No | No | Yes | Yes | No | No | No | Yes | No | No | ||
| Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | ||
| Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | ||
| Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | ||
| No | Yes | No | No | Yes | Yes | No | No | No | Yes | No | No | ||
| Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | ||
| No | Yes | No | No | Yes | Yes | No | No | No | Yes | No | No | ||
| No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | ||
| No | Yes | No | No | Yes | Yes | No | No | No | Yes | No | No | ||
| No | Yes | No | No | Yes | Yes | No | No | No | Yes | No | No | ||
| No | Yes[n 2] | No | No | Yes[n 2] | Yes[n 2] | No | No | No | Yes[n 2] | No | No | ||
| No | Yes | No | No | Yes | Yes | No | No | No | Yes | No | No | ||
| No | Yes | No | No | Yes | Yes | No | No | No | Yes | No | No | ||
| No | Yes | No | No | Yes | Yes | No | No | No | Yes | No | No | ||
| No | Yes[n 3] | No | No | Yes[n 3] | Yes[n 3] | No | No | No | Yes[n 3] | No | No | ||
| No | Yes | No | No | Yes | Yes | No | No | No | Yes | No | No | ||
| No | No | No | Yes | No | No | No | No | Yes | No | Yes | No | ||
| Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | ||
| No | Yes | No | No | Yes | Yes | No | No | No | Yes | No | No | ||
| No | Yes | No | No | Yes | Yes | No | No | No | Yes | No | No | ||
| Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | ||
| No | Yes | No | No | Yes | Yes | No | No | No | Yes | No | No | ||
| No | Yes | No[7] | No | Yes | Yes | No[7] | No | No | Yes | No | No |
Everything can be placed under:
Beacon
Glass
Tinted Glass
Glowstone
Sea Lantern
Ice
Barrier
Soul Sand
Observer
Chorus Flower (the chorus flower breaks)
Everything cannot be placed under:
Doors and trapdoors
Doors and trapdoors behave in unique ways. The flat side of each block acts as a solid surface, allowing anything to be placed on it. However, all other sides act as non-solid blocks. Because of this, many blocks that can be placed on doors and trapdoors do not stay in place if the door or trapdoor is opened or closed.
Signs and banners can be placed anywhere on a door or a trapdoor and cannot be destroyed unless the door or trapdoor itself is destroyed. Cakes and sea pickles can be placed on the tops of doors and trapdoors and are not destroyed when the door or trapdoor opens and closes. Rails, redstone dust, redstone repeaters, and redstone comparators can be placed only on a closed trapdoor in the top half of a block, but are not destroyed if the trapdoor is opened until the block is updated. All other blocks are destroyed when the door or trapdoor changes states.
Shulker boxes
Shulker boxes typically act as a solid block in that they allow everything to be placed on them. However, many of these blocks are destroyed when the shulker box is opened. This behavior is also dependent on the rotation of the shulker box.
Upward-facing shulker boxes
Upward-facing shulker boxes do not destroy most transparent blocks placed on their tops or bottoms when opened. However, some blocks stop the opening of the box.
Cake
Doors
Lantern (top only)
Redstone Repeater
Comparator
Bell (top only)
Scaffolding
Sea Pickle
While most blocks can be placed on top of upward-facing shulker boxes, the same is not true for blocks placed on the sides. Signs are not destroyed, but the following blocks are.
Sideways-facing shulker boxes
The following blocks stop a sideways shulker box from opening when placed on their front
Sideways facing shulker boxes destroy the following blocks when opened.
Buttons (top, side, and bottom only)
Lever (top, side, and bottom only)
Snow Layer
Torch (side only)
Doors
Ladder (side only)
Vines (side and bottom only)
Bell (top, side, and bottom only)
Scaffolding
Tripwire Hook (side only)
Downward-facing shulker boxes
The following blocks stop downward-facing shulker boxes from opening.
Downward-facing shulker boxes do not destroy any blocks placed on their tops or bottoms when opened. However, they do destroy some when placed on the sides.
Pistons
All transparent blocks can be placed on unextended pistons. However, on Java, many blocks cannot be placed on extended pistons and/or are destroyed when pistons extend or retract.
Upward-facing pistons
All blocks (except for vines) can be placed on the top or bottom of an extended upward-facing pistons. Only signs and banners can be placed on the sides of extended upward-facing pistons. However, they destroy most blocks when extending or retracting.
| Blocks destroyed on extention[n 1] | Blocks destroyed on retraction | Blocks that stop extention[n 2] | Blocks not destroyed |
|---|---|---|---|
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Sideways-facing pistons
The following blocks can be placed on extended sideways pistons.
Pressure Plates
Signs
Torch (top, head, and back of piston only)
Cake
Lantern
Ladder (head and back of piston only)
Buttons (head and back of piston only)
Lever (head and back of piston only)
Vines (head and back of piston only)
Bell (head and back of piston only)
Sea Pickle
Banners
Tripwire Hook (head and back of piston only)
| Blocks destroyed on extention[n 1] | Blocks destroyed on retraction | Blocks that stop extention[n 2] | Blocks not destroyed |
|---|---|---|---|
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Downward-facing pistons
All blocks (except vines) can be placed on the top and bottom of extended downward facing pistons. The only blocks that can be placed on the sides of extended downward facing pistons are signs.
| Blocks destroyed on extention[n 1] | Blocks destroyed on retraction | Blocks not destroyed |
|---|---|---|
|
|
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Block placement mechanics
Most blocks can be attached to any surface (top, bottom, or side) of any other block, even blocks with irregular shapes such as pointed dripstone; this is the default block placement behavior. Some blocks override this default behavior and will only attach to specific blocks, or blocks with a particular type of surface.
Surface and block types
- Solid surface
A solid surface is a surface with a collision box that prevents an entity from moving through the surface. Can be any shape.
- Full square solid surface
A solid surface with a square-shaped collision box that is a full block wide.
- Small square solid surface
A solid surface with a square-shaped collision box that covers a smaller surface than a full block (e.g. fence post). Any block that can be placed on a small square solid surface can also be placed on a full square solid surface.
- Hollow square surface
A surface with a solid perimeter, but hollow interior (e.g. composter or hopper). Blocks that can be placed on a surface with a hollow square can also be placed on a full square solid surface.
- Full opaque block
Full solid blocks that do not allow light to pass through them (e.g. stone).
Leaves exhibit unique behavior when it comes to being placed on. Blocks that check for full square, small square, and hollow square solid surfaces cannot be placed on leaves blocks. However, blocks that only check for a generic solid surface (e.g. banners, signs, etc.) can be placed on leaves. This is because leaves do not actually have a defined side shape for other blocks to check, and are treated as having a generic solid surface.
| Block | Placement surface | Other condition |
|---|---|---|
| full square | ||
| solid | ||
| full square | ||
| small square | ||
| full square | ||
| solid | ||
| small square | ||
| any surface | not air | |
| full square | ||
| full square | ||
| full square | ||
| full square | ||
| full square or flammable | ||
| any surface | ||
| full square | ||
| any surface | ||
| full square | ||
| small square | ||
| full square | must be in water | |
| full square | ||
| small square | ||
| full square | ||
| full opaque block | light level < 13 | |
| hollow or small square | ||
| hollow square | ||
| hollow square | ||
| full square or hopper | ||
| hollow square | ||
| full square | ||
| solid | ||
| full square | ||
| small square | ||
| full square | ||
| Wall mounted | full square |
References
| Geography | |||||||
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| Sky and fog | |||||||
| Dimensions | |||||||
| World types |
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| Player constructions |
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| Matter | |||||||
| Sound | |||||||
| Weather | |||||||
| Joke |
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| Removed |
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