Pressure Plate

A pressure plate is a non-solid block that produces a redstone signal when stood on by an entity, with multiple variants that have different properties.

Variants

Obtaining

Breaking

A pressure plate is removed and drops itself as an item if:

the block beneath it is moved, removed, or destroyed
a piston tries to push it or moves a block into its space

Usage

A pressure plate can be used to detect entities on top of it (players, mobs, items, etc.).

To place a pressure plate, use it while aiming at the face of a block adjacent to the destination space.

A pressure plate can be attached to:

the top of any full solid opaque block (stone, dirt, blocks of gold, etc.), including full-block mechanism components (command blocks, dispensers, droppers, note blocks, and redstone lamps)
the top of a hopper, fence, nether brick fence, an upside-down slab, or upside-down stairs.

A pressure plate cannot be attached to the side or bottom of any block, but attempting to make such an attachment may cause the plate to attach to the top of a block under the destination space. For example, if a fence is on the ground, attempting to attach a plate to the side of the fence causes the plate to be attached to the top of the ground next to the fence instead.

More information regarding placement on transparent blocks can be found at Opacity/Placement.

Activation

A pressure plate activates when an entity is on top of it (specifically, when the entity's collision mask intersects the bottom quarter-block of the pressure plate's space, which may include entities flying close to the ground), with a minimum activation time of 1 second. How it is activated varies depending on which kind of pressure plate is.

A minecart traveling on rails activates a pressure plate next to a diagonal track but not one next to a straight track (stone pressure plates are activated only if the minecart contains a mob or player).

Behavior

While active, a pressure plate:

powers adjacent redstone dust, and adjacent redstone comparator or redstone repeaters facing away from the plate
strongly powers any full solid opaque block beneath it
activates adjacent mechanism components, including above or below, such as pistons, redstone lamps, etc.

Water and lava flow around a pressure plate without affecting it.

Pressure plates can also open doors, activate TNT, and power command blocks.

Block states

Java Edition:

Stone and wooden pressure plates

Name	Default value	Allowed values	Description
powered	`false`	`false` `true`	True if pressure plate is depressed, providing power.

Weighted pressure plates

Name	Default value	Allowed values	Description
power	`0`	`0` `1` `2` `3` `4` `5` `6` `7` `8` `9` `10` `11` `12` `13` `14` `15`	Specifies the redstone power level currently being produced by the weighted pressure plate.

Bedrock Edition:

Stone and wooden pressure plates

Name	Metadata Bits	Default value	Allowed values	Values for Metadata Bits	Description
redstone_signal	`0x1`	`0`	`0` `1`	`0` `1`	Specifies whether the pressure plate is pressed.
redstone_signal	`0x1`	`0`	`2` `3` `4` `5` `6` `7` `8` `9` `10` `11` `12` `13` `14` `15`	`Unsupported`	Unused

Weighted pressure plates

Name	Metadata Bits	Default value	Allowed values	Values for Metadata Bits	Description
redstone_signal	`0x1` `0x2` `0x4` `0x8`	`0`	`0` `1` `2` `3` `4` `5` `6` `7` `8` `9` `10` `11` `12` `13` `14` `15`	`0` `1` `2` `3` `4` `5` `6` `7` `8` `9` `10` `11` `12` `13` `14` `15`	Specifies the redstone power level currently being produced by the pressure plate.

Video

History

Java Edition Classic
May 21, 2009							Notch shows interest in adding pressure plates.
Java Edition Alpha
v1.0.1							Added two types of pressure plates: wooden and stone pressure plates.
v1.0.1							The model of pressure plates in item form is different.
Java Edition Beta
1.3							Pressure plates now require only two wood planks/stone to craft; previous versions required three (this recipe now creates slabs).
1.6			Test Build 3				Both types of pressure plates can now also be recovered by destroying the block they are on.
1.6			Test Build 3				Pressure plates may no longer be placed on leaf blocks or TNT. Pressure plates placed on such blocks prior to this update drop themselves when disturbed (whether by stepping on them or by placing/breaking adjacent blocks) and can be recollected, though they can still ignite TNT.
1.7							The model of pressure plates has been changed.
1.8			Pre-release				Pressure plates can now be placed on fences, though they are not functional in this configuration due to the fence's hitbox.
1.8			Pre-release				Dropped pressure plate items no longer appear larger than normal blocks.
Java Edition
1.0.0			Beta 1.9 Prerelease 2				Pressure plates now function when placed on top of fences.
1.0.0			Beta 1.9 Prerelease 5				The textures of pressure plates have been changed.
1.3.1			12w19a				Particles no longer activate wooden pressure plate with an arrow on it.
November 25, 2012							Weighted pressure plates are announced at MINECON 2012. It was mentioned that they would, in addition to the functions actually given to them upon introduction, also be able to detect how full a minecart with chest is, functionality that was instead given to the detector rail and redstone comparator.
1.5			13w01a				Added two new types of pressure plates as weighted pressure plates.
1.5			13w01a				The model of weighted pressure plates in item form is different.
1.7.2			13w36a				The output strength of weighted pressure plates has been rescaled.
1.7.2			13w36a				All entities are now allowed to trigger weighted pressure plates.
1.8			14w10a				The model of all pressure plates in item form has been changed.
			14w10c				The model of all pressure plates in item form has been changed.^[1]
			14w33a				Pressure plates now have unique item names.^[2]
1.9			15w31a				The model of all pressure plates in item form has been changed.
			15w43a				Non-stone pressure plates have now been given a different, more high-pitched activation sound, so that they no longer match the sound of stone pressure plates.
			15w46a				Mobs no longer spawn on pressure plates.
1.14			18w43a				The textures of all pressure plates have been changed.
1.14			19w12b				All pressure plates can now be placed on glass, ice, glowstone and the sea lantern.
1.14.3			pre3				All pressure plates can now be placed on iron bars and glass panes.
1.16			20w06a				Added crimson and warped pressure plates.
1.16			20w15a				Added polished blackstone pressure plate.
1.19			22w11a				Added mangrove pressure plates.
1.19			22w14a				Added mangrove trees and mangrove swamps. Mangrove pressure plates are now obtainable and renewable.
1.19.3 Experiment Update 1.20			22w42a				Added bamboo pressure plates.
1.19.4 Experiment Update 1.20			23w07a				Added cherry pressure plates.
1.21.2 Experiment Winter Drop			24w40a				Added pale oak pressure plates.
Pocket Edition Alpha
v0.13.0			build 1				Added four types of pressure plates: wooden, stone, heavy weighted, and light weighted pressure plates.
Bedrock Edition
1.10.0			beta 1.10.0.3				The textures of all pressure plates have been changed.
1.19.50 Experiment Next Major Update			Preview 1.19.50.21				The pressure plates now have different pitches based on their behavior to match Java Edition.
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 two types of pressure plates: wooden and stone pressure plates.
TU5	CU1	1.00	1.00	1.00			Pressure plates are now placeable on fences.
TU19	CU7	1.12	1.12	1.12			Added two new types of pressure plates as weighted pressure plates.
TU46	CU36	1.38	1.38	1.38	Patch 15		Non-stone pressure plates have now been given a different, more high-pitched activation sound, so that they no longer match the sound of stone pressure plates.
			1.90				The textures of all pressure plates have been changed.
New Nintendo 3DS Edition
0.1.0							Added four types of pressure plates: wooden, stone, heavy weighted, and light weighted pressure plates.

Pre-1.7.2 requirements

Before Java Edition 1.7.2, weighted pressure plates could be activated only by drops, and they required larger quantities.

Required entities for weighted pressure plate signal strength
Signal strength	Number of entities required
Signal strength	Gold plate	Iron plate (blocks)	Iron plate (stacks)
1	1–4	1–42	1 block–42 blocks
2	5–8	43–85	43 blocks–1 stack 21 blocks
3	9–12	86–128	1 stack 22 blocks–2 stacks
4	13–16	129–170	2 stacks 1 block–2 stacks 42 blocks
5	17–20	171–213	2 stacks 43 blocks–3 stacks 21 blocks
6	21–24	214–256	3 stacks 22 blocks–4 stacks
7	25–28	257–298	4 stacks 1 block–4 stacks 42 blocks
8	29–32	299–341	4 stacks 43 blocks–5 stacks 21 blocks
9	33–36	342–384	5 stacks 22 blocks–6 stacks
10	37–40	385–426	6 stacks 1 block–6 stacks 42 blocks
11	41–44	427–469	6 stacks 43 blocks–7 stacks 21 blocks
12	45–48	470–512	7 stacks 22 blocks–8 stacks
13	49–52	513–554	8 stacks 1 block–8 stacks 42 blocks
14	53–56	555–597	8 stacks 43 blocks–9 stacks 21 blocks
15	57+	598+	9 stacks 22 blocks+