Bone blocks are an exciting and versatile decorative building block that has been part of Minecraft since the 1.10 update. While not as commonly used as many other building blocks, bone blocks have unique properties that make them useful in certain Minecraft builds. In this comprehensive guide, we’ll explore what exactly bone block Minecraft is, where to find them, and the many creative ways they can be utilized for builds and decoration.
What is Bone Block Minecraft?
A bone block is a decorative building block added to Minecraft in the 1.10 “Frostburn Update” in 2016. It is crafted using nine bones arranged in a 3×3 grid on a crafting table.
Bone blocks have a pale white color and a texture resembling a cluster of bones packed together into a cube. When bone blocks are mined, they drop 3-6 bones, which can be a compact way of storing large amounts of bones.
In the game code, bone blocks use the ID name “bone_block” and have a blast resistance of 2.0, slightly lower than cobblestones. They can be mined with any tool, but pickaxes mine them the quickest.
Where to Find Bone Blocks
Bone blocks can be easily crafted, as described above, using bones. But where exactly do you get a lot of bones in Minecraft?
There are a few main ways to gather bones:
- Killing skeletons – Skeletons can drop 0-2 bones when killed. This can provide a steady supply of bones, mainly if a skeleton spawner is located.
- Killing wither skeletons – Wither skeletons found in Nether fortresses can drop 0-2 bones along with coal and stone swords.
- Killing stray – Stray skeletons found in icy biomes can drop 0-2 bones along with arrows.
- Bone block chest loot – Chests found in nether fortresses and igloos have a chance of containing a few bone blocks.
- Trading with clerics – Expert-level cleric villagers will trade 6-12 bones for one emerald.
So, killing skeleton mobs, trading with clerics, and finding chests are the leading renewable ways to gather ample bones for crafting bone blocks.
Decorative Building Uses
Now that we know what bone blocks are and where to get them let’s look at some of the unique ways bone blocks can be used decoratively in Minecraft builds:
Accent Walls or Flooring
The pattern and color of bone blocks make them perfect for adding visual interest to walls and floors when used as an accent block. They stand out from default textures like stone or wood planks but aren’t overpowering.
Bone blocks can be arranged in diagonal patterns, used as borders, or worked into floor designs to catch the eye. Their pale color even gives them an aged, weathered look fitting for old ruins.
Fossils and Skeletons
Bone blocks can recreate dinosaur fossils, giant skeletons, and other bony decorative designs.
You can build bone block frames in the shape of fossils and fill in gaps with complementary blocks like quartz, wool, concrete, etc. Or make bone-block skeletons of creatures like dragons, sea monsters, or massive humanoids.
Graveyards and Crypts
For graveyard builds, bone blocks are perfect for making gravestones, mausoleums, catacombs, and other spooky builds associated with death.
Mix bone blocks with cobblestone, mossy cobblestone, and cracked stone bricks to create creepy crypts. Or use them to make gravestones, memorials, and coffins.
Textures for White Blocks
Bone blocks can replace generic white-colored blocks like wool, concrete, quartz, etc. Their unique texture gives a more excellent look than flat white textures.
Swapping out white blocks for bone blocks in builds like castles, mansions, temples, and modern houses adds some visual flair. You still get a clean, light palette but with more intricate textures.
Nether Fortress Designs
Since bone blocks can naturally be found in nether fortress chests, they complement Nether-themed builds.
Incorporate bone blocks into Nether fortress walkways, support pillars, walls, stairs, and other structures alongside nether bricks. Their white color stands out and contrasts nicely.
Frozen & Tundra Designs
The icy white color of bone blocks makes them very fitting for frozen, winter, or tundra-themed builds.
Bone blocks mixed with packed ice and blue ice make great, weathered walls and floors for an abandoned Arctic outpost or research station. Or combine them with white concrete and wool for an igloo aesthetic.
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Other Unique Uses
Beyond decorative buildings, bone blocks Minecraft has some other useful functions and specialty uses:
Compact Bone Storage
Bone blocks are great for compact storage since one block contains 3 to 6 bones. Stacks of bone blocks smelted in a furnace will produce far more bone meal than regular bone stacks.
This works great if you have a skeleton grinder or spawner xp farm producing tons of bones. Bone blocks let you store all those bones in a smaller space.
Note Block Sounds
Bone blocks produce the “xylophone” sound when used with note blocks. This gives more options for note-block songs and tunes beyond wood blocks.
Fuels Furnaces
While not the most efficient furnace fuel, bone blocks can smelt 1.5 items in a furnace before burning out. So they work in a pinch if you need fuel and have extra bone blocks.
Crafts Bone Meal
Of course, bone blocks can be crafted back into bone meal, 3-6 per block. So, they serve as a way to stockpile bone meal for farming and crops.
Feed Dogs
Bone blocks can feed and tame dogs just like regular bones. Feeding a dog a bone block is equivalent to giving them 3-6 bones.
Tips for Decorating with Bone Blocks
Now that we’ve covered many of the uses for bone blocks, here are some quick tips to decorate effectively with them:
- Mix with contrasting textures like stone bricks, terracotta, concrete, etc., to make bone blocks stand out. Avoid flat white blocks.
- Use bone blocks sparingly as accents. They stand out more when not overused.
- Occasionally, break up bone block sections with a different color to create a definition.
- Experiment with diagonal, spiral, checkerboard, and gradient patterns to make large bone block areas more visually attractive.
- Use bone blocks underneath transparent blocks like glass to create fossil outlines or shapes.
- Try applying bone blocks to builds unrelated to bones/skeletons. They can work great in houses, castles, towers, etc.
- Swap bone blocks for generic white blocks when you want more texture. White concrete, wool, quartz, etc., tend to be flat and plain.
FAQs
1. Do bone blocks smelted in a furnace produce bone meal?
No, bone blocks smelted in a furnace produce nothing. They burn as fuel. You have to craft the blocks back into bone meal to get bone meal from bone blocks.
2. Can mobs spawn on top of bone blocks?
Yes, bone blocks are solid blocks, so hostile mobs like skeletons, zombies, spiders, etc., can all spawn on top of bone blocks, given the right conditions.
3. Do bone blocks burn in lava?
Bone blocks will burn and disappear entirely after a few seconds in lava, similar to other flammable blocks. Players should be careful building bone block structures around lava.
4. Can bone blocks be used to craft white dye?
No, there is no recipe in the game currently that allows creating white dye from bone blocks. The only way to make white dye is from bone meal or other white flowers/items.
5. What pickaxe mining level do you need to mine bone blocks?
Bone blocks can be mined with any pickaxe, including wooden and gold ones with the lowest mining levels. You don’t need an iron, diamond, or netherite pickaxe to harvest bone blocks efficiently.
Conclusion
While not the most common building block, bone blocks have many great uses for builders and survival players in Minecraft. Their unique textured look provides nice decoration for structures, and they have some functional uses for storage, fuels, and crafting bone meals.
Bone blocks fit nicely in themes like graveyards, tundra builds, and Nether fortresses. But they can also add detail to all types of buildings in any biome when used creatively.
So, to take your builds to the next level, start experimenting with bone block Minecraft! Keep them as an option alongside smoother blocks like wool, concrete, quartz, and purpur. Used thoughtfully, bone blocks can make interiors and exteriors much more visually compelling.
