TNT

TNT is a block that can be activated by a Redstone signal, flint and steel, stray fire, flaming projectile or explosion.

Primed TNT is a gravity-affected entity that produces a damaging, block-destroying explosion after a few seconds.

Obtaining[]

TNT can be broken instantly with any tool, or without a tool. Primed TNT cannot be broken as it is an entity, but it can be removed with the /kill command.

Chest loot[]

Item	Structure	Container	Quantity	Chance
Java Edition
TNT	Buried treasure	Chest	1–2	62.7%
	Desert temple	Suspicious sand	1	12.5%
	Shipwreck	Supply chest	1–2	7.5%
Bedrock Edition
TNT	Buried treasure	Chest	1–2	34.3%
	Desert temple	Suspicious sand	1	12.5%
	Shipwreck	Supply chest	1–2	7.5%

Natural generation[]

Nine TNT blocks occur naturally in each desert pyramid.

Two TNT blocks flank a trapped chest in one secret woodland mansion room.

Crafting[]

Ingredients	Crafting recipe
Gunpowder + Sand or Red Sand

Usage[]

TNT blocks can be primed by:

• using a flint and steel or a fire charge
• using any item enchanted with Fire Aspect, including a Fire Aspect enchanted book‌^{[Bedrock Edition only]}
• a powered redstone signal
• being shot by a flaming or explosive projectile
  • being hit an arrow from a bow with flame enchantment
  • being hit by an arrow that has traveled through lava or fire
  • being hit by a ghast, blaze fireball or a fire charge fired from a dispenser
  • being hit by an explosive skull from a Wither
• coming into contact with spreading fire or lava
• being in the blast radius of a nearby explosion, including that of another TNT block, a creeper, a bed, a respawn anchor, or an end crystal
• being placed by a dispenser
• being lit by a flint and steel used by a dispenser
• being hit by a lightning bolt

Behavior[]

Once primed, TNT turns into an entity, which includes being affected by gravity. The new primed TNT is spawned at the center (+0.5,+0.5,+0.5) of where the TNT block was, like a cube with an edge length of 0.98. Its fuse lasts 40 redstone ticks (4 seconds/80 game ticks) if activated by redstone or fire, or a random number between 10 and 30 game ticks (0.5 to 1.5 seconds) if it is destroyed by another explosion.

Once spawned, primed TNT is given a vertical velocity of 0.2 blocks per tick, and a horizontal velocity of 0.02 blocks per tick in a random direction. Given these velocities, the TNT travels 0.166 blocks (or 6 block pixels) horizontally before it stops, given there is no block in the way. When the countdown timer expires, the TNT explodes. If in the air, TNT falls roughly 77 blocks before exploding once it is ignited. The explosion has an explosive force of 4.

Primed TNT's texture blinks, alternating every 0.5 seconds between the TNT block's texture, and a copy of it that has been brightened to near-white. The effect is dynamic and the brightened texture can't be found in the assets.

Primed TNT cannot be pushed by players or other mobs, but it moves when in flowing water or lava. Primed TNT cannot mount minecarts or boats.

When primed TNT detonates while in water or lava, it does not break any blocks. It does still damage players, mobs, and other entities.‌^{[Java Edition only][1]} Primed TNT that detonates outside water can still damage submerged blocks.

To make TNT destroy blocks in the water, e.g. to enter an ocean monument from the top, one can place sand or gravel on the TNT before it is primed. Priming the TNT causes the sand or gravel to fall one block, engulfing the TNT. Because the TNT is no longer immersed in water, it can destroy the surrounding blocks.

Primed TNT is not teleported when entering a nether portal; instead, it passes through portal blocks.‌^{[Java Edition only]} Primed TNT teleports as expected when entering an end portal, maintaining its direction and speed. The fuse timer keeps counting down (unless the spawn chunks are unloaded, then it pauses until a player loads the chunks).

If the TNT is primed atop any sort of fence post that is two blocks high or larger, it falls through the fence block on which it was activated and stops on the next lower one. Its detonation damages only the fence block it was "stuck" in.‌^{[Java Edition only]}

In Java Edition primed TNT summoned by a command explodes immediately because the fuse time defaults to zero if not specified.

Redstone component[]

For redstone to activate TNT, it must either lead directly to the TNT, or power an adjacent block.

Crafting ingredient[]

Name	Ingredients	Crafting recipe	Description
Minecart with TNT	TNT + Minecart
Underwater TNT	Sodium + TNT		‌[Bedrock Edition and Minecraft Education only]

Sounds[]

Generic[]

Java Edition:

Sound	Subtitles	Source	Description	Resource location	Translation key	Volume	Pitch	Attenuation distance
	Block broken	Blocks	Once the block has broken	block.grass.break	subtitles.block.generic.break	1.0	0.8	16
	Block placed	Blocks	When the block is placed	block.grass.place	subtitles.block.generic.place	1.0	0.8	16
	Block breaking	Blocks	While the block is in the process of being broken	block.grass.hit	subtitles.block.generic.hit	0.25	0.5	16
	None[sound 1]	Entity-Dependent	Falling on the block with fall damage	block.grass.fall	None[sound 1]	0.5	0.75	16
	Footsteps	Entity-Dependent	Walking on the block	block.grass.step	subtitles.block.generic.footsteps	0.15	1.0	16

Bedrock Edition:

Sound	Source	Description	Resource location	Volume	Pitch
	Blocks	Once the block has broken	dig.grass	0.7	0.8-1.0
	Blocks	When the block is placed	dig.grass	0.8	0.8-1.0
	Blocks	While the block is in the process of being broken	hit.grass	0.3	0.5
	Players	Falling on the block with fall damage	fall.grass	0.4	1.0
	Players	Walking on the block	step.grass	0.3	1.0
	Players	Jumping from the block	jump.grass	0.11	1.0
	Players	Falling on the block without fall damage	land.grass	0.21	1.0

Unique[]

Java Edition:
Primed TNT use the Friendly Creatures sound category for entity-dependent sound events.

Sound	Subtitles	Source	Description	Resource location	Translation key	Volume	Pitch	Attenuation distance
	TNT fizzes	Blocks	When a TNT block is lit	entity.tnt.primed	subtitles.entity.tnt.primed	1.0	1.0	16
	Explosion	Blocks	When a TNT block explodes	entity.generic.explode	subtitles.entity.generic.explode	4.0	0.56-0.84	16

Bedrock Edition:

Sound	Source	Description	Resource location	Volume	Pitch
	Blocks	When a TNT block is lit	random.fuse	1.0	1.0
	Blocks	When a TNT block explodes	random.explode	4.0	1.0

Data values[]

ID[]

Java Edition:

Name	Identifier	Form	Block tags	Translation key
TNT	tnt	Block & Item	enderman_holdable	block.minecraft.tnt

Name	Identifier	Translation key
Primed TNT	tnt	entity.minecraft.tnt

Bedrock Edition:

Name	Identifier	Numeric ID	Form	Item ID[i 1]	Translation key
TNT	tnt	46	Block & Giveable Item[i 2]	Identical[i 3]	tile.tnt.name tile.underwater_tnt.name

Name	Identifier	Numeric ID	Translation key
Primed TNT	tnt	65	entity.tnt.name

Block states[]

Java Edition:

Name	Default value	Allowed values	Description
unstable	false	false	Hitting the TNT block breaks it, dropping it as an item that can be picked up.
		true	Hitting the TNT block causes it to ignite and then explode.

Bedrock Edition:

Name	Metadata Bits	Default value	Allowed values	Values for Metadata Bits	Description
allow_underwater_bit	0x2	false	false	0	This is normal TNT.
			true	1	This is Underwater TNT.
explode_bit	0x1	false	false	0	Hitting the TNT block breaks it, dropping it as an item that can be picked up.
			true	1	Hitting the TNT block causes it to ignite and then explode.

Entity data[]

TNT has entity data associated with them that contain various properties of the entity.

Java Edition:

Bedrock Edition:

See Bedrock Edition level format/Entity format.

History[]

Java Edition Classic
May 21, 2009					Notch shows interest in adding "explosives", which would blow up when a pulse from a wire was received.
October 24, 2009					TNT was teased in a blog post.
0.26 SURVIVAL TEST					Added TNT.
					Players have to hit TNT to prime the block.
					The player starts with 10 blocks of TNT in their inventory.
0.28					Changed the side texture of TNT.
					TNT no longer works in survival.
0.30 (Survival)					Hitting an already active TNT block now defuses it and allows the player to pick it up.
					Explosions caused by TNT no longer produce smoke particles.
Java Edition Indev
0.31		20091223-1			When broken, TNT replaces every block one level below it that is of the same block type as the block directly below it with wood planks.
		20100125			TNT's fuse time is now 4 seconds, raised from 2 seconds.
					TNT now flashes when lit.
		20100130			TNT is now craftable.
Java Edition Beta
1.6		Test Build 3			Monster traps can no longer be created by putting a pressure plate directly on top of the block of TNT.
					Players can no longer cancel the detonation of TNT by hitting it after priming it.
1.7					TNT can only be primed by redstone or any other mechanism that powers the TNT block, as well as by hitting it with flint and steel. If the player hits TNT with an empty hand or while holding any other item, the block is destroyed and dropped as an item.
					TNT can now be created (using map editors) with a data value of 1 to make it retain the old behavior of being primed when punched.
					TNT can no longer have torches placed on it. Any previously-placed torches disappear.
1.8		Pre-release			TNT explosions now emit shockwave particles.
Java Edition
1.0.0		Beta Sound Update			TNT has been given a new explosion sound.
1.2.5					Hitting TNT with flint and steel destroys TNT without priming it. Instead, TNT can be primed by using flint and steel on it.
1.3.1		12w21a			TNT can be naturally found (with structure generation turned on) in desert pyramids as a trap in the treasure room. It's a 3×3 square of 9 TNT under a sandstone floor with a stone pressure plate on the center sandstone block.
		12w26a			TNT no longer drops as an item when broken in Creative mode.
		12w30a			TNT no longer damages the player in Peaceful difficulty.
1.4.2		12w34b			TNT can now be ignited when hit with an item that has the Fire Aspect enchantment or the Flame enchantment.
1.5		13w04a			TNT is now primed when released from a dispenser.
1.8		14w05b			Mobs now suffocate inside of TNT.
		14w27b			TNT's top texture is now rotated randomly, as part of the addition of arrays to block models.
		14w31a			The explosion physics have been changed, which greatly reduces the range of TNT cannons.
1.8.2		pre1			The explosion physics of TNT have been reverted to those before the 14w31a snapshot.
					Explosion force of TNT is no longer directionally biased.
1.9		15w32c			TNT's maximum fuse time has been increased from 127 ticks into 32767 ticks.
		15w47a			The random rotation of TNT's top texture has been removed.[2]
1.11		16w32a			The entity ID has been changed from PrimedTnt to tnt.
		16w39a			TNT now generates in woodland mansions.
1.13		17w47a			The explode block states for the tnt ID have been removed. As a result, the old punch to prime behavior of TNT is no longer available.
					Prior to The Flattening, this block's numeral ID was 46.
		18w10a			TNT now generates in buried treasure chests.
		18w11a			TNT can now be found in shipwreck chests.
1.13.1		18w30a			Added the unstable block states for TNT, acting like the explode block states did.
1.14		18w43a			The texture of TNT has been changed.
		19w05a			TNT has become a renewable resource due to wandering traders selling sand.
		19w11a			TNT explosions now have a 100% drop rate.
1.15		pre1			The explosions from TNT have been optimized.
					Black and white smoke particles are removed.[3]
1.16		20w11a			TNT can now be ignited by any burning projectile.
1.19		22w13a			TNT no longer drops when breaking a minecart with TNT.
1.20 (Experimental)		23w07a			TNT now drops when brushing suspicious sand in desert pyramids.
1.20		23w12a			The probability for the TNT to generate in the suspicious sand in desert temple has been changed from 1/7 to 1/8.
Pocket Edition Alpha
Pre-release					Added TNT.
					TNT currently cannot be obtained except via a hex editor. When edited in, the primed TNT simply emits smoke particles, then disappears.
v0.2.0					Edited-in TNT can now be successfully primed and detonated.
v0.4.0					TNT is now able to be obtained without a hex editor in both survival and creative.
v0.9.0		build 1			The performance of TNT has been improved.
v0.12.1		build 1			TNT can now be ignited when hit with an item that has the Flame enchantment.
		build 10			The sound of TNT has been changed to that of Java.
?					TNT can now be ignited when hit with an item that has the Fire Aspect enchantment.
v0.13.0		build 1			TNT can now be naturally found (with structure generation turned on) in desert pyramids as a trap in the treasure room. It is a 3×3 square of 9 TNT under a sandstone floor with a stone pressure plate on the center sandstone block.
v0.14.0		build 1			TNT now can be used to craft minecart with TNT.
v0.16.0		build 1			An explosion in creative now gives the player materials as it does in survival.
Pocket Edition
1.0.5		alpha 1.0.5.0			An explosion in creative no longer gives the player materials as it does in survival.
1.0.7					TNT no longer does damage to a player if the TNT is in water.
1.1.0		alpha 1.1.0.0			The entity ID has been changed from primedtnt to tnt.
					TNT now generates in woodland mansions.
Bedrock Edition
1.4.0		beta 1.2.14.2			TNT can now be found inside shipwreck supply chests and buried treasure chests.
		beta 1.2.20.2			TNT can now can be used to craft underwater TNT.
1.10.0		beta 1.10.0.3			The texture of TNT has been changed.
1.16.0		beta 1.16.100.51			TNT no longer activates when a redstone torch is placed directly on it.[4]
1.20.0 (Experimental)		beta 1.19.70.23			TNT now drops when brushing suspicious sand in desert pyramids.
Legacy Console Edition
TU1	CU1	1.0	Patch 1	1.0.1	Added TNT.
TU3					TNT can no longer be directly primed by the player, but only by redstone or any other mechanism that powers the TNT block, as well as by using flint and steel. Hitting the block destroys it simply and safely so it can be picked up.
TU5					The explosion sound of TNT has been changed.
TU14		1.04			TNT now makes a sound before exploding.
					TNT does variable damage depending on difficulty setting.
		1.90			The texture of TNT has been changed.
New Nintendo 3DS Edition
0.1.0					Added TNT.

Issues[]

Issues relating to "TNT" are maintained on the bug tracker. Report issues there.

Trivia[]

• "TNT" stands for Trinitrotoluene. The Preferred IUPAC name, however, is 2,4,6-trinitrotoluene. The chemical formula is C₇H₅N₃O₆.
• The use of sand in the crafting recipe references dynamite, a different high explosive from TNT, consisting of nitroglycerin mixed with diatomaceous earth (which is mostly silica, the same chemical compound as yellow sand). The block’s appearance as a bundle of red sticks is also typical of dynamite.
• Although flint and steel cannot light fires in Adventure Mode, it can still ignite TNT.
• It takes 19.75 blocks to fall for it to reduce the timer for one second.
• Although primed TNT normally gets caught in cobwebs, TNT propelled fast enough flies through them without slowing down at all.
• It is slightly smaller than a full block when activated, as with all entity versions of blocks (see shulker).
• Using flint and steel to ignite it sets it off at once, but fire must burn it for many seconds before triggering.
• In Pi Edition, TNT by default doesn't do anything, but when set to data value 1, it ignites when broken.
• The longest fuse time of TNT is 27 minutes and 18.35 seconds, or 32,767 ticks.
• Attempting to ignite TNT while sneaking results in the block being lit on fire, rather than the TNT becoming primed.
• Standing behind blocks during an explosion dramatically reduces knockback and damage from the explosion.
• TNT does not damage the player on peaceful difficulty, however, it does break blocks and damage entities.
• The TNT fuse sound uses the same sound file as when a creeper is primed, but it is played at a higher pitch when the TNT is primed.
• As seen in the Mobestiary, the creeper has TNT inside.

Gallery[]

• 

  Falling primed TNT, showing the effect of gravity.

• 

  TNT triggered by redstone signal.

• 

  A giant cube of TNT.

See also[]

• Creeper
• Tutorials/Traps#Explosive traps
• Tutorials/TNT cannons

References[]

External links[]

• Block of the Week: TNT – Minecraft.net on August 11, 2017