Dye

Dyes

Type	Items
Renewable	Yes
Stackable	Yes (64)
First appearances	See history
Data value	dec: 351 hex: 15F bin: 101011111
Name	bone_meal orange_dye magenta_dye light_blue_dye dandelion_yellow lime_dye pink_dye gray_dye light_gray_dye cyan_dye purple_dye lapis_lazuli cocoa_beans cactus_green rose_red ink_sac black_dye brown_dye blue_dye white_dye

Dyes are a set of 16 (20^{[upcoming 1.8]}) items used to change the color of wool, leather armor, terracotta, certain mobs, the patterns on banners, shulker boxes, glass, concrete powder and beds.

Obtaining

A guide to crafting all the dyes. ^{[until 1.14]}

Most dyes are produced by crafting various flowers or other items, or by combining other dyes.

Crafting

Main article: Crafting/Dye

[edit]

Smelting

Name	Ingredients	Smelting recipe
Green Dye	Cactus + Any fuel
Lapis Lazuli	Lapis Lazuli Ore + Any fuel
Lime Dye	Sea Pickle + Any fuel

Other

Lapis lazuli can be mined from lapis lazuli ore in amounts of 4–8 per ore. They can also be traded in amounts of 1–2 per emerald from cleric villagers.

Lapis lazuli can be found in 16.9% of chest minecarts in abandoned mineshafts in stacks of 4–9, and in 61.5% of shipwreck treasure chests in stacks of 1–10.

Cocoa beans can be harvested from cocoa pods in amounts of 1–3 per fully grown pod. A pod that is not fully grown will only yield one cocoa bean.

In Bedrock Edition cocoa beans can be found in 50.0% of bonus chests in stacks of 1–2.

Ink sacs can be dropped when a squid dies, in amounts of 1–3 per squid. Using the Looting enchantment can increase this amount.

In Bedrock Edition ink sacs can be found in 40.0% of stronghold storeroom chests in stacks of 1–3.

Ink sacs can also be created using 1 iron, 1 sulfur, and 4 oxygen in the compound creator^{[Bedrock and Education editions only]}.

Usage

Dyeing wool and mobs

Players can dye wool by placing white wool and a dye in a crafting grid.

Ingredients	Crafting recipe
White Wool + Matching Dye

Dyes can be used on sheep to change the color of the wool. After shearing a colored sheep, they will drop the corresponding color of the wool, and they will also keep the color of their wool when it regenerates. Breeding colored sheep will result the baby sheep's color to be one of the parental sheep's color, or a resulting color of the combination of both parental sheep's color. Note that the color combining follows the same rules that dyes use – red and yellow sheep will produce an orange lamb, but a blue and yellow sheep cannot create a green lamb. The unlimited reproduction of colored sheep makes dyeing and shearing sheep infinitely more efficient than just dyeing wool directly.

Dye can also be used on tamed wolves. Using a dye on a tamed wolf will change the color of the wolf's collar (which is red by default) to the color of the dye.

Dye can also be used on shulkers to change the color of the shell.^{[Bedrock Edition only]}

Dyeing terracotta

Terracotta can be dyed by placing 8 blocks around a dye on a crafting table.

Ingredients	Crafting recipe
Terracotta + Matching Dye	8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8

Staining glass

Stained glass can be stained by placing 8 blocks of glass around a dye on a crafting table. Just like regular glass, stained glass can be crafted into stained glass panes. The recipe for this is the same as with regular glass.

Ingredients	Crafting recipe
Glass + Matching Dye	8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8

Dyeing armor

A graph showing all combinations of two dyes on a tunic.

Leather armor can be dyed by:^[verify]

• Crafting dyes with a piece of leather armor.^{[Java and Legacy Console editions only]}
• Dousing the leather armor or leather horse armor in a cauldron to which dyes have been added.^{[Bedrock and Legacy Console editions only]}
• Combining the dye with a piece of leather armor in the inventory.^{[verify][Legacy Console Edition only]}

There are a possible combination of 12,326,391 colors, as it is possible to put more than one dye on the crafting bench alongside the leather armor. Armor can be dyed multiple times with previous colors affecting the final outcome. Colored armor can be reverted to their original color using a cauldron with undyed water.

The game has a specific formula for calculating the color of dyed armor: each color, in the RGB color model, has a red value, green value, and blue value. For each dye in the crafting grid, and the armor itself (if it is already dyed), the red, green, and blue values are added to running totals. In addition, a running total of the highest value (be it red, green, or blue) is also kept. After this, each total is divided by the number of colors used. This effectively produces the average red, green, blue, and maximum values. The maximum value of the average RGB values is also calculated. Finally, each average RGB value is multiplied by the average maximum value, and divided by the maximum of the average RGB values. The modified average RGB values are then used as the final color. This procedure can be summed up with the following equations:

for each color (all "total" variables start at 0 before counting):
 totalRed = totalRed + redValue
 totalGreen = totalGreen + greenValue
 totalBlue = totalBlue + blueValue
 totalMaximum = totalMaximum + max(red, green, blue)
 numberOfColors = numberOfColors + 1

averageRed = totalRed / numberOfColors
averageGreen = totalGreen / numberOfColors
averageBlue = totalBlue / numberOfColors
averageMaximum = totalMaximum / numberOfColors

maximumOfAverage = max(averageRed, averageGreen, averageBlue)
gainFactor = averageMaximum / maximumOfAverage

resultRed = averageRed * gainFactor
resultGreen = averageGreen * gainFactor
resultBlue = averageBlue * gainFactor

Due to the way this formula works, the resulting color will never be darker than the average of the input colors, and will often be lighter and more saturated. Of course, the resulting color will never be lighter or more saturated than the lightest or most saturated input color. In addition, this formula will never create an RGB value higher than 255 (which would be invalid in the 8 bit RGB color model).

Dyeing firework stars

A firework star can have a single color or a combination of up to eight colors when crafted with dyes. Adding one or more dyes to a crafted firework star will add a "fade to color" effect to it, overwriting any existing fade colors.

Name	Ingredients	Crafting recipe
Firework Star	Gunpowder + Any Dye (1–8) + Extra ingredient (optional)
Firework Star	Matching Firework Star + Any Dye

Banner patterns

Main article: Banner § Patterns

Dyes are used in most banner patterns to determine which pattern and what color is used.

Dyeing shulker boxes

Shulker boxes are generated in a light shade of purple (like the Purpur Block), but can be dyed any color. They can also be re-dyed as often as desired.

Name	Ingredients	Crafting recipe
Shulker Box	Any Shulker Box + Matching Dye

Creating concrete powder

Dyes can also be used to craft concrete powder, which can then be set into their respective concrete blocks (they cannot be dyed directly).

Ingredients	Crafting recipe
Sand + Gravel + Matching Dye	8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8

Creating balloons

Dye can be used to craft balloons.^{[Bedrock and Education editions only]}

Ingredients	Crafting recipe
Latex + Matching Dye + Helium + Lead

Creating glow sticks

Dye can also be used to craft glow sticks.^{[Bedrock and Education editions only]}

Ingredients	Crafting recipe
Polyethylene + Hydrogen Peroxide + Matching Dye + Luminol

Dyeing beds

Players can dye beds by placing a white bed and any color dye in a crafting grid. Only white beds can be dyed.

Ingredients	Crafting recipe
White Bed + Matching Dye

Dyeing water inside cauldrons

Water can be dyed in a cauldron by holding any dye in the hand and pressing use on a cauldron filled with water.^{[Bedrock and Legacy Console editions only]}

Other uses

4 dye have other uses specific to those colors; see their separate articles for details.

• Ink sacs are used to craft dark prismarine and book and quill.
• Cocoa beans are used to craft cookies and can be planted on the side of a jungle wood block to grow more cocoa beans.
• Lapis lazuli is used in enchanting and to craft the lapis lazuli block.
• Bone meal is used to fertilize various plants, craft the bone block, and create huge mushrooms.

These items all have dye color equivalents.^{[Bedrock Edition only]}

Colors

Primary

These primary dyes are created from a single ingredient spawned naturally in a world.

Name	Source	Color	Notes
Rose Red ( Red Dye[upcoming 1.14 & 1.8])	Poppy Rose Bush Red Tulip Beetroot	Red	Made by placing a poppy, red tulip, beetroot, or rose bush on a crafting grid.
Dandelion Yellow ( Yellow Dye[upcoming 1.14 & 1.8])	Dandelion Sunflower	Yellow	Made by placing a dandelion or sunflower on a crafting grid.
Cactus Green ( Green Dye[upcoming 1.14 & 1.8])	Cactus	Green	Made by cooking cactus in a furnace.
Lapis Lazuli	Lapis lazuli ore	Blue [until 1.14]	Mined (one ore yields 4-8 dye). Also obtainable by trading with cleric villagers (1-2 lapis lazuli for an emerald).
Bone Meal	Bone	White [until 1.14]	Made by placing a bone or bone block on a crafting grid. (White wool can also be obtained by shearing or killing white sheep, or from string put into a 2×2 square on the crafting table.)
Ink Sac	Squid	Black [until 1.14]	Each squid drops 0-3 ink sacs when it is killed. (Black wool can also be obtained by shearing or killing black sheep, or from naturally occurring lamp posts in villages.). Found in Pocket Edition village blacksmiths and stronghold chests. Can also be obtained by fishing.
Cocoa Beans	Cocoa plants	Brown [until 1.14]	Growing on jungle trees. (Brown wool can also be obtained by shearing or killing brown sheep.)

Quasi-Primary

These dyes can be created from a single ingredient spawned naturally in a world, or by combining other dyes.

Name	Source	Color	Obtaining Naturally	Crafting
Orange Dye	Orange Tulip	Orange	Made by placing an orange tulip on a crafting grid.	Rose Red + Dandelion Yellow (Red Dye + Yellow Dye [upcoming 1.14 & 1.8])
Light Blue Dye	Blue Orchid	Light Blue	Made by placing a blue orchid on a crafting grid.	Lapis Lazuli + Bone Meal (Blue Dye + White Dye [upcoming 1.14 & 1.8])
Magenta Dye	Lilac Allium	Magenta	Made by placing a lilac or allium on a crafting grid.	Purple Dye + Pink Dye OR 2 Rose Red + 1 Lapis Lazuli + 1 Bone Meal (2 Red Dye + 1 Blue Dye + 1 White Dye [upcoming 1.14 & 1.8])
Pink Dye	Peony Pink Tulip	Pink	Made by placing a peony or pink tulip on a crafting grid.	Rose Red + Bone Meal (Red Dye + White Dye [upcoming 1.14 & 1.8])
Light Gray Dye	Azure Bluet Oxeye Daisy White Tulip	Light Gray	Made by placing an azure bluet, oxeye daisy, or white tulip on a crafting grid. (Light gray wool can also be obtained from light gray sheep.)	Bone Meal + Gray Dye OR 2 Bone Meal + 1 Inc Sac (White Dye + Grey Dye OR 2 White Dye + 1 Black Dye [upcoming 1.14 & 1.8])
Lime Dye	Sea Pickle	Lime Green	Made by smelting a sea pickle in a furnace.	Cactus Green + Bone Meal (Green Dye + White Dye [upcoming 1.14 & 1.8])
Black Dye [upcoming 1.14] [upcoming 1.8]	Ink Sac Wither Rose[upcoming 1.14]	Black	Made by placing an ink sac or wither rose[upcoming 1.14] on a crafting grid.	Ink Sac OR Wither Rose
Brown Dye [upcoming 1.14] [upcoming 1.8]	Cocoa Beans	Brown	Made by placing cocoa beans on a crafting grid.	Cocoa Beans
Blue Dye [upcoming 1.14] [upcoming 1.8]	Lapis Lazuli Cornflower[upcoming 1.14]	Blue	Made by placing a lapis lazuli or cornflower[upcoming 1.14] on a crafting grid.	Lapis Lazuli OR Cornflower
White Dye [upcoming 1.14] [upcoming 1.8]	Bone Meal Lily of the Valley[upcoming 1.14]	White	Made by placing a bone meal or lily of the valley[upcoming 1.14] on a crafting grid.	Bone Meal OR Lily of the Valley

Secondary

Secondary dyes are created by combining primary dyes together.

Name	Source	Color
Cyan Dye	Cactus Green + Lapis Lazuli (Green Dye + Blue Dye [upcoming 1.14 & 1.8])	Cyan
Purple Dye	Rose Red + Lapis Lazuli (Red Dye + Blue Dye [upcoming 1.14 & 1.8])	Purple
Gray Dye	Ink Sac + Bone Meal (Black Dye + White Dye [upcoming 1.14 & 1.8])	Gray

Data values

The color of a dye item depends on its metadata. The "color codes" are used to determine the color imparted on sheep, wolf collars, and dyed leather armor. The hex value is shown in the extended tooltips of dyed leather armor; however, to set the color using an NBT data tag in a command, the decimal value must be used instead.

Icon	Data		Description	Color Code		Sample
	Dec	Hex		Dec	Hex
	0	0x0	Ink Sac	1908001	#1D1D21
	1	0x1	Rose Red	11546150	#B02E26
	2	0x2	Cactus Green	6192150	#5E7C16
	3	0x3	Cocoa Beans	8606770	#835432
	4	0x4	Lapis Lazuli	3949738	#3C44AA
	5	0x5	Purple Dye	8991416	#8932B8
	6	0x6	Cyan Dye	1481884	#169C9C
	7	0x7	Light Gray Dye	10329495	#9D9D97
	8	0x8	Gray Dye	4673362	#474F52
	9	0x9	Pink Dye	15961002	#F38BAA
	10	0xA	Lime Dye	8439583	#80C71F
	11	0xB	Dandelion Yellow	16701501	#FED83D
	12	0xC	Light Blue Dye	3847130	#3AB3DA
	13	0xD	Magenta Dye	13061821	#C74EBD
	14	0xE	Orange Dye	16351261	#F9801D
	15	0xF	Bone Meal	16383998	#F9FFFE

Achievements

Main article: Achievements

Icon	Achievement	In-game description	Actual requirements (if different)	Availability				Xbox points earned	Trophy type (PS)
				Xbox	PS	Bedrock	Nintendo
	Rainbow Collection	Gather all 16 colors of wool.	All the colors of wool do not have to be in the inventory at the same time, but must have been picked up by the player once.	Xbox One	Yes	Yes	Wii U, Switch	30G	Silver
				Xbox 360		Alt		20G
	Tie Dye Outfit	Dye all 4 unique pieces of leather armor.		Yes	Yes	Yes	Wii U, Switch	15G	Bronze
	Change of Sheets	Dye your bed a different color		Yes	Yes	No	Wii U, Switch	20G	Bronze

Video

Note: This video is outdated, as it does not include details of the 1.7.2 update's changes to the dyeing system/production chain.

History

Java Edition Beta
1.2					Added wool dyes.
Java Edition
1.1			11w49a		Sheep will now have the ability to regrow their wool by eating grass. Dyed sheep will regrow wool in their new color.
?					Bone meal texture changed; lowered one pixel.
1.4.2			12w34a		Added the ability to dye leather armor and wolf collars.
1.6.1			13w19a		Stained clay can now be crafted using dyes.
1.7.2			13w36a		With the addition of new flowers, many secondary and tertiary dyes are now primary dyes.
			13w41a		Stained glass can now be crafted using dyes.
1.8			14w30a		Added banners, which can be dyed.
1.9			15w31a		Rose red can now be obtained from beetroot.
			15w34a		Added shields, which can be dyed indirectly by applying a matching banner.
1.11			16w39b		Dyes are now used to change the color of shulker boxes.
1.12			17w06a		Dyes are now used to craft concrete powder.
			17w15a		Dyes can now apply color to white beds.
1.13			17w47a		The different data values for the dye ID have been split up into their own IDs.
Upcoming Java Edition
1.14			18w43a		Ink sacs, bone meal, cocoa beans and lapis lazuli are now no longer considered dyes.
					Added black, white, brown and blue dyes.
					"Rose Red", "Dandelion Yellow" and "Cactus Green" have now been renamed to "Red Dye", "Yellow Dye" and "Green Dye", respectively.
					Glass panes and carpets can now be dyed.
			18w44a		The color of the text on signs can now be changed with dye.
Pocket Edition Alpha
0.3.0					Added dandelion yellow.
0.3.3					Added bone meal.
0.4.0					Added cactus green, cyan dye, lapis lazuli, light blue dye, lime dye, magenta dye, orange dye, pink dye and purple dye.
					Added rose red, obtainable by smelting red mushrooms.
0.8.0			build 3		Ink sacs, cocoa beans, gray dye, and light gray dye are now available in the creative inventory.
					Rose red can now be obtained from beetroots.
0.9.0			build 1		Cocoa beans can now be obtained from cocoa pods.
					The cyan flower has now been removed and replaced with a new poppy flower that can be crafted into rose red.
			build 3		All new flowers can now be crafted into dyes. Because of this, many secondary and tertiary dyes are now primary dyes.
					Gray dye and light gray dye can now be obtained in survival.
			build 11		Stained clay can now be crafted using dyes.
0.11.0			build 1		Ink sacs can now be obtained from squid.
					Added the ability to dye wolf collars.
0.14.0					Cauldrons now used for leather dyeing, by applying a dye to a water-filled cauldron.
?					As of 0.15.0 (possibly earlier), red mushrooms can now no longer be smelted to obtain rose red.
0.16.0					Cocoa beans can now no longer be crafted.
Pocket Edition
1.0			build 1		Added Dye button for sheep.
					Added shulkers, which can be dyed.
					Added stained glass. It cannot be crafted, but purple glass generates in end cities.
1.1			build 1		Dyes can now apply color to a white beds.
					Dyes are now used to craft concrete powder.
					The color palette has now been changed.
Bedrock Edition
1.2			build 1		Dyes can now used for banner crafting.
					Dyes can now be used to craft firework stars.
					Stained glass is now craftable, using dyes.
1.4			beta 1.2.20.1		Lime dye can now be obtained from smelting sea pickles.
					Dyes can now used to craft glow sticks and balloons.
Upcoming Bedrock Edition
1.8			beta 1.8.0.10		Added white, blue, brown and black dyes, which crafted from lapis lazuli, bone meal and ink sacs.
					"Rose Red", "Dandelion Yellow" and "Cactus Green" have now been renamed to "Red Dye", "Yellow Dye" and "Green Dye", respectively.
1.9			beta 1.9.0.0		Blue dye and White dye can be obtained from Cornflower and Lily of the Valley.
Legacy Console Edition
TU1	CU1	1.0	Patch 1	Patch s1	Added wool dyes.

Trivia

• Players can obtain each one of every color with 1 cocoa bean, 2 yellow dye and ink sacs, 3 green dye, 4 lapis lazuli and red dyes and 6 bone meal (2 bones).
• The dyed sheep breeding behavior mirrors Lamarck's theory, in which the organisms evolve inheriting the external changes and adaptations of the previous generation, transmitting them to their offspring.
• In Bedrock Edition, tertiary colors, along with their regular crafting recipes, can be crafted with primary colors. E.g.: Magenta can be crafted with one rose red and two bone meals.
• The colors of the dyes match the chat colors in Color Codes except for brown (dye only), light aqua, and gold (color codes only).

Items

View at: Template:Items/content [edit]