Sponge

Sponge

Transparency	No
Luminance	No
Blast resistance	3
Tool	Any tool
Renewable	No[Java Edition only] Yes[Bedrock Edition only]
Stackable	Yes (64)
Flammable	No
Drops	Itself
Data value	dec: 19 hex: 13 bin: 10011
Name	See Data values

	“	Just like in real life, sponges in Minecraft have handy absorbent powers. Once placed, the sponge block will slurp up surrounding water and any more water that's foolish enough to cross its path. Impressively, this thirsty block can drink up to 65 water blocks before becoming a wet sponge. Sadly, a wet sponge can't absorb any more H2O, its glory days now long behind it.	„
		—Tom Stone

A sponge is a block that can be used to remove water around itself when placed, turning into a wet sponge in the process.

Obtaining

Either type of sponge can be mined by hand, or with any tool, dropping itself as an item. Mining time is not affected by the tool used.

Block	Sponge Wet Sponge
Hardness	0.6
Breaking time
Hand	0.9

Drops

An elder guardian drops one wet sponge when killed by the player. Since elder guardians do not respawn, this does not make sponges renewable.

Natural generation

Ocean monuments have a chance of generating one or more rooms containing wet sponges. Each room contains an average of 30 sponges.

Drying

	“	So you used a sponge and it's wet now? How about applying some heat to dry it, you might be able to reuse it. #CookMeASponge	„
		—Searge

A wet sponge can be dried in a furnace, making the sponge reusable.

Ingredients	Smelting recipe	Description
Wet sponge + any fuel		If a bucket is in the fuel slot at the time the sponge completes its drying, the water will drain into the bucket, leaving a bucket of water in the fuel slot[Java and Bedrock editions only]. Otherwise, the water just evaporates.

Usage

A sponge absorbing water in a lake.

A sponge can be used to turn water into air (it "absorbs" the water). To place a sponge, use a sponge item while pointing at a surface facing the space the sponge should occupy.

A sponge instantly absorbs nearby water when it is placed next to water or when water comes into contact with it (by being placed next to the sponge, or by flowing towards it). A sponge absorbs water around itself (water source blocks or flowing water) out to a taxicab distance of 7 in all directions (including up and down), but won't absorb more than 65 blocks of water (water closest to the sponge will be absorbed first). The absorption only propagates from water to water and won't "jump over" non-water blocks (including air).

When a sponge absorbs water, it turns into a wet sponge, and will be incapable of absorbing more water in this state.

Sponges in item form will not absorb water or become wet.

Data values

ID

A sponge has the ID name minecraft:sponge and is further defined by its block data or block state.^{[until 1.13]}

Name	ID Name
Sponge	sponge
Wet Sponge	wet_sponge

^{[upcoming 1.13]}

Block data

See also: Data values

	DV	Description
	0	Sponge
	1	Wet Sponge

^{[until 1.13]}

Block state

See also: Block states

Name	Value	Description
wet[until 1.13]	true	Wet Sponge
	false	Sponge

Achievements

Main article: Achievements

Icon	Achievement	In-game description	Actual requirements (if different)	Availability				Xbox points earned	Trophy type (PS)
				Xbox	PS	Bedrock	Nintendo
	Dry Spell	Dry a sponge in a furnace.		Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	15G	Bronze

History

Classic
May 24, 2009					Sponge was suggested on the TIGSource forums. Notch later approved this suggestion.
0.0.19a					Added sponge. The sponge was a temporary fix to stop water from flooding until finite water was implemented. It soaked up water in a 5×5×5 volume around it, and would decay.
0.0.19a_06					Sponges no longer decay.
Infdev
February 27, 2010					Due to Notch reworking many parts of the game to allow for infinite terrain generation the whole liquid system from Indev including sponges becomes non-functional. A new system for liquids was added in a later version of Infdev, sponges weren't touched though as they were no longer required. Therefore they stayed in their non-functional state until release 1.8.
Beta
1.8			?		Sponges become available in Creative mode.
Official release
1.2.1			12w07a		Prior to this version sponge could be used in redstone builds for updating blocks, in conjunction with BUDs (block update detectors): if a sponge was placed and then removed, all blocks within a 7×7×7 range would be updated. The cause of this was some remaining code for the sponge's water removing property.
1.8			June 8, 2014		Jeb tweeted that the ability to erase water blocks would be returned to the sponge. The linked image revealed that the sponge would have a new texture which becomes darker once it absorbs water.
			14w25a		Sponges were retextured, became obtainable in Survival Mode, and now soak up contiguous water source blocks out to a taxicab distance of 7 when placed, thereupon turning into the new wet sponge.
			14w25b		Wet sponges, when smelted, will fill an empty bucket in the fuel slot with water.
1.9			15w43a		Elder guardians will now drop dry sponges instead of wet ones.
1.11			16w33a		Elder guardians now drop wet sponges on player kills, rather than dry sponges.
Upcoming Java Edition
1.13			17w47a		The two different wet block state values for the sponge ID have been split up into their own IDs.
Pocket Edition Alpha
0.8.0			build 2		Added sponges to Creative mode.
0.16.0			build 1		Sponges were retextured, became obtainable in Survival Mode, and now soak up contiguous water source blocks out to a taxicab distance of 7 when placed, thereupon turning into the new wet sponge.
					Wet sponges, when smelted, will fill an empty bucket in the fuel slot with water.
Upcoming Bedrock Edition
1.2.13			build 3		Added Drowned which rarely drop sponge.
1.2.20			build 1		Drowned no longer drop sponge.
Legacy Console Edition
TU5	CU1	1.0	Patch 1		Added sponges to Creative mode.
TU28	CU16	1.19			Updated texture.
TU31	CU19	1.22	Patch 3		Sponges are now obtainable in Survival Mode, and now soak up contiguous water source blocks out to a taxicab distance of 7 when placed, thereupon turning into the new wet sponge.
New Nintendo 3DS Edition
1.3.12					Sponges were retextured, became obtainable in Survival Mode, and now soak up contiguous water source blocks out to a taxicab distance of 7 when placed, thereupon turning into the new wet sponge.
					Wet sponges, when smelted, will fill an empty bucket in the fuel slot with water.

Issues

Issues relating to "Sponge" or "Wet Sponge" are maintained on the issue tracker. Report issues there.

Gallery

• 

  An example of sponges keeping an area dry in Minecraft Classic.

• 

  Hidden sponge in the corner of a wood-paneled room, in Minecraft Classic.

• 

  Sponges in the creative inventory in the Adventure Update.

• 

  A sponge next to a wet sponge.

References

Blocks

View at: Template:Blocks/content [edit]