Sponge
| Transparent |
No |
|---|---|
| Luminance |
0 |
| Blast resistance |
3 |
| Tool |
Any tool |
| Renewable |
No[Java 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[1] |
A sponge is a block that can be used to remove water around itself when placed, turning into a wet sponge in the process.
Contents
Obtaining[edit]
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[edit]
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[edit]
Ocean monuments have a chance of generating one or more rooms containing wet sponges. Each room contains an average of 30 sponges.
Drying[edit]
|
“ | 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[2] |
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[edit]
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). Sponges cannot absorb water sources that are adjacent to a conduit.
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[edit]
ID[edit]
| Block | ID Name |
|---|---|
| Sponge | sponge
|
| Wet Sponge | wet_sponge
|
| Block | ID Name | Numeral ID |
|---|---|---|
| Sponge | sponge
|
19 |
Block data[edit]
In Bedrock Edition, sponges use the following data values:
| DV | Description | |
|---|---|---|
| 0 | Sponge | |
| 1 | Wet Sponge |
Achievements[edit]
| 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 | ||
Video[edit]
History[edit]
| May 24, 2009 | Sponge was suggested on the TIGSource forums. Notch later approved this suggestion. | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Java Edition Classic | |||||
| 0.0.19a |  Added sponge. The sponge was a temporary fix to stop water from flooding until finite water was implemented.[3] It soaked up water in a 5×5×5 volume around it, and would decay. | ||||
| 0.0.19a_06 | Sponges no longer decay. | ||||
| Java Edition 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. | ||||
| Java Edition Beta | |||||
| 1.8 | pre2 | Sponges become available in Creative mode. | |||
| Java Edition | |||||
| 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.[4] The cause of this was some remaining code for the sponge's water removing property. | |||
| 1.3.1 | 12w22a | Inventory sprites for blocks were flipped from left to right, changing to . | |||
| 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.[5] | |||
| 1.13 | 17w47a | The two different wet block state values for the sponge ID have been split up into their own IDs.
| |||
| Prior to The Flattening, this block's numeral ID was 19. | |||||
| 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. | |||||
| Bedrock Edition | |||||
| 1.4 | beta 1.2.13.8 | Added Drowned which rarely drop sponge. | |||
| beta 1.2.20.1 | Drowned no longer drop sponge. | ||||
| Legacy Console Edition | |||||
| TU5 | CU1 | 1.0 | Patch 1 | 1.0.1 | 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. | |||||
| New Nintendo 3DS Edition | |||||
| 0.1.0 | Added sponge. | ||||
| 1.3.12 | Added wet sponge. | ||||
Issues[edit]
Issues relating to "Sponge" or "Wet Sponge" are maintained on the bug tracker. Report issues there.
Gallery[edit]
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[edit]
