A grass block is a natural block that generates abundantly across the surface of the Overworld.

Obtaining

A grass block can be obtained by mining it using a tool enchanted with Silk Touch. Otherwise, it drops dirt. It can also be obtained by killing an enderman that is holding a grass block.

Block

Grass Block

Hardness

0.6

Tool

Breaking time^[A]

Default

0.9

Wooden

0.45

Stone

0.25

Iron

0.15

Diamond

0.15

Netherite

0.1

Golden

0.1

1. ↑ Times are for unenchanted tools as wielded by players with no status effects, measured in seconds. For more information, see Breaking § Speed.

Natural generation

Grass blocks generate naturally in most biomes in the Overworld, and as part of villages and ancient cities.

Spread

Grass can spread to nearby dirt blocks, but not coarse dirt or rooted dirt. Grass spreading without player intervention depends heavily on the time of day.‌^{[Java Edition only]} For a dirt block to accept grass from a nearby grass block, the following requirements must be met:

1. The dirt block receiving grass must be within a 3×3×5 range of the source grass block where the source block is in the center of the second topmost layer of that range.

2. The source grass block must have a light level of 9 or brighter directly above it.‌^{[Java Edition only]}

3. The block directly above the dirt block must allow light to pass through it and hit the dirt block, even though the actual light level does not matter. That means blocks that partially let light through such as stairs and slabs must not have their light-blocking side(s)‌^{[Java Edition only]} facing the dirt block.

4. The block directly above the dirt block must not be lava, water, or a waterlogged variant of a block.

When grass is random ticked, it spreads by checking 4 blocks within range and converts any dirt blocks selected into grass.

Though water and lava are both light-filtering blocks (meaning they decrease skylight by 1 level but do not affect block light), other light-filtering blocks such as ice and slime blocks do not block grass from spreading to the dirt block. Grass blocks can grow under all other transparent blocks like glass,‌^{[Java Edition only]} fences, or torches. Grass jumps directly from one block to a neighbor and is not affected by gaps or other blocks being "in the way." Grass blocks spread at random intervals and have an equal chance of spreading to any suitable dirt blocks that are in range. Because grass can spread as much as 3 levels downward, it tends to spread down slopes much faster than it spreads up them.

Mob loot

Endermen can pick up grass blocks, and drop the blocks they are holding if killed, making it the only way to obtain grass blocks without the use of Silk Touch.

Appearance

Main article: Color § Biome colors

Plains (left) and forest (right) grass colors.

The coloration of grass blocks is dependent on the biome they are in. A grass block always uses the color set to its location, regardless of how it was placed or of its source. This affects the side and top of the block.

In Bedrock Edition, biome colors also appear on maps.^[1]

List of colors

Biome

Temperature

Downfall

Grass Color

Note

ExpandBlock

Usage

Using bone meal on grass blocks causes grass, tall grass, ferns,‌^{[Bedrock Edition only]} large ferns,‌^{[Bedrock Edition only]} and flowers to grow.

Passive mobs tend to wander toward grass blocks. They also wander toward light.

When a sheep eats a grass block, the block becomes dirt, and a sheared sheep regrows its wool.

Tilling a grass block with a hoe converts it to a farmland block.

Dirt paths can be created by using any type of shovel on the side or top of a grass block with air above it. The shovel loses 1 durability for each dirt path block created.

Death

Grass dies and changes to dirt a random time (when a random tick lands on the block) after it has been covered by any opaque blocks. Transparent blocks can kill grass in a similar manner if they cause the light level above the grass block to be four or below (like water does), and the surrounding area is not otherwise sufficiently illuminated.

Spawning

In Java Edition, animals occasionally spawn on grass blocks that have light level 9 or brighter in the space directly above. This is quite rare and requires that there be few other animals nearby or in the spawn chunks. Most animals are instead created along with the terrain.

In Bedrock Edition, most animals require surface grass blocks (grass blocks with no solid block anywhere above them at the same x, z coordinate) to spawn. Animals regularly spawn in most overworld biomes on surface grass blocks that have light level 7 or brighter in the space directly above.

Snowy Grass Block

A snowy grass block with a snow on top of it.

Grass blocks turn into a snowy grass block if a snow or a snow block is placed on top of the block. Removing the snow layer turn the block into a normal grass block.

Composting

Placing grass blocks into a composter has a 30% chance of raising the compost level by