Packed Ice

Packed Ice

Other names	Compressed Ice (GB)
Renewable	Yes
Stackable	Yes (64)
Tool
Blast resistance	0.5
Hardness	0.5
Luminous	No
Transparent	No
Flammable	No
Catches fire from lava	No
Map color	5 ICE
Note block instrument	Chime
Sulfur cube archetype	Fast Sliding

Packed ice^[a] is a variant of ice that functions almost identically, but does not melt and is opaque instead of transparent. Like other types of ice, it can only be obtained using a Silk Touch tool.

Obtaining

Breaking

Packed ice can be obtained using any tool enchanted with Silk Touch, though a pickaxe is the fastest. Without Silk Touch, breaking it drops nothing. Unlike normal ice, packed ice never turns into water when broken.

Block	Packed Ice
Hardness	0.5
Tool
Breaking time (sec)[A]
Default	10.75 (JE) 0.75 (BE)
Wooden	10.4 (JE) 0.4 (BE)
Stone	10.2 (JE) 0.2 (BE)
Copper	10.15 (JE) 0.15 (BE)
Iron	10.15 (JE) 0.15 (BE)
Diamond	10.1 (JE) 0.1 (BE)
Netherite	10.1 (JE) 0.1 (BE)
Golden	10.1 (JE) 0.1 (BE)
Options
Efficiency	000
Haste	001 1JEBE

Legend

• incorrect tool, drops nothing
• correct tool, drops nothing or something other than the block itself
• correct tool, drops the block itself
• italicized can be instant mined

Natural generation

Packed ice is found in the rare ice spikes biome, as well as frozen peaks, and ice caves.​^{[upcoming: Fourth Drop 2026]} It also forms icebergs found in frozen oceans.

Packed ice generates as windows in igloos.‌^{[Bedrock Edition only]}

Packed ice generates as piles (and in some houses or meeting points) in villages in snowy plains biome.

Packed ice also generates in ancient cities and in trial chambers surrounding stray spawners.

Generated loot

Item	Structure	Container	Quantity	Chance
Java Edition and Bedrock Edition
Packed Ice	Ancient City	Ice box chest	2–6	80.5% { "item": "Packed Ice", "stacksize": "2–6", "chance": 0.8052527828203967, "structure": "Ancient City", "container": "Ice box chest" }

Crafting

Ingredients	Crafting recipe
Ice

Trading

Wandering traders can occasionally sell a block of packed ice for a single emerald.

Villager		Probability		Villager wants	Player receives	Trades in stock	Villager experience	Price multiplier
		JE	BE
Wandering Trader	Special	13%	13%	Emerald	Packed Ice	6	—	—

Mob loot

In Bedrock Edition, wandering traders have a chance of 25% (increased by 1% per level of Looting) to drop 1 packed ice when killed while showing the item as trade offer, if the player holds an emerald.

Usage

Crafting ingredient

Name	Ingredients	Crafting recipe
Blue Ice	Packed Ice

Speed

Packed ice is slippery, causing most entities to slide, including items. This also allows for increased speed of items in water currents by placing the packed ice under the water current. Mobs do not travel faster in water currents on packed ice.

In Java Edition, when a non-full block of half-block or less in height is placed on top of packed ice, the block inherits the same 'slipperiness' as the ice below it for most entities, not including boats due to a bug.^[1] Additionally, any non-full block inherits the 'slipperiness' for items.

Boats can travel on packed ice with a top speed of 40 m/s. Ice tracks built from blue ice, packed ice, or a combination are useful for long-range travel in all three dimensions.

Mobs can spawn on packed ice. This can allow for compact mob farms that rely on the tendency of pushed mobs to slide off the ice in some way.

Packed ice is a completely solid block, and allows placement of any objects on top.

Unlike normal ice, packed ice does not melt if placed near light sources.

Packed ice is not a storage block, as it cannot be crafted back into ice.

Sounds

Java Edition:

glass sound type
Sound	Closed captions	Source	Description	Identifier	Translation key	Volume	Pitch	Attenuation distance
	​Block broken	Blocks	Once the block has broken	block.glass.break	subtitles.block.generic.break​	1.0	0.8	16
	​Block placed​[until: JE 26.4]	Blocks	When the block is placed	block.glass.place	subtitles.block.generic.place​	1.0	0.8	16
	​Block breaking	Blocks	While the block is in the process of being broken	block.glass.hit	subtitles.block.generic.hit​	0.25	0.5	16
	​Something falls on a block	Entity-Dependent	Falling on the block with fall damage	block.glass.fall	subtitles.block.generic.fall​	0.5	0.75	16
	​Footsteps	Entity-Dependent	Walking on the block	block.glass.step	subtitles.block.generic.footsteps​	0.15	1.0	16

Bedrock Edition:

glass sound type
Sound	Closed captions	Source	Description	Identifier	Translation key	Volume	Pitch
	​Block broken	Blocks	Once the block has broken	random.glass	subtitles.block.generic.break​	1.0	0.8–1.0
	​Block placed	Blocks	When the block is placed	place.stone	subtitles.block.generic.place​	1.0	0.8–1.0
	​Block breaking	Blocks	While the block is in the process of being broken	hit.stone	subtitles.block.generic.hit​	0.4	0.6
	​Footsteps	Players	Falling on the block with fall damage	fall.stone	subtitles.block.generic.footsteps​	0.4	1.0
	​Footsteps	Players	Walking on the block	step.stone	subtitles.block.generic.footsteps​	0.3	1.0
	​Footsteps	Blocks	Jumping from the block	jump.stone	subtitles.block.generic.footsteps​	0.12	1.0
	​Footsteps	Blocks	Falling on the block without fall damage	land.stone	subtitles.block.generic.footsteps​	0.22	1.0

This section describes content that is currently in development.

This content has appeared in development versions for Fourth Drop 2026, but the full update adding it has not been released yet.

Java Edition:

ice sound type
Sound	Closed captions	Source	Description	Identifier	Translation key	Volume	Pitch	Attenuation distance
	​Block broken	Blocks	Once the block has broken	block.ice.break	subtitles.block.generic.break​	1.0	0.8	16
	​Block placed	Blocks	When the block is placed	block.ice.place	subtitles.block.generic.place​	1.0	0.8	16
	​Block breaking	Blocks	While the block is in the process of being broken	block.ice.hit	subtitles.block.generic.hit​	0.25	0.5	16
	​Something falls on a block	Entity-Dependent	Falling on the block with fall damage	block.ice.fall	subtitles.block.generic.fall​	0.5	0.75	16
	​Footsteps	Entity-Dependent	Walking on the block	block.ice.step	subtitles.block.generic.footsteps​	0.15	1.0	16

Data values

ID

Java Edition:

Name	Identifier	Form	Block tags	Translation key
Packed Ice	packed_ice	Block & Item	ice mineable/pickaxe geode_invalid_blocks	block.minecraft.packed_ice

Bedrock Edition:

Name	Identifier	Numeric ID	Form	Item ID[i 1]	Translation key
Packed Ice	packed_ice	174	Block & Giveable Item[i 2]	Identical[i 3]	tile.packed_ice.name

History

Java Edition

Java Edition
1.7.2			13w36a				Added packed ice.
							The ice plains spikes biome is currently the only source of packed ice.
1.8			14w26c				Efficiency on tools not speeding up the mining of packed ice has been fixed.
1.9			16w05a				Boats now travel extremely fast on ice and packed ice.
1.12			17w17a				Packed ice can now be used to play the chime if they are under note blocks.
1.13			18w15a				Packed ice can now be used to craft blue ice.
							Added icebergs to frozen oceans, which contain packed ice.
			pre2				Packed ice can now be crafted from 9 ice, making it renewable.
1.14			18w43a				The texture of packed ice has been changed.
			18w49a				Packed ice now generate in the updated villages in snowy tundra biomes.
			19w05a				Added wandering traders, which sell packed ice.
1.15			19w41a				Packed ice is now only slippery through non-full blocks that are 0.5 blocks tall or less. Previously it applied through any block that is less than 1 block tall such as grass path or farmland.[2]
1.19			22w13a				Packed ice now generate as part of ancient cities.
							Packed ice may now be found in ancient city chests.
1.20.3 Experiment Update 1.21			23w45a				Packed ice can now generate in trial chambers.
26.2			snap1				Added sulfur cubes, which have the ability to absorb packed ice, providing the hockey puck/fast sliding effect to the mob.
Upcoming Java Edition
26.4			snap3				Snow can now be placed on packed ice.
26.4			snap4				Added unique sounds for ice.

Bedrock Edition

Pocket Edition Alpha
v0.9.0			build 1				Added packed ice.
v0.12.1			build 1				The texture of packed ice has been changed.
							Packed ice is now available in the Creative inventory.
			build 11				Packed ice is now obtainable by mining it with a Silk Touch-enchanted tool.
Pocket Edition
1.0.0			alpha 0.17.0.1				Packed ice now generates as part of igloos.
Bedrock Edition
1.4.0			beta 1.2.14.2				Packed ice now generates naturally in icebergs.
							Packed ice is now used to craft blue ice.
1.8.0			beta 1.8.0.10				Packed ice can now be crafted using 9 ice, making it renewable.
1.10.0			beta 1.10.0.3				Packed ice now generates in villages in snowy tundra biomes.
							Packed ice is now sold by the new wandering traders.
							The texture of packed ice has been changed.
1.13.0			beta 1.13.0.9				Packed ice can now be used to play the chime if they are under note blocks.
26.20 Experiment Drop 2 of 2026			Preview 26.20.23				Added sulfur cubes, which have the ability to absorb packed ice, providing the hockey puck/fast sliding effect to the mob.
26.30			Preview 26.30.20				Implemented all features from the "Drop 2 of 2026" experiment in vanilla gameplay.
Upcoming Bedrock Edition
26.60 Experiment Drop 4 of 2026			Preview 26.60.29				Packed ice now generates naturally as part of ice caves.

Legacy Console Edition

Legacy Console Edition
Xbox 360	Xbox One	PS3	PS4	PS Vita	Wii U	Switch
TU31	CU19	1.22	1.22	1.22	Patch 3	1.0.1	Added packed ice.
TU46	CU36	1.38	1.38	1.38	Patch 15		Boats now travel extremely fast on ice and packed ice.
TU53	CU43	1.49	1.50	1.49	Patch 23	1.0.3	Packed ice can now be used to play the chime if they are under note blocks.
TU69		1.76	1.76	1.76	Patch 38		Packed ice can now be used to craft blue ice.
							Packed ice now generates naturally in icebergs.
			1.83				Packed ice can now be crafted using 9 ice, making it renewable.
			1.90				The texture of packed ice has been changed.
			1.91				Added wandering traders, which sell packed ice.
							Packed ice now generates in villages in snowy tundra biomes.

New Nintendo 3DS Edition

New Nintendo 3DS Edition
0.1.0							Added packed ice.

Data history

Issues

Issues relating to "Packed Ice" are maintained on the bug tracker. Issues should be reported and viewed there.

Gallery

• 
  Naturally generated packed ice in an ice spikes biome
• 
  Another view of naturally generated packed ice in an ice spikes biome
• 
  Naturally generated packed ice in a frozen ocean
• 
  Naturally generated packed ice in a deep frozen ocean
• 
  Large amounts of naturally generated packed ice in a cave system
• 
  Packed ice generating in frozen peaks

Notes

References