Updated 23 October 2026. Facts on this page come from minecraft.wiki, minecraft.net and the live Artemis PvP server; sources are listed at the bottom.
Shulker Boxes and Ender Chests
A shulker box is a portable chest: break it and it keeps everything inside. An ender chest is a private chest shared across every ender chest you open, in any dimension. Each holds 27 slots, and together they give you huge portable storage.
What is a shulker box?
A shulker box is a dyeable storage block with 27 slots. Unlike every other container, it keeps its contents when broken, so you can carry a full box around as one item and place it again later. It is crafted from shulker shells and a chest; shells drop from shulkers, which live in End cities. Add a dye to colour it, and dip a dyed box in a water cauldron to wash the colour out (using one level of water).
It needs half a block of clear space above its lid to open, and a comparator can read how full it is even when it cannot be opened.
What is an ender chest?
An ender chest is crafted from obsidian and an eye of ender. All ender chests are linked, even across dimensions, but each player has their own private inventory: nobody else can see or take your items. It has 27 slots and never joins into a double chest.
Breaking it without Silk Touch drops 8 obsidian, not the chest; with Silk Touch it drops itself. Ender chests also generate in some End city treasure rooms.
How do you combine them?
Fill shulker boxes, then put the boxes inside your ender chest. minecraft.wiki points out that this pairing greatly increases what you can store and carry, because every ender chest you open shows the same private inventory.
Shulker box vs ender chest
| Shulker box | Ender chest | |
|---|---|---|
| Slots | 27 | 27 |
| Keeps items when broken | Yes | Items stay in your private ender inventory |
| Shared | No, it is one box | Linked everywhere, private to each player |
| Made from | Shulker shells + chest | Obsidian + eye of ender |
| Where to get | Shells from End city shulkers | Craft it, or find one in End city treasure rooms |
How does storage work on ArtemisPvP?
Frequently asked questions
Does a shulker box keep items when broken?
Yes. It is the only container that keeps its contents when broken.
Can other players open my ender chest?
No. Each player has their own private ender chest inventory.
Sources
Every fact on this page was checked against these pages; the wording is ours.