Updated 25 October 2026. Facts on this page come from minecraft.wiki, minecraft.net and the live Artemis PvP server; sources are listed at the bottom.
Sticky Piston in Minecraft: How It Works and Uses
A sticky piston works like a piston but pulls the block in front back when it retracts. Craft it from a normal piston and a slimeball. It is what makes doors close again, moving floors return, and block swappers work.
How do you craft a sticky piston?
A piston with a slimeball on top. Powered, it pushes like a piston; unpowered, it retracts and pulls the block touching its face back with it. On Java, a very short pulse can make it drop the block instead of pulling it, a trick used in some builds.
What is it used for?
- Piston doors that open and close
- Block swappers and hidden entrances
- Flying machine engines
- Retractable bridges
More: slimes.
More about the sticky piston
A slime or honey block attached to a sticky piston moves the blocks stuck to it too, which is the base of flying machines and moving walls. Sticky pistons cost one slimeball each, so a slime farm makes large builds easier to supply.
Where does it fit in redstone?
Redstone parts fall into power sources (levers, buttons, plates, torches, observers), wiring (dust, repeaters, comparators) and mechanisms (pistons, dispensers, droppers, hoppers, lamps and doors). Most circuits combine one of each: something to detect, something to carry the signal, and something to act. Signals move along dust at once, while each torch, repeater or comparator adds a small delay measured in redstone ticks of 0.1 seconds. Start with redstone basics.
Tips
Slimeballs come from slimes; one makes one sticky piston. Signal strength: signal strength.
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between a piston and a sticky piston?
A sticky piston pulls the block back when it retracts.
Sources
Every fact on this page was checked against these pages; the wording is ours.