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.
Terracotta in Minecraft: Stained and Glazed Terracotta
Terracotta is clay smelted in a furnace. Dye 8 of it to make 8 stained terracotta in any of 16 colors, and smelt stained terracotta again to get glazed terracotta, which has bold patterns that line up depending on how you place it. Badlands biomes are full of natural terracotta.
How do you make each kind?
| Block | How |
|---|---|
| Terracotta | Smelt a clay block; or mine it in badlands |
| Stained terracotta | 8 terracotta around 1 dye = 8 stained terracotta |
| Glazed terracotta | Smelt stained terracotta (one color each) |
Clay blocks come from clay found in lush caves, swamps and riverbeds, or from mud and dripstone; see dripstone caves. Mine all terracotta with a pickaxe.
What is special about glazed terracotta?
- Its pattern rotates with the direction you face when placing it, so four blocks can make a bigger design.
- Sticky pistons cannot pull it and slime and honey blocks do not stick to it, but pistons can push it. Redstone builders use it to stop a contraption sticking to blocks it should not.
- Each of the 16 colors has its own pattern.
More piston tricks: pistons, observers and hoppers.
Where does terracotta generate naturally?
Badlands biomes are made of layered plain, orange, yellow, red, brown, white and light gray terracotta, so they are the easiest place to collect it by the stack. Desert temples also use orange and blue terracotta. See badlands and desert temples.
Terracotta or concrete?
Terracotta is darker and duller and stronger against explosions (blast resistance 4.2 against concrete's 1.8). Concrete is brighter. Many builders mix them for shading; see concrete.
Does ArtemisPvP sell terracotta?
Frequently asked questions
How do you make glazed terracotta?
Smelt stained terracotta in a furnace.
Can sticky pistons pull glazed terracotta?
No. Pistons can push it, but sticky pistons cannot pull it and slime does not stick to it.
Sources
Every fact on this page was checked against these pages; the wording is ours.