Why is concrete so important in Minecraft?

Various color variations of concrete (Image via Mojang)
Various color variations of concrete (Image via Mojang)

The result of concrete powder meeting water in Minecraft is concrete, a somewhat hard block that can be incredibly useful in decoration and building. Although it isn't as sturdy as blocks like obsidian, concrete can be a solid building material that has a comparable toughness to stone.

However, due to its composition, concrete doesn't have great blast resistance, meaning players building with it in Minecraft should avoid creepers and TNT blocks.

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In the decoration category, concrete also has a more striking color palette than decorative blocks like terracotta. This makes it a very good block overall for both decorating and building structures to withstand most elements.


Minecraft: What good is concrete compared to other blocks?

A concrete and iron-wrought set of pillars (Image via Minecraft.net)
A concrete and iron-wrought set of pillars (Image via Minecraft.net)

Although concrete isn't exactly the most vital block in the game, it stands as a solid improvement over stone. For this reason, many players prefer it over ordinary stone or similar blocks such as cobblestone.

It's a little more difficult to obtain, requiring concrete powder which is formed with dye, sand, and gravel. However, depending on a player's location, finding shoreside blocks such as sand and gravel may not be much of an issue.

Concrete powder takes more resources than simply mining stone or cobblestone, but its hardness stands as an improvement.


Concrete farms can help

Furthermore, if Minecraft players have the right materials, they can create entire concrete generators that are capable of forming massive amounts of concrete blocks in a short time.

With a generator like this, players shouldn't worry much about using stone blocks for building and decoration, as concrete stands as an upgrade in most situations.

Stone and cobblestone obviously still have applications in crafting, but concrete is almost purely a building and decorative block, not having any crafting applications after being made.


Concrete is non-flammable

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Another great aspect of concrete powder is its color variation, but also a secondary property that may not be apparent right away. Specifically, concrete isn't flammable.

Compared to colorful blocks like wool, this gives concrete another advantage when facing the elements in Minecraft. Explosions still damage concrete, but it can be used as a vividly colorful block without needing to worry about the spread of fire causing any issues for a concrete structure.

It may not be a perfect block when it comes to protecting against grief, but on a peaceful single or multiplayer server, concrete is an excellent building block and shouldn't be forgotten.