Fluid

Flowing water and lava.

Many animals, such as the coral and tropical fish in this picture, rely on fluids such as water to survive.

Fluids (also known by players as liquids) are blocks that are able to flow over the terrain, forming rivers or falls. There are two blocks of this type in the main versions of Minecraft: water and lava.

Water	Lava

There are other in-game substances that show fluid properties but cannot be placed as fluid blocks, mainly potions, dyed water‌, milk, and honey.

Properties

Fluids can be placed as source blocks, but can be picked up only with an empty bucket. It is possible to use a glass bottle from a water source to fill it, but the source is not removed.

When placed fluid blocks that are completely confined by the blocks around them render as still. Otherwise they are become the source of a liquid flow, spreading according to the fluid rules, and being rendered with the direction of flow shown by animated lines

Water and lava as still blocks.

Lava block open to flow on one side

A source block appears as being "full" nearly to the top of its containing blocks (if any) while flowing fluid blocks appear to be "emptier" the further they are from their source.

Fluids can interact with each other, and with other blocks they are placed next to or flow over or past, according to the properties of the affected block.

Flowing fluids exert pressure on entities pushing them in the direction of the flow. Items that are thrown or dropped into flowing water are carried along until they get caught in an eddy or the flow reaches its maximum extent. Being carried in a flow does not prevent de-spawning. Mobs that are able to float in fluids do not drown, but cannot swim upstream. The minority of mobs that swim (such as fish and axolotl) can also swim upstream.

Flowing lava transports netherite items ( scraps, ingots, blocks, or made items only ) in the same way, but all other items burn up before they can be carried any distance and are thus lost.

Fluid blocks are replaceable in the same way that air is, so placing a solid block into a liquid source replaces it.

Placing most blocks that can be waterlogged into a water source block does not destroy the source block, or stop water from flowing from the source block. Full blocks that can be waterlogged, such as leaves, mangrove roots, and copper grates, do stop water from flowing from a source block. Other waterlogged blocks with a full square surface, such as stairs and trapdoors, block water flow in the direction of the square surface. No block can occupy the same space as a lava source block; placing any block into a lava source block destroys the source block.

Placing any type of block into any flow blocks it, redirecting or stopping it.

Water cannot be placed in the Nether, in both survival mode and creative mode. The only way to get water into the Nether is by using the /setblock or /fill commands.

Self Generation of Water Sources

When an air block has at least two water sources on any of its horizontal faces (and, in Java Edition, has a solid block under it) a water source is created from it. This is true even when the sources are in waterlogged blocks, with the exception of waterlogged leaf blocks. The effect also operates when the "air block" has a waterlog-able block placed in it, again, with the exception of leaf blocks. This effect is controlled by the game rules for waterSourceConversion (set to true by default) and lavaSourceConversion (set to false by default).

Mechanics

Water flowing down a cliff, demonstrating flowing mechanics.

Depth

Fluid blocks have a depth value that measures how "empty" it is. A source block is "full" with a depth value of 0. Flowing fluids have a depth value equal to their source's depth + 1, with a maximum possible "emptiness" value where the flow stops. Thus, a flowing block next to a source has depth value 1, the next further away 2, and so on until the flow stops. If the flow travels down in elevation, the depth resets to 0 at the new elevation.

The maximum emptiness depth for water is 7. Lava in the Overworld or the End has a maximum depth of 3, but in the Nether its maximum depth value is 7. The maximum distance a fluid can flow from its original source block is a taxicab distance corresponding to the maximum depth of that fluid.

The rendering of fluids is controlled by their depth values both in the height of fluid level and the direction of flow displayed.

Spread

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  Water spreading from source

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  Lava spreading from a source

• 

  Water flowing around fence posts already placed

Once a source block is placed, the fluid spreading procedure begins. Sources in waterlogged blocks, except for ones that are full blocks‌, work the same way. Additionally, in Java Edition, waterlogged stairs don't spread water from the back, full side of the block. This block is the first of a list of blocks involved in the spreading procedure. The fluid spreading procedure may need the source to receive a block update signal if it was created without being placed.

First, each open side of a fluid block starts a flow. A water block in a flat plain spreads out in all four directions until it reaches the depth limit, forming a diamond shape spanning fifteen blocks point-to-point. A water source floating in midair flows out to each of its four sides and then down‌. In Java Edition a suspended source first starts a flow downwards, and then, 5 ticks later, starts flows out to its four sides. Each flowing block created is added to a list of blocks to be considered for further spreading.

Now the blocks directly below each source or flowing blocks on the "spreading list" are checked:

1. If that block is air, it is replaced by a flowing fluid block with a depth value of 0. This new block is also added to the "spreading list".
   • Because of this, a fluid can flow much farther if it flows downward occasionally than if it remains on a flat surface.
2. If the block below is a waterlogged, non-solid‌ block, and exposes its liquid phase on its top‌, then checking stops as the waterlogged source block has its own "spreading list".
3. If the block below is a type of non-solid block that is affected by the fluid, cobweb‌ or a bamboo shoot‌ then it may be converted into a dropped item. The block is then replaced by a flowing block with depth value 1 greater that the block above and is added to the spreading list. The block above is removed from the "spreading list".
4. If the block below is a solid block, or one of a few non-solid blocks (e.g. ladders) that are unaffected by fluids, flow spreads out to all open sides. These additional flowing blocks are added to the list.
   • If all four of the surrounding blocks are also solid or fluid sources‌, the spreading procedure stops. This is how a lava or water column that does not spread over the ground can be created.
5. If the block below is a fluid block of another type, the rules for mixing fluids are considered. If new flowing blocks are created they are added to the list.
6. If the block below is a source block of the same fluid, then flowing stops.

Flowing fluid has a speed value that governs how fast the spreading effect takes place. Water in the Overworld moves at 1 block every 5 ticks, or 4 blocks per second. Lava in the Nether moves at 1 block every 10 ticks, or 2 blocks per second. However, lava in the Overworld is much slower, and moves at only 1 block every 30 game ticks, or 2 blocks every 3 seconds.

Flow direction

Normal water spreading

The shape of the ground around a flow is considered when evaluating its spread, giving preference to the creation of water or lava falls, for aesthetic purposes.

Fluids consider the shortest distance to the edge of a cliff, and prioritize flowing in that direction.

Water flowing from a waterlogged stair in Java Edition

The upper water source block flows towards the bottom-left source block, but not the bottom-right, because glass blocks motion but ladders do not.

During the evaluation of horizontal spread, the area around source and flowing blocks is checked for air, fluids‌ (a waterlogged block is considered only if it exposes its liquid phase on its top and the spreading fluid is water) or blocks that do not block motion one block below the fluid block. The area checked is up to 5 blocks away for water or lava in the Nether and up to 3 blocks away for lava elsewhere. For example, the flow of water from a single source placed within 5 blocks of an edge is only one block wide to the edge, and then falls as a one block wide stream.

Water normally spreads equally in all directions from a waterlogged block. In Java Edition, stairs are an exception as they only spread from one side, and waterlogged full blocks do not spread.

Normally, a source block cannot have current (i.e. it will not horizontally push entities) unless it is actually able to flow into other adjacent blocks. However, a contained source block can have current towards a lower source block if the block that prevents its flow is not motion-blocking.

Dripping

Lava seeping through one layer of dirt

If particles are fully enabled in the options menu, solid blocks that have air below and fluid above drip, as a visual indication that only one layer of blocks separates the player from the fluid above. Dripping lava does not cause damage or start fires. It can take several seconds before dripping starts.

Block updates

In Bedrock Edition these actions cause a fluid block to update:

• Another block is placed into its space
• Fluid starts to flow in from an adjacent block
• An established incoming flow stops

In Java Edition post placement updates affect fluid sources including waterlogged blocks as well as flowing fluids only if the updates generate from the same fluid, and neighbor changed updates affect all fluids excluding waterlogged blocks.

Generated structures never cause block updates to adjacent fluids when they generate. For example, a cave entrance that is created partly below water level at the edge of a body of water or lava does not cause the fluid to flow until it receives a block update. On the other hand, fluids created as part of a structure flow immediately if not completely confined; this includes holes in the bottom of an ocean that open into a ravine below.

Mixing

When the two fluids interact, the results vary depending on the position of the fluid source.

Some interactions trigger when one liquid attempts to flow into the same block as another, while others simply occur when the liquids occupy adjacent blocks:

1. If flowing lava contacts a water block (source or flowing) in any direction except downward, the lava turns into cobblestone.
2. If lava flows into a water block (source or flowing), the water turns into stone. Due to rule 1, this can only occur if the lava flows into water from above.
3. If water (source or flowing) contacts a lava source block on the top or sides, the lava turns into obsidian.
4. If lava simultaneously contacts soul soil from above and blue ice in any direction, the lava turns into basalt.

History

[hide]Java Edition Classic
0.0.12a							Added water and lava.
[hide]Java Edition Indev
0.31			20100130				Added mushroom stew.
[hide]Java Edition Alpha
v1.0.8							Added milk.
[hide]Java Edition
1.0.0			Beta 1.9 Prerelease				Fluid that is suspended above an open area by one block thick of material seeps through the material and has drip particles fall to the floor.
							Lava that falls onto water produces stone instead of replacing the water.
			Beta 1.9 Prerelease 2				Added cauldrons, which can hold water.
			Beta 1.9 Prerelease 5				A lava block could be converted into a source block if the following conditions were met: it is bordered by 4 lava sources in a cross-like arrangement the 4 sources are on the same horizontal level as it there is a solid, opaque block underneath it
			Beta 1.9 Prerelease 6				Lava source blocks can no longer be created.
1.8			14w27a				Added rabbit stew.
1.9			15w31a				Added beetroot soup.
1.13			18w10c				Changed water physics.
			18w10d				Water no longer flows through the rearside of stairs.
			18w19a				Separated some of the logic for blocks and fluids.
1.14			18w43a				Added suspicious stew.
1.15			19w34a				Added honey bottles.
1.16			20w09a				Lava now pushes entities.
			20w13a				Basalt can now be formed when lava flows over soul soil next to blue ice and water flowing horizontally into lava now turns the lava into cobblestone.
1.17			20w45a				Lava can now be put into cauldrons.
[hide]Pocket Edition Alpha
v0.1.0							Added water and lava.
v0.8.0			build 1				Fluids no longer attempt to spread upon receiving a random tick.
			build 5				Lava that falls onto water produces stone instead of replacing the water.
v0.9.0			build 1				Fluid that is suspended above an open area by one block thick of non-transparent material seeps through the material and has drip particles fall to the floor.
v0.11.0			build 14				Fluids once attempt to spread upon receiving a random tick.
[hide]Legacy Console Edition
Xbox 360	Xbox One	PS3	PS4	PS Vita	Wii U	Switch
TU1	CU1	1.00	1.00	1.00	Patch 1	1.0.1	Added water, lava, milk bucket and mushroom stews.
TU7							Added cauldrons, which can hold water.
TU31	CU19	1.22	1.22	1.22	Patch 3		Added rabbit stew.
TU43	CU33	1.36	1.36	1.36	Patch 13		Added beetroot soup.
TU60	CU51	1.64	1.64	1.64	Patch 30	1.0.11	Potions can now be put into cauldrons.
							Water in cauldrons can now be dyed.
TU69		1.76	1.76	1.76	Patch 38		Changed water physics.
			1.88				Lava can now be put into cauldrons.

Issues

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

Gallery

Screenshots

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  A water source. Click here for more designs

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  Flowing water.

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  Lava.

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  Flowing lava.

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  Water and stone.