Sign

A sign is a non-solid block that can display text, and can be placed on the top or side of other blocks. The text of signs can be customized with dyes and glow ink sacs, and they can be waxed to prevent its text from being edited by any player.

Sign

• Oak
• Spruce
• Birch
• Jungle
• Acacia
• Dark Oak
• Mangrove
• Cherry
• Pale Oak
• Bamboo
• Crimson
• Warped

Renewable	Yes
Stackable	Yes (16)
Tool
Blast resistance	1
Hardness	1
Luminous	No
Transparent	Yes
Waterloggable	Yes
Flammable	No
Catches fire from lava	No

{
    "title": "Sign",
    "rows": [
        {
            "field": "Yes",
            "label": "(link to Renewable resource article, displayed as Renewable)"
        },
        {
            "field": "Yes (16)",
            "label": "Stackable"
        },
        {
            "field": "<span class=\"sprite-file\" style=\"height:32px;width:32px;--vertical-align:middle\">(link to File:SlotSprite Axe Required.png article, displayed as 32x32px|link=Axe|alt=|class=pixel-image|This block can be broken with any tool, but an axe is the quickest)</span>",
            "label": "Tool"
        },
        {
            "field": "1",
            "label": "(link to Explosion#Blast resistance article, displayed as Blast resistance)"
        },
        {
            "field": "1",
            "label": "(link to Breaking#Blocks by hardness article, displayed as Hardness)"
        },
        {
            "field": "No",
            "label": "(link to Light article, displayed as Luminous)"
        },
        {
            "field": "Yes",
            "label": "(link to Opacity article, displayed as Transparent)"
        },
        {
            "field": "Yes",
            "label": "(link to Waterlogging article, displayed as Waterloggable)"
        },
        {
            "field": "No",
            "label": "(link to Flammable article, displayed as Flammable)"
        },
        {
            "field": "No",
            "label": "Catches fire from (link to lava article, displayed as lava)"
        }
    ],
    "invimages": [
        "Oak Sign",
        "Spruce Sign",
        "Birch Sign",
        "Jungle Sign",
        "Acacia Sign",
        "Dark Oak Sign",
        "Mangrove Sign",
        "Cherry Sign",
        "Pale Oak Sign",
        "Bamboo Sign",
        "Crimson Sign",
        "Warped Sign"
    ],
    "images": [
        "Oak Sign.png",
        "Oak Wall Sign.png",
        "Spruce Sign.png",
        "Spruce Wall Sign.png",
        "Birch Sign.png",
        "Birch Wall Sign.png",
        "Jungle Sign.png",
        "Jungle Wall Sign.png",
        "Acacia Sign.png",
        "Acacia Wall Sign.png",
        "Dark Oak Sign.png",
        "Dark Oak Wall Sign.png",
        "Mangrove Sign.png",
        "Mangrove Wall Sign.png",
        "Cherry Sign.png",
        "Cherry Wall Sign.png",
        "Pale Oak Sign.png",
        "Pale Oak Wall Sign.png",
        "Bamboo Sign.png",
        "Bamboo Wall Sign.png",
        "Crimson Sign.png",
        "Crimson Wall Sign.png",
        "Warped Sign.png",
        "Warped Wall Sign.png"
    ]
}

Obtaining

Breaking

Signs can be broken with any tool or without a tool, but an axe is fastest.

Block	Sign
Hardness	1
Tool
Breaking time (sec)
Default	1.5
Wooden	0.75
Stone	0.4
Iron	0.25
Diamond	0.2
Netherite	0.2
Golden	0.15
Options
Efficiency	0
Haste	0 JEBE

Legend

• incorrect tool, drops nothing
• correct tool, drops nothing or something other than the block itself
• correct tool, drops the block itself
• italicized can be instant mined

A sign also breaks and drops itself as an item if the block the sign is attached to is moved, removed or destroyed.

Natural generation

An oak sign can be found in igloo basements. Spruce signs can be found in taiga village houses, as part of a chair.

Generated loot

Item	Structure	Container	Quantity	[hide]Chance
Java Edition
Spruce Sign	Village	Taiga house chest	1	9.7% { "item": "Spruce Sign", "stacksize": 1, "chance": 0.09723883474496142, "structure": "Village", "container": "Taiga house chest" }
Bedrock Edition
Oak Sign	Village	Taiga house chest	1	10.7% { "item": "Oak Sign", "stacksize": 1, "chance": 0.10665831307875395, "structure": "Village", "container": "Taiga house chest" }

Crafting

Ingredients	[hide]Crafting recipe
Matching Planks + Stick	333333333333

Usage

Signs can be used to display text; they can be used to label storage, display information to other players or note areas of interest. Signs are also not destroyed by water or lava and therefore may be used to control the flow of these fluids.

Placement

Signs may be placed on the top or side of other blocks (including semi-solid and non-solid blocks such as fences, trapdoors and other signs). To place a sign, use a sign item while pointing at the block the sign should be attached to, enter the desired text (or none), and click the "Done" button or press "escape" on a keyboard (or press × in Bedrock Edition, on an Xbox controller, on a PlayStation controller, or on a Nintendo Switch controller. Closing the virtual keyboard on a mobile device also exits the typing menu). To place a sign on a block that can be interacted with by the use control (for example, chests, note blocks, etc.), sneak while placing the sign.

Signs on the top of a block stand on a short post and face toward the player who placed it, in any of 16 different directions. Signs placed on the side of a block simply float there, even if the block doesn't make contact with the sign.

For more information about the blocks signs can be placed on, see Opacity/Placement.

Text

Oak Sign editing.

Placing a sign opens an editor interface resembling a magnified view of the sign. Up to four lines of text can then be entered using a keyboard (hardware or on-screen). The editor supports limited editing, including moving the cursor and inserting and deleting characters. In Bedrock Edition, formatting codes can also be used to apply decorative effects such as color, bold, italic and underline to various bits of the text. Depending on the edition and platform in use, copy and paste operations may be supported and the editor may also support keyboard entry of Alt-codes for displaying Unicode characters.

Text can be added to the back side of a sign by interacting with that side of the sign after placing it and editing the front.

Signs can be waxed by using a honeycomb on it. Once waxed, a sign cannot be unwaxed or edited without being broken and placed down again or by using commands like /data

After placing and affixing text on a sign, a player can change the text color by using a dye on it. When colored with dye, the text color may differ from any color specified by formatting codes. These values are hard-coded in the game's code, each dye color maps to one of these. The dye color on the sign's face is applied to all 4 lines of text. Any text that has been colored with text component format overwrites this color, effectively making the 'dye' color be used as a base color for any unstyled text.

Oak sign with glow ink and orange dye applied in Java Edition.

A player can use a glow ink sac on a sign to make its text glow and have an outline. The glowing text is not affected by lighting. The player can use a regular black ink sac on the sign to remove the glowing effect. If the text has been colored with text component format the glow outline still shows the default white or the color of underlying dye that was used on the sign.

Glow ink colors

Name	Main color	Outline color
Black	#000000	#F0EBCC
Red	#FF0000	#660000
Green	#00FF00	#006600
Brown	#8B4513	#371B07
Blue	#0000FF	#000066
Purple	#A020F0	#400C60
Cyan	#00FFFF	#006666
Light gray	#D3D3D3	#545454
Gray	#808080	#333333
Pink	#FF69B4	#662A48
Lime	#BFFF00	#4C6600
Yellow	#FFFF00	#666600
Light blue	#9AC0CD	#3D4C52
Magenta	#FF00FF	#660066
Orange	#FF681F	#66290C
White	#FFFFFF	#666666

In Creative mode, the combination Ctrl + pick block on Windows/Linux, or ⌘ Cmd + pick block on macOS, can be used to copy an already-placed sign, including its text (with decorations), into the player's inventory.

A dyed sign facing east or west has text that appears more saturated and bright than a sign facing north or south. However, it is actually the sign that is dimmer, because Minecraft's lighting engine uses side lighting to make the world appear less flat, but the text on signs is not affected by this.

In Bedrock Edition, inappropriate words or phrases in a sign's text are displayed as hashtags.

In Java Edition, signs can be created with text components, which allows complex formatting (colors, bold, italic, etc.), hover and click events, localized translation (for Minecraft technical terms, like "Redstone Repeater", otherwise translations must be provided in language files in resource packs), and the incorporation of scoreboard values into text. Use the /data merge block command to create or alter text component-based signs.

Example: /data merge block ~ ~1 ~ {front_text: {color: "green", messages: [{selector: "@p", bold: false, italic: false, underlined: false, strikethrough: false, obfuscated: false, text: "First Line"}, 'Second Line', '', '']}}

Signs can post the success count of text hover and click events to scoreboard objectives. The objectives to be used can be specified by running the /execute store command or by modifying the sign's NBT data directly with the /data merge block command.

Interaction

Signs can be edited after being placed by using them, which opens the edit sign message GUI.

Signs are destroyed and drop as an item when pushed by a piston.‌

Signs are non-solid and have no collision, so items and mobs can move through sign blocks. Other blocks (including other signs) can be placed on any edge of a sign.

Water and lava flow around signs. Lava can create fire in air blocks next to signs as if the signs were flammable, but the signs do not burn (and cannot be burned by other methods either, except in Bedrock Edition).

Fuel

Overworld signs can be used as a fuel in furnaces, smelting an item per sign. Nether signs (crimson and warped), cannot be used as fuel in a furnace.

Note blocks

Signs can be placed under note blocks to produce a "bass" sound.

Sounds

Generic

Normal wood

Java Edition:

[show] v t e wood sound type
Sound	Subtitles	Source	Description	Resource location	Translation key	Volume	Pitch	Attenuation distance
	​Block broken	Blocks	Once the block has broken	block.wood.break	subtitles.block.generic.break​	1.0	0.8	16
	​Block placed	Blocks	When the block is placed	block.wood.place	subtitles.block.generic.place​	1.0	0.8	16
	​Block breaking	Blocks	While the block is in the process of being broken	block.wood.hit	subtitles.block.generic.hit​	0.25	0.5	16
	​Something falls on a block	Entity-Dependent	Falling on the block with fall damage	block.wood.fall	subtitles.block.generic.fall​	0.5	0.75	16
	​Footsteps	Entity-Dependent	Walking on the block	block.wood.step	subtitles.block.generic.footsteps​	0.15	1.0	16

Bedrock Edition:

[show] v t e wood sound type
Sound	Source	Description	Resource location	Volume	Pitch
	Blocks	Once the block has broken	dig.wood	1.0	0.8-1.0
	Blocks	When the block is placed	dig.wood	1.0	0.8
	Blocks	While the block is in the process of being broken	hit.wood	0.23	0.5
	Players	Falling on the block with fall damage	fall.wood	0.4	1.0
	Players	Walking on the block	step.wood	0.3	1.0
	Blocks	Jumping from the block	jump.wood	0.12	1.0
	Blocks	Falling on the block without fall damage	land.wood	0.18	1.0

Cherry wood

Java Edition:

[show] v t e cherry_wood sound type
Sound	Subtitles	Source	Description	Resource location	Translation key	Volume	Pitch	Attenuation distance
	​Block broken	Blocks	Once the block has broken	block.cherry_wood.break	subtitles.block.generic.break​	1.0	0.8	16
	​Block placed	Blocks	When the block is placed	block.cherry_wood.place	subtitles.block.generic.place​	1.0	0.8	16
	​Block breaking	Blocks	While the block is in the process of being broken	block.cherry_wood.hit	subtitles.block.generic.hit​	0.25	0.5	16
	​Something falls on a block	Entity-Dependent	Falling on the block with fall damage	block.cherry_wood.fall	subtitles.block.generic.fall​	0.5	0.75	16
	​Footsteps	Entity-Dependent	Walking on the block	block.cherry_wood.step	subtitles.block.generic.footsteps​	0.15	1.0	16

Bedrock Edition:

[show] v t e cherry_wood sound type
Sound	Source	Description	Resource location	Volume	Pitch
	Blocks	Once the block has broken	break.cherry_wood	1.0	0.8-1.0
	Blocks	When the block is placed	place.cherry_wood	1.0	0.8
	Blocks	While the block is in the process of being broken	hit.cherry_wood	0.23	0.5
	Players	Falling on the block with fall damage	fall.cherry_wood	0.4	1.0
	Players	Walking on the block	step.cherry_wood	0.2	1.0
	Players	Jumping from the block	step.cherry_wood	0.12	1.0
	Players	Falling on the block without fall damage	step.cherry_wood	0.18	1.0

Bamboo wood

Java Edition:

[show] v t e bamboo_wood sound type
Sound	Subtitles	Source	Description	Resource location	Translation key	Volume	Pitch	Attenuation distance
	​Block broken	Blocks	Once the block has broken	block.bamboo_wood.break	subtitles.block.generic.break​	0.9	0.8	16
	​Block placed	Blocks	When the block is placed	block.bamboo_wood.place	subtitles.block.generic.place​	0.9	0.8	16
	​Block breaking	Blocks	While the block is in the process of being broken	block.bamboo_wood.hit	subtitles.block.generic.hit​	0.225	0.5	16
	​Something falls on a block	Entity-Dependent	Falling on the block with fall damage	block.bamboo_wood.fall	subtitles.block.generic.fall​	0.5	0.75	16
	​Footsteps	Entity-Dependent	Walking on the block	block.bamboo_wood.step	subtitles.block.generic.footsteps​	0.15	1.0	16

Bedrock Edition:

[show] v t e bamboo_wood sound type
Sound	Source	Description	Resource location	Volume	Pitch
	Blocks	Once the block has broken	break.bamboo_wood	0.9	0.8-1.0
	Blocks	When the block is placed	place.bamboo_wood	0.9	0.8
	Blocks	While the block is in the process of being broken	hit.bamboo_wood	0.207	0.5
	Players	Falling on the block with fall damage	fall.bamboo_wood	0.4	1.0
	Players	Walking on the block	step.bamboo_wood	0.2	1.0
	Players	Jumping from the block	step.bamboo_wood	0.12	1.0
	Players	Falling on the block without fall damage	step.bamboo_wood	0.18	1.0

Nether wood

Java Edition:

[show] v t e nether_wood sound type
Sound	Subtitles	Source	Description	Resource location	Translation key	Volume	Pitch	Attenuation distance
	​Block broken	Blocks	Once the block has broken	block.nether_wood.break	subtitles.block.generic.break​	1.0	0.72	16
	​Block placed	Blocks	When the block is placed	block.nether_wood.place	subtitles.block.generic.place​	1.0	0.72	16
	​Block breaking	Blocks	While the block is in the process of being broken	block.nether_wood.hit	subtitles.block.generic.hit​	0.25	0.45	16
	​Something falls on a block	Entity-Dependent	Falling on the block with fall damage	block.nether_wood.fall	subtitles.block.generic.fall​	0.5	0.75	16
	​Footsteps	Entity-Dependent	Walking on the block	block.nether_wood.step	subtitles.block.generic.footsteps​	0.15	1.0	16

Bedrock Edition:

[show] v t e nether_wood sound type
Sound	Source	Description	Resource location	Volume	Pitch
	Blocks	Once the block has broken	break.nether_wood	1.0	0.8-1.0
	Blocks	When the block is placed	place.nether_wood	1.0	0.8
	Blocks	While the block is in the process of being broken	hit.nether_wood	0.23	0.5
	Players	Falling on the block with fall damage	fall.nether_wood	0.4	1.0
	Players	Walking on the block	step.nether_wood	0.3	1.0
	Players	Jumping from the block	step.nether_wood	0.12	1.0
	Players	Falling on the block without fall damage	step.nether_wood	0.18	1.0

Unique

Java Edition

[hide]Sounds
Sound	Subtitles	Source	Description	Resource location	Translation key	Volume	Pitch	Attenuation distance
	​Glow Ink Sac splotches	Blocks	When a glow ink sac is used on a sign	item.glow_ink_sac.use	subtitles.item.glow_ink_sac.use​	1.0	varies	16
	​Ink Sac splotches	Blocks	When an ink sac is used on a sign	item.ink_sac.use	subtitles.item.ink_sac.use​	1.0	varies	16
	​Dye stains	Blocks	When dye is used on a sign	item.dye.use	subtitles.item.dye.use​	1.0	varies	16
	​Wax on	Blocks	When a sign is waxed	item.honeycomb.wax_on	subtitles.item.honeycomb.wax_on​	1.0	1.0/0.9/1.1	16
	​Sign wobbles	Blocks	When a player attempts to edit a waxed sign	block.sign.waxed_interact_fail	subtitles.block.sign.waxed_interact_fail​	1.0	varies	16

Bedrock Edition:

[hide]Sounds
Sound	Source	Description	Resource location	Volume	Pitch
	Sound	When a glow ink sac or an ink sac is used on a sign	sign.ink_sac.use	1.0	1.0
	Sound	When dye is used on a sign	sign.dye.use	1.0	1.0
	Friendly Creatures	When a honeycomb waxes a sign	copper.wax.on	1.0	0.8-1.2
	Blocks	When a player attempts to edit a waxed sign	block.sign.waxed_interact_fail	1.0	varies

Data values

ID

Java Edition:

Name	Identifier	Form	Block tags	Item tags	[hide]Translation key
Oak Sign	oak_sign	Block & Item	signs standing_signs wall_post_override	signs	block.minecraft.oak_sign
Spruce Sign	spruce_sign	Block & Item	signs standing_signs wall_post_override	signs	block.minecraft.spruce_sign
Birch Sign	birch_sign	Block & Item	signs standing_signs wall_post_override	signs	block.minecraft.birch_sign
Jungle Sign	jungle_sign	Block & Item	signs standing_signs wall_post_override	signs	block.minecraft.jungle_sign
Acacia Sign	acacia_sign	Block & Item	signs standing_signs wall_post_override	signs	block.minecraft.acacia_sign
Dark Oak Sign	dark_oak_sign	Block & Item	signs standing_signs wall_post_override	signs	block.minecraft.dark_oak_sign
Mangrove Sign	mangrove_sign	Block & Item	signs standing_signs wall_post_override	signs	block.minecraft.mangrove_sign
Cherry Sign	cherry_sign	Block & Item	signs standing_signs wall_post_override	signs	block.minecraft.cherry_sign
Pale Oak Sign	pale_oak_sign	Block & Item	signs standing_signs wall_post_override	signs	block.minecraft.pale_oak_sign
Bamboo Sign	bamboo_sign	Block & Item	signs standing_signs wall_post_override	signs	block.minecraft.bamboo_sign
Crimson Sign	crimson_sign	Block & Item	signs standing_signs wall_post_override	non_flammable_wood signs	block.minecraft.crimson_sign
Warped Sign	warped_sign	Block & Item	signs standing_signs wall_post_override	non_flammable_wood signs	block.minecraft.warped_sign
Oak Wall Sign	oak_wall_sign	Block	signs wall_signs	—	block.minecraft.oak_wall_sign
Spruce Wall Sign	spruce_wall_sign	Block	signs wall_signs	—	block.minecraft.spruce_wall_sign
Birch Wall Sign	birch_wall_sign	Block	signs wall_signs	—	block.minecraft.birch_wall_sign
Jungle Wall Sign	jungle_wall_sign	Block	signs wall_signs	—	block.minecraft.jungle_wall_sign
Acacia Wall Sign	acacia_wall_sign	Block	signs wall_signs	—	block.minecraft.acacia_wall_sign
Dark Oak Wall Sign	dark_oak_wall_sign	Block	signs wall_signs	—	block.minecraft.dark_oak_wall_sign
Mangrove Wall Sign	mangrove_wall_sign	Block	signs wall_signs	—	block.minecraft.mangrove_wall_sign
Cherry Wall Sign	cherry_wall_sign	Block	signs wall_signs	—	block.minecraft.cherry_wall_sign
Pale Oak Wall Sign	pale_oak_wall_sign	Block	signs wall_signs	—	block.minecraft.pale_oak_wall_sign
Bamboo Wall Sign	bamboo_wall_sign	Block	signs wall_signs	—	block.minecraft.bamboo_wall_sign
Crimson Wall Sign	crimson_wall_sign	Block	signs wall_signs	—	block.minecraft.crimson_wall_sign
Warped Wall Sign	warped_wall_sign	Block	signs wall_signs	—	block.minecraft.warped_wall_sign

Name	[hide]Identifier
Block entity	sign

Bedrock Edition:

Sign	Identifier	Alias ID	Numeric ID	Form	Item ID	Item tags	[hide]Translation key
Oak standing	standing_sign	None	63	Block & Ungiveable Item	Identical	—	tile.standing_sign.name
Spruce standing	spruce_standing_sign	None	436	Block & Ungiveable Item	Identical (Numeric: -181)	—	tile.spruce_standing_sign.name
Birch standing	birch_standing_sign	None	441	Block & Ungiveable Item	Identical (Numeric: -186)	—	tile.birch_standing_sign.name
Jungle standing	jungle_standing_sign	None	443	Block & Ungiveable Item	Identical (Numeric: -188)	—	tile.jungle_standing_sign.name
Acacia standing	acacia_standing_sign	None	445	Block & Ungiveable Item	Identical (Numeric: -190)	—	tile.acacia_standing_sign.name
Dark Oak standing	darkoak_standing_sign	None	447	Block & Ungiveable Item	Identical (Numeric: -192)	—	tile.darkoak_standing_sign.name
Mangrove standing	mangrove_standing_sign	None	749	Block & Ungiveable Item	Identical (Numeric: -494)	—	—
Cherry standing	cherry_standing_sign	None	797	Block & Ungiveable Item	Identical (Numeric: -542)	—	—
Pale Oak standing	pale_oak_standing_sign	None	1256	Block & Ungiveable Item	Identical (Numeric: -1001)	—	—
Bamboo standing	bamboo_standing_sign	None	773	Block & Ungiveable Item	Identical (Numeric: -518)	—	—
Crimson standing	crimson_standing_sign	None	505	Block & Ungiveable Item	Identical (Numeric: -250)	—	tile.crimson_standing_sign.name
Warped standing	warped_standing_sign	None	506	Block & Ungiveable Item	Identical (Numeric: -251)	—	tile.warped_standing_sign.name
Oak wall	wall_sign	None	68	Block & Ungiveable Item	Identical	—	—
Spruce wall	spruce_wall_sign	None	437	Block & Ungiveable Item	Identical (Numeric: -182)	—	—
Birch wall	birch_wall_sign	None	442	Block & Ungiveable Item	Identical (Numeric: -187)	—	—
Jungle wall	jungle_wall_sign	None	444	Block & Ungiveable Item	Identical (Numeric: -189)	—	—
Acacia wall	acacia_wall_sign	None	446	Block & Ungiveable Item	Identical (Numeric: -191)	—	—
Dark Oak wall	darkoak_wall_sign	None	448	Block & Ungiveable Item	Identical (Numeric: -193)	—	—
Mangrove wall	mangrove_wall_sign	None	750	Block & Ungiveable Item	Identical (Numeric: -495)	—	—
Cherry wall	cherry_wall_sign	None	799	Block & Ungiveable Item	Identical (Numeric: -544)	—	—
Pale Oak wall	pale_oak_wall_sign	None	1258	Block & Ungiveable Item	Identical (Numeric: -1003)	—	—
Bamboo wall	bamboo_wall_sign	None	774	Block & Ungiveable Item	Identical (Numeric: -519)	—	—
Crimson wall	crimson_wall_sign	None	507	Block & Ungiveable Item	Identical (Numeric: -252)	—	tile.crimson_wall_sign.name
Warped wall	warped_wall_sign	None	508	Block & Ungiveable Item	Identical (Numeric: -253)	—	tile.warped_wall_sign.name
Oak item	oak_sign	sign	360	Item	—	minecraft:sign	item.sign.name
Spruce item	spruce_sign	None	576	Item	—	minecraft:sign	item.spruce_sign.name
Birch item	birch_sign	None	577	Item	—	minecraft:sign	item.birch_sign.name
Jungle item	jungle_sign	None	578	Item	—	minecraft:sign	item.jungle_sign.name
Acacia item	acacia_sign	None	579	Item	—	minecraft:sign	item.acacia_sign.name
Dark Oak item	dark_oak_sign	darkoak_sign	587	Item	—	minecraft:sign	item.darkoak_sign.name
Mangrove item	mangrove_sign	None	642	Item	—	minecraft:sign	item.mangrove_sign.name
Cherry item	cherry_sign	None	659	Item	—	minecraft:sign	item.cherry_sign.name
Pale Oak item	pale_oak_sign	None	724	Item	—	minecraft:sign	item.pale_oak_sign.name
Bamboo item	bamboo_sign	None	660	Item	—	minecraft:sign	item.bamboo_sign.name
Crimson item	crimson_sign	None	614	Item	—	minecraft:sign	item.crimson_sign.name
Warped item	warped_sign	None	615	Item	—	minecraft:sign	item.warped_sign.name

Name	[hide]Savegame ID
Block entity	Sign

Block states

Java Edition:

Standing

Name	Default value	Allowed values	[hide]Description
rotation	0	0	The block is facing south.
		1	The block is facing south-southwest.
		2	The block is facing southwest.
		3	The block is facing west-southwest.
		4	The block is facing west.
		5	The block is facing west-northwest.
		6	The block is facing northwest.
		7	The block is facing north-northwest.
		8	The block is facing north.
		9	The block is facing north-northeast.
		10	The block is facing northeast.
		11	The block is facing east-northeast.
		12	The block is facing east.
		13	The block is facing east-southeast.
		14	The block is facing southeast.
		15	The block is facing south-southeast.
waterlogged	false	false true	Whether or not there's water in the same place as this sign.

Wall

Name	Default value	Allowed values	[hide]Description
facing	north	east north south west	The direction the block is facing. For example, a block facing east is attached to a block to its west. Opposite from the direction a player faces when placing the block.
waterlogged	false	false true	Whether or not there's water in the same place as this sign.

Bedrock Edition:

Standing

Name	Metadata Bits	Default value	Allowed values	Values for Metadata Bits	[hide]Description
ground_sign_direction	0x1 0x2 0x4 0x8	0	0	0	The block is facing south.
			1	1	The block is facing south-southwest.
			2	2	The block is facing southwest.
			3	3	The block is facing west-southwest.
			4	4	The block is facing west.
			5	5	The block is facing west-northwest.
			6	6	The block is facing northwest.
			7	7	The block is facing north-northwest.
			8	8	The block is facing north.
			9	9	The block is facing north-northeast.
			10	10	The block is facing northeast.
			11	11	The block is facing east-northeast.
			12	12	The block is facing east.
			13	13	The block is facing east-southeast.
			14	14	The block is facing southeast.
			15	15	The block is facing south-southeast.

Wall

Name	Metadata Bits	Default value	Allowed values	Values for Metadata Bits	[hide]Description
facing_direction	0x1 0x2 0x4	2	2 3 4 5	2 3 4 5	The direction the block is facing. For example, a block facing east is attached to a block to its west. 2: north 3: south 4: west 5: east
			0 1	0 1	Unused

Block data

A sign has a block entity associated with it that holds additional data about the block.

Java Edition:

• [NBT Compound / JSON Object] Block entity data
  • Tags common to all block entities see Template:Nbt inherit/blockentity/template[show]
  • [Byte] is_waxed: 1 or 0 (true/false) - true if the text is locked with honeycomb.
  • [NBT Compound / JSON Object] front_text: A compound that discribes front text.
    • [Byte] has_glowing_text: 1 or 0 (true/false) - true if the sign has been dyed with a glow ink sac.
    • [String] color: The color that has been used to dye the sign. The default value is black One of white, orange, magenta, light_blue, yellow, lime, pink, gray, light_gray, cyan, purple, blue, brown, green, red, and black.
    • [NBT List / JSON Array] filtered_messages: Only in Realms. The lines of text shown to players with the profanity filter turned on instead of the regular lines. This tag is automatically set to "" for lines containing blocked words and to the line's normal contents for the other lines when a player with the profanity filter turned off edits the sign, so players with the filter on cannot see the blocked words. If a player with the filter on tries to use blocked words in one or more lines, the line(s) in [NBT List / JSON Array] messages containing blocked words are set to "", which makes them render completely blank, and this tag is also given the same contents. If multiple lines have been edited before the sign editing GUI is closed, only the lines containing blocked words are blanked.
    • [NBT List / JSON Array] messages: A list of text for each line.
      • [String][NBT List / JSON Array][NBT Compound / JSON Object]: Text for each line. Must be a text component. The character limit for the Text tags depends on the width of the characters.
  • [NBT Compound / JSON Object] back_text: A compound that discribes back text.
    • The same structure as [NBT Compound / JSON Object] front_text.

Before 1.20:[show]

• [NBT Compound / JSON Object] Block entity data
  • Tags common to all block entities see Template:Nbt inherit/blockentity/template[show]
  • [Byte] GlowingText: 1 or 0 (true/false) - true if the sign has been dyed with a glow ink sac.
  • [String] Color: The color that has been used to dye the sign. The default value is "black". One of "white", "orange", "magenta", "light_blue", "yellow", "lime", "pink", "gray", "light_gray", "cyan", "purple", "blue", "brown", "green", "red", or "black".
  • [String] Text1: First row of text.
  • [String] Text2: Second row of text.
  • [String] Text3: Third row of text.
  • [String] Text4: Fourth row of text.

Bedrock Edition:

See Bedrock Edition level format/Block entity format.

Achievements

[hide]
Icon		Achievement	In-game description	Actual requirements (if different)	Gamerscore earned	Trophy type (PS)
PS4	Other
		It's a Sign!	Craft and place an Oak Sign.	—	15	Bronze

Advancements

Icon	Advancement	In-game description	Actual requirements (if different)
	Glow and Behold!	Make the text of any kind of sign glow	Use a glow ink sac on a sign or a hanging sign.

History

[hide]Java Edition Classic
0.24_SURVIVAL_TEST							Signs are currently being tested as entities. They always display "This is a test of the signs. Each line can be 15 chars!" and can be spawned only by pressing B.
0.26 SURVIVAL TEST							Removed signs.
[hide]Java Edition Infdev
20100607							Signs have been re-implemented as blocks, although still rendering as entities.
							Signs now have a crafting recipe and the text can now be edited. Editing a sign pauses the game.
							Signs are currently huge and drop planks when destroyed.
							Signs do not have a particle texture defined. As such, they default to using the grass block texture instead.
20100608							Signs are now broken faster.
							Signs now drop themselves when destroyed, instead of planks.
							Signs now use planks particles.
[hide]Java Edition Alpha
v1.0.1							Added wall signs.
							Signs are now smaller.
v1.0.5							Signs no longer require a free block above it to place.
[hide]Java Edition Beta
April 27, 2011							Hand-drawn signs are mentioned.
[hide]Java Edition
1.0.0			Beta 1.9 Prerelease 6				Signs are now broken faster using an axe.
1.3.1			12w18a				Editing a sign no longer pauses the game in singleplayer.
			12w27a				Signs are now stackable up to 16.
							The same crafting recipe now produces 3 signs instead of 1.
June 9, 2014							Searge tweeted a picture of a sign showing a username and a scoreboard score.
1.8			14w25a				Added support for JSON text to signs.
							Sign character limit now depends on character width. Previously, the sign character limit was exactly 15 characters.
			14w29a				Signs now display the cracking animation.
1.9			15w43a				A sign now generates within igloo basements.
1.11			16w33a				Signs can now be used as fuel in furnaces.
1.13			17w47a				The player editing a sign can now also see the written text on the sign itself before closing the UI, however other players only see the text when the UI is closed.
							Signs now play a sound when placed.
			18w10d				Water can now be placed on the same block as signs.
1.14			18w43a				"Sign" has been renamed to "Oak Sign".
							The texture of oak sign items has been changed.
							Added spruce, birch, jungle, acacia and dark oak signs.
							The sign's text has been changed from black to white.
							A sign's recipe now requires the same type of planks instead of a random assortment.
			18w44a				Signs can now be used while holding a dye to change the text color.
							Default text color for signs has been changed back to black.
			18w45a				A new movable cursor for free text editing to signs has been added.
							Selection and copy/paste support have been added to signs.
			18w50a				Spruce signs now generate in some taiga village houses.
							Spruce sign items can now be found in chests in taiga village houses.
			19w12a				Signs can now be dyed only in Creative mode.
			19w12b				Signs can now be dyed in Survival mode again.
1.16			20w06a				Added crimson and warped signs.
			20w09a				Crimson and warped signs can now be crafted.
1.17			21w03a				Signs can now be tinted with glow ink sacs to make the text glow.
							Works with both undyed and dyed signs.
							Signs now have a sound for being dyed.
			21w11a				The textures of signs have been changed to reflect the changes made to planks in the Texture Update.
			Pre-release 1				Glowing text on signs now has an outer glow, making text more visible in the dark.
1.18			21w41a				Changed all signs textures as items.
1.19			22w11a				Added mangrove signs.
			22w14a				Due to the addition of the mangrove tree and mangrove swamp, mangrove signs are now obtainable in Survival and renewable.
October 15, 2022							Hanging signs were announced and shown on Minecraft Live 2022.
							Hanging signs were conceptualized by Agnes Larsson with input from her daughter.
1.19.3 Experiment Update 1.20			22w42a				Added bamboo signs.
							Added unique sounds for Nether and bamboo wood signs.
1.19.4 Experiment Update 1.20			23w07a				Added cherry signs.
			1.19.4 Pre-release 4				The texture of cherry signs has been changed.
1.20			23w12a				Signs can now be edited after being placed.
							Signs now support text on both sides.
							Signs can now be waxed with honeycomb to prevent editing.
							Editing a sign no longer pauses the game in singleplayer.
			23w14a				Signs with click commands can now be interacted with even if the sign is not waxed.
							Signs can no longer be edited by players in Adventure mode.
							Signs with non-text chat components can no longer be edited, even if the sign is not waxed.
							Signs now save text even if the edit screen is closed by the player being moved far away.
1.21.2 Experiment Winter Drop			24w40a				Added pale oak signs.
1.21.4			24w44a				The texture of pale oak sign items have been changed to match bedrock edition's texture.
[hide]Pocket Edition Alpha
v0.5.0							Signs have been added, though they can be obtained only through inventory editors.
							The player currently cannot write on signs.
v0.6.0							Signs can now be legitimately obtained in Survival and Creative mode.
							The player can now write on signs.
v0.10.0			build 1				Signs now have a selection overlay.
[hide]Pocket Edition
1.0.0			alpha 0.17.0.1				Signs can now be found in igloo basements.
[hide]Bedrock Edition
1.9.0			beta 1.9.0.0				"Sign" has been renamed to "Oak Sign".
							Added spruce, birch, jungle, acacia and dark oak signs.
							The sign's text has been changed from black to white.
							A sign's recipe now requires the same type of wood instead of a random assortment.
			beta 1.9.0.2				The default sign text color has been changed back to black.
							Sign variants are now grouped in their own inventory category.
1.10.0			beta 1.10.0.3				The texture of oak sign items has been changed.
							Spruce signs now generate in new taiga and snowy taiga village houses.
1.11.0			beta 1.11.0.1				Signs can now be used as a fuel in furnaces.
							Oak signs can now be found inside taiga and snowy taiga village house chests.
1.16.0			beta 1.16.0.51				Added crimson and warped signs.
							The texture of all signs except oak sign have been changed.
1.16.20			beta 1.16.20.50				Crimson and warped signs now uses regular plank sounds instead of their stem variant sounds.
1.16.210			beta 1.16.210.59				Signs can now be used while holding a dye to change the text color.
							Signs can now be tinted with glow ink sacs to make the text glow.
							Works with both default and dyed signs.
			beta 1.16.210.60				Color on dyed signs disappears and the text turns back to black.
							Signs with applied glowing effect as well as color stops glowing and color is removed.
1.16.220			beta 1.16.220.50				Signs can now be used while holding a dye to change the text color again.
							Signs can now be tinted with glow ink sacs to make the text glow again.
			beta 1.16.220.52				Now has sounds for being dyed.
			release				A glowing effect can no longer be applied to signs due to glow ink sacs becoming inaccessible in the full release.
1.17.0			beta 1.17.0.50				Textures of sign items was updated.
							The textures of oak signs have been changed to reflect the changes made to planks in the Texture Update.
1.17.10			beta 1.17.10.21				Glowing text on signs now has an outer glow, making text more visible in the dark.
1.18.10			beta 1.18.10.20				Changed all signs textures as items.
1.19.0			beta 1.19.0.20				Added mangrove signs.
1.19.50 Experiment Next Major Update			Preview 1.19.50.21				Added bamboo signs behind the "Next Major Update" experimental toggle.
							Added unique sounds for nether and bamboo wood signs.
1.19.80 Experiment Next Major Update			Preview 1.19.80.20				Added cherry signs behind the "Next Major Update" experimental toggle.
			Preview 1.19.80.21				The texture of cherry signs has been changed.
			Preview 1.19.80.22				Signs can now be edited after being placed.
							Signs now support text on both sides.
							Signs can now be waxed with honeycomb to prevent editing.
1.20.0			Preview 1.20.0.21				Bamboo signs cherry signs are now available without using the "Next Major Update" experimental toggle.
1.21.50			Preview 1.21.50.20				Added pale oak signs.
			Preview 1.21.50.24				The texture of pale oak sign items has been changed.
			Preview 1.21.50.25				The textures of the pale oak sign and pale oak hanging sign items have been adjusted for consistency with other signs.
[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 signs.
TU9							Signs are now stackable up to 16.
							The same crafting recipe for signs now produces 3 signs instead of 1.
TU32	CU20	1.23	1.23	1.23	Patch 3		Signs now display a cracking animation.
TU43	CU33	1.36	1.36	1.36	Patch 13		A sign now generates within igloo basements.
TU53	CU43	1.49	1.50	1.49	Patch 23	1.0.3	Signs can now be used as fuel in furnaces.
			1.88				Added spruce, birch, jungle, acacia and dark oak signs.
			1.90				The texture of oak sign items has been changed.
[hide]New Nintendo 3DS Edition
0.1.0							Added signs.

Data history

[hide]Java Edition
1.13			17w47a				The standing sign ID has been changed from standing_sign to sign.
							Prior to The Flattening, these blocks' numeral IDs were 63 and 68, and the item's 323.

Issues

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

Java Edition

• MC-259812 – Block and item displays, beds, clouds, signs, shulker boxes, and semi-transparent blocks and entities don't render behind text displays
• MC-161933 – Partially translucent fonts don't render properly on signs
• MC-162441 – "translate" in JSON text on signs does not update as expected
• MC-5169 – Huge FPS drop in areas with a lot of signs and hanging signs
• MC-137527 – The color of the text on sign items do not correspond to the actual color of their text when placed
• MC-192083 – Banners and signs on the side of a block cause walls below them to become posts
• MC-204022 – You can place signs on the sides of amethyst buds/clusters
• MC-227311 – Text colors in glow signs aren't accurate
• MC-234636 – You cannot move the cursor around in a sign by clicking the mouse
• MC-249872 – Characters in sign GUI are sometimes cut off
• And 65 other open issues.

Bedrock Edition

• MCPE-191109 – Extreme lag joining any world/server when signed in
• MCPE-186385 – Multiple signs take a large toll on performance
• MCPE-159777 – Game using the Xbox Keyboard interface by default for all typing (Chatlog, books, signs, renaming items)
• MCPE-170957 – Sign text disappears when converting world from Xbox One Edition to Bedrock
• MCPE-181165 – Sign text deleted in older worlds
• MCPE-191085 – Placing/editing a sign crashes the game
• MCPE-43619 – Sign, command block, book, and lectern GUIs brighten the screen instead of dimming it
• MCPE-51456 – Turkish Lira sign (₺) appears as " " in the game
• MCPE-65975 – Signs aren’t visible when carpet is placed on top of signs
• MCPE-71872 – Structure block 3D export fails include chests, beds, signs, etc. in the .glb file
• And 36 other open issues.

Gallery

Screenshots

• 

  Test of signs in early Java Edition Classic.

• 

  Oak sign with glow ink in the dark in Java Edition 21w03a.

• 

  Difference in visibility of a lime text, from left to right, in a lit birch sign, unlit birch sign, lit dark oak sign, and unlit dark oak sign.

• 

  The comparison between glow text and non-glow text.

• 

  Signs being different shades depending on orientation.

• 

  All sixteen colors of glow text. It uses Lorem ipsum, a placeholder text.

• 

  Showcase of different ways to style a sign using a dye and a glow ink, text formatting and a set of Unicode characters to use as an alternative font.

Mojang screenshots

• 

  Another early sign image.

• 

  First image of sign blocks during Infdev.

• 

  First image of signs on Pocket Edition.

• 

  First image of editing text on PE iOS.

• 

  First image of editing text on PE Android.

• 
• 

  A sign placed on a door.

• 

  A sign being broken.

• 

  A dark oak sign with black text.

• 

  A dark oak sign with white text.

• 

  A sign using blockdata to dynamically change.

• 

  First image of a sign using JSON text.

• 

  First image of a sign using width based character limits.

• 

  Signs with glowing ink in several colors.

• 

  More signs with glowing ink.

• 
• 
• 

See also

• Chalkboard
• Hanging Sign

External links

• "Taking Inventory: Sign" by Duncan Geere – Minecraft.net, January 9, 2020.