Explosion
An explosion is a blast that breaks blocks and damages entities around a point.
Sizes
| Explosion | Size | Breaks blast resistance below | Damage at the centre | Sets fire |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ghast fireball | 1 | 2.5 | 17 | yes |
| Creeper | 3 | 11 | 49 | no |
| TNT | 4 | 15.5 | 65 | no |
| Bed used in the Nether | 5 | 19.9 | 81 | yes |
| Charged creeper | 6 | 24.2 | 97 | no |
The blast resistance of every block is in its infobox, and in the table of every block.
Breaking blocks
An explosion sends 1,352 rays out from its centre, spread evenly in every direction. Each ray starts with a strength of 0.7 to 1.3 times the explosion's size and moves out in steps of 0.3 blocks. Each step costs:
- 0.225 strength, always;
- 0.3 × (blast resistance + 0.3) more, when the step lands inside a block.
A ray breaks each block it reaches with strength to spare, and stops when its strength runs out. Through open air a ray reaches at most 1.73 times the size in blocks.
No explosion breaks obsidian, bedrock, water or still lava. An explosion centred in water breaks no blocks at all, because every ray starts inside it.
A broken block drops each item it would drop with a chance of 3 in 10. TNT drops nothing, and is lit instead with a short fuse.
A block that a piston is moving drops everything it would drop. The block is still destroyed.
A ghast fireball or a bed sets fire to one space in three of those it clears, where the block beneath is opaque.
Entities
Every entity within twice the size, in blocks, of the centre is damaged and thrown back. A creeper's blast leaves the creeper out.
With d the distance from the centre and exposure the share of the entity's body in clear line of the centre:
- f = (1 − d ÷ (2 × size)) × exposure
- damage = ⌊(f² + f) ÷ 2 × 16 × size + 1⌋
- knockback = f, directly away from the centre
An entity in range takes at least 1 damage, however well it is covered.
For a player, armour reduces explosion damage and difficulty scales a creeper's.
A dropped item has 5 health, so almost any blast destroys it. A painting breaks at any damage and drops as an item, which survives the blast that knocked it off. Lit TNT takes no damage, and is only thrown.