Barrel

A **barrel** is a solid block used to store items. Unlike a chest, it cannot connect to other barrels. It also serves as a fisherman's job site block.

## Obtaining

### Natural generation

Empty barrels can generate naturally in fisher cottages in villages. Up to 3 barrels can generate in a village fisher cottage.

### Breaking

Barrels can be mined with or without any tool, but axes are the quickest.

 Tool
 Golden | 0.35

1. ↑ Times are for unenchanted tools as wielded by players with no status effects, measured in seconds. For more information, see Breaking § Speed.

## Usage

Barrels can be moved by pistons,‌[*Bedrock Edition only*] water and lava flow around barrels without affecting them. Lava can create fire in air blocks next to barrels as if the barrel was flammable, but the barrel does not actually catch fire and can't be burned.

### Container

Barrels have a container inventory with 27 slots, which is the same as a single chest. Unlike chests, a barrel can be placed below a solid block and still be able to be opened.
They can be filled by droppers and both filled and emptied by hoppers. When broken, barrels drop the contents of the container and the barrel item itself.

To open the barrel interface, use the Use Item control. To move items between the barrel inventory and the player inventory or hotbar while the barrel interface is open, drag or shift-click the items. Holding `⇧ Shift` and double-clicking while holding an item moves all items of the type clicked on in or out of the barrel to the extent that space is available for them.‌[*Java Edition only*] To exit the barrel interface, use the `Esc` control.

By default, the interface of a barrel is labeled "Barrel". A barrel's GUI label can be changed by naming the barrel in an anvil before placing it or by using the `/data` command‌[*Java Edition only*] (for example, to label a chest at (0,64,0) as "Bonus Barrel!", use `/data merge block 0 64 0 {CustomName:'"Bonus Barrel!"'}`).

In *Java Edition*, a barrel can be "locked" by setting its `Lock` tag using the `/data` command. If a barrel's `Lock` tag is not blank, the barrel cannot be opened unless the player is holding an item with the same name as the `Lock` tag's text. For example, to lock a barrel at (0,64,0) so that the barrel cannot be opened unless the player is holding an item named "Barrel Key", use `/data merge block 0 64 0 {Lock:"Barrel Key"}`.

### Changing profession

If a village has a barrel that has not been claimed by a villager, any villager who does not have a chosen job site block has a chance to change their profession into a fisherman.‌

### Fuel

Barrels can be used as a fuel in furnaces, smelting 1.5 items per block.

### Note Blocks

Barrels can be placed under note blocks to produce "bass" sounds.

### Piglins

Piglins become hostile toward players who open or break barrels.

## Sounds

### Generic

*Java Edition*:

1. ↑ a b MC-177082

*Bedrock Edition*:

### Unique

*Java Edition*:

1. ↑ a b c MC-98316 — Wrong subtitles caused by missing distinction

*Bedrock Edition*:

## Data values

### ID

*Java Edition*:

*Bedrock Edition*:

1. ↑ ID of block's direct item form, which is used in savegame files and addons.
2. ↑ Available with `/give` command.
3. ↑ The block's direct item form has the same id as the block.

### Block states

See also: Block states

*Java Edition*:

*Bedrock Edition*:

* 0:Down facing barrel
* 1:Up facing barrel
* 2:East facing barrel
* 3:West facing barrel
* 4:South facing barrel

### Block data

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

*Java Edition*:

See also: Block entity format

* Block entity data
	+ Tags common to all block entities
	+ CustomName: Optional. The name of this container in JSON text component, which appears in its GUI where the default name ordinarily appears.
	+ Items: List of items in the container.
		- : An item, including the slot tag. Barrel slots are numbered 0-26, 0 starts in the top left corner.
			* Tags common to all items
	+ Lock: Optional. When not blank, prevents the container from being opened unless the opener is holding an item whose name matches this string.
	+ LootTable: Optional. Loot table to be used to fill the barrel when it is next opened, or the items are otherwise interacted with.
	+ LootTableSeed: Optional. Seed for generating the loot table. 0 or omitted uses a random seed.

1. ↑ a b Both loot table tags are removed once the items have been generated.

*Bedrock Edition*:

See Bedrock Edition level format/Block entity format.

## Issues

Issues relating to "Barrel" are maintained on the bug tracker. Report issues there.

## Trivia

* In the 2022's April Fool's update, a barrel can be thrown onto a player and make them appear as if they were "wearing" or "hiding" under the block.
	+ While wearing a barrel, the player's vision becomes largely obstructed and they can see only through a narrow window; when sneaking, it will disguise the player as a barrel block.

## Gallery

* LadyAgnes tweets a screenshot of an updated savanna village, which features some barrels.
* A close up of the barrels in the previous image.
* Something similar to the unused fish barrel in the camp in Minecraft Dungeons.
* Player's vision while hiding inside a barrel in the April Fool's update 2022.
* Barrels placed next to each other facing opposite directions.
* A blast furnace, smoker and barrel.

## References

1. ↑ "Me and the amazing @ProfMobius are working on the updated looks of villages, here is a savanna village!" – @\_LadyAgnes (Agnes Larsson) on X, November 23, 2018

## External Links

* Block of the Week: Barrel – Minecraft.net on December 23, 2021