Sugar Canes

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Sugar Canes
Sugar Canes.png





Blast resistance



Any tool




Yes (64)





Data values

See Data values



Sugar canes are an item and an important crafting ingredient.

Obtaining[edit | edit source]

Sugar cane can be mined instantly with anything.

When the spot a sugar cane block is placed in becomes unsuitable, such as when the supporting block is removed, the sugar cane block will uproot and will drop as an item. Sugar cane will not immediately uproot when all adjacent water is removed, but will do so when it next receives a block update or random tick.

A sugar cane block will also be removed and drop itself as an item if a piston tries to push it (trying to pull it does nothing) or moves a block into its space.

Natural generation[edit | edit source]

Naturally-occurring sugar cane near a pond.

Sugar cane can generate naturally near water, as two (1118 chance), three (518 chance), or four (218 chance) blocks tall. Rarely taller sugar canes can be found if generation chooses to generate another on top of one already generated.

Farming[edit | edit source]

An underground sugar cane farm

Sugar cane naturally grows to a height of three blocks, adding a block of height when the top sugar cane block has received 16 random ticks (i.e. on average every 18 minutes, but the actual rate can vary widely). Bone meal does not work on sugar cane to speed its growth, except in Pocket Edition or New Nintendo 3DS version. It does not need light to grow.

Usage[edit | edit source]

Sugar cane must be planted on a grass, dirt, sand, podzol, coarse dirt or red sand block that is directly adjacent to water or frosted ice (not merely above or diagonal to water), or on top of another sugar cane block. The adjacent water block can be covered with another block, whether opaque or transparent, and sugar cane will still be able to be placed and grow next to it.

Due to its water-displacing properties, sugar cane can interestingly be used to create underwater paths, allowing players to move at normal speed and breathe if it is two blocks in height.

Sugar cane takes on a different shade of green depending on the biome in which it is placed.

Crafting ingredient[edit | edit source]

Name Ingredients Crafting recipe
Paper Sugar Canes
Sugar Sugar Canes

Video[edit | edit source]

Data values[edit | edit source]

Sugar cane blocks use block data to determine its age. They also have block states, intended to replace block data in the future.

ID[edit | edit source]

Block ID name ID number
Sugar Cane minecraft:reeds 83
Item ID name ID number
Sugar Canes minecraft:reeds 338

Block data[edit | edit source]

See also: Data values
Bits Values
0x0 Freshly planted sugar cane.
0x1 to 0x15 The data value is incremented at random intervals.
When it becomes 15, a new sugar cane block is created on top as long as the total height does not exceed 3.

Block states[edit | edit source]

See also: Block states
Name Value Description

0–15A freshly-planted cane – and a cane which has just grown cane above it – each have an age of 0.
The age is incremented at random intervals.
At age 15, a cane may try to grow more cane above it.

History[edit | edit source]

1.0.11 Reeds, (the previous name used for sugar cane(s)) were added in the Seecret Friday Update 6 and informally referred to as bamboo or papyrus by many players. Since reeds could be washed away with water currents or instantly destroyed by removing the water adjacent to them, automated reed farms could be made. They can be used to craft paper.
1.2 Notch retconned reeds into sugar cane so that it can be crafted into sugar, included in the recipe for the cakes.
1.6 Arrows no longer stick to sugar cane(s), and instead, they pass through. However, snowballs will still come into contact with any sugar cane blocks as if they are solid.
1.8 Sugar cane can grow and be placed onto sand as long as they are adjacent to water. This update allows sugar canes to appear next to water ponds in desert biomes.
Official release
1.7.2 13w36a The color of sugar cane changes depending on the biome they're in.
13w37a Block ID 83 (sugar cane) was removed from the /give command.
1.9 15w43a No longer breaks if its adjacent water is turned to frosted ice.
1.13 17w47a Renamed to sugar cane.
Pocket Edition Alpha
0.1.0 Added sugar cane.
0.5.0 Sugar cane can now be grown on sand.
0.9.0 Sugar cane color changes depending on the biome.
0.12.1 build 1 Sugar cane is no longer available from the Nether reactor.
Pocket Edition
1.0 build 1 Due to a bug, sugar canes no longer change color depending on the biome.
Legacy Console Edition
TU1CU11.0Patch 1Sugar canes added. They are solid, making it useful for growable walls.
TU2Sugar canes are no longer solid, and arrows pass through them.
TU31CU191.22Patch 3The color of sugar cane changes depending on the biome they're in.

Issues[edit | edit source]

Issues relating to “Sugar Canes” are maintained on the issue tracker. Report issues there.

Trivia[edit | edit source]

  • In the code, sugar cane is still referenced as "reeds," both the inventory edited block and the item. It is also called reed in the F3 screen.
  • When a sugar cane is broken at the second level, the time resets. (For example, if a two-block high sugar cane is broken but is just about to grow to the third stage, it would reset that time)
  • By placing more sugar canes on top of a sugar cane plant, it is possible to create infinitely tall sugar canes. However, it will not naturally grow.
  • Sugar canes usually try to spawn more often on the Console Edition to ensure that the limited world have some sugar canes to find.

Gallery[edit | edit source]