Where to Find Clay in Minecraft (2024)

Where to Find Clay in Minecraft (2024)

Published January 09, 2024 · Updated July 30, 2025

Clay is one of the most versatile blocks in the game. It offers a creative building material for medieval-style bases and also unlocks access to colorful terracotta blocks. But finding it isn’t as easy as you might think. At least, until you start looking at the right spot. So, let’s stop beating around the bush and discover where to find clay in Minecraft in no time!

Where to Find Clay in Minecraft 1.20

Our guide covers the best places to find clay in Minecraft for most scenarios. But, the same won’t help if your world isn’t reliable. So, we highly recommend you try some of the best Minecraft beach seeds while looking for clay. 

What is Clay in MinecraftEmpty white background for versatile design projects

Clay is a rare building block in Minecraft. Despite its similar to gravel and sand in appearance, the clay is not affected by gravity. Furthermore, it is not only a great decoration block on its own, but it also opens your way to vibrant terracotta blocks.

Where Does Clay Spawn in Minecraft

From villages to caves, you can find clay blocks in a variety of locations with Minecraft. The complete list includes:

  • Water Bodies
  • Villages
  • Lush Caves

Water Bodies

Similar to the real world, you can find clay on the floor of various water bodies in Minecraft. The list includes swamps, beaches, oceans, rivers, and even lakes. But, keep in mind that clay only spawns in shallower areas of this formation.A person's hands holding a smartphone displaying a social media feed.

As a result, swamps are often the best overground spot to find clay in Minecraft. Plus, while you are there you can also get frogs to make a Froglight in Minecraft.

VillagesAbstract digital art with flowing blue and purple lines, representing futuristic technology.

You can find clay blocks inside the mason huts of the following villages:

Furthermore, you can also find clay beneath fishermen’s huts in taiga villages. But, usually, these spots only generate up to 4 clay blocks. So, it’s better to learn where to find clay in Minecraft instead of hunting villagers.

Lush CavesA person's hand typing on a laptop keyboard.

If you are looking for the best way to get clay in Minecraft then lush caves are your safest bet. They generate blobs of up to 160 clay blocks, often replacing the entire floor of the biome. Furthermore, we already have a list of the best Minecraft lush caves seeds that you can use to make your search much easier.

How to Collect Clay Blocks in Minecraft

Now that you know where to find clay in Minecraft, follow these steps to obtain it:

1. First, craft a shovel in Minecraft by combining two planks (or metal ingots/cobblestones) with two sticks. You can use any other item to mine clay, but shovels are the fastest option.A close-up of a vibrant red mushroom with white spots in a lush green forest.

2. When you break a clay block, it drops four clay balls.A close-up of a blurred dark surface with subtle reflections.

3. Collect the clay balls and arrange them as a square in the crafting grid to make a clay block.An empty field under a cloudy sky.

4. Alternatively, you can apply the Silk Touch enchantment on your tool to directly pick the clay block. But, we suggest creating an automatic farm with a crafter to avoid wasting this vital enchantment.Empty boardroom table and chairs, ready for a corporate meeting.

Other Ways to Get Clay

If you are figuring out where to find clay in Minecraft, then it might be time to switch your methods. Here are a couple of alternative ways to get clay blocks in your blocky world.

Gifts from VillagersA close-up of a vibrant, abstract painting with visible brushstrokes and a blend of warm and cool colors.

When you save a village from a Pillager raid in Minecraft, the game gives you the Hero of the Village status effect. Under this effect, Mason villagers throw clay blocks at you as a form of appreciation.

Convert Mud into Clay

Follow these easy steps to convert dirt or mud blocks into clay:

1. First, craft a glass bottle by combining three glass blocks.The image provided does not show any discernible content. Without an image or a description of its purpose, I cannot gener...

2. Then, use the glass bottle to collect water from a water body or a cauldron.This image appears to be decorative or a placeholder as no labels were detected. Therefore, a minimal alt text is appropri...

3. Next, use the water bottle on a dirt block to turn it into mud. Alternatively, you can find naturally generating mud blocks within the swamp biomes.A serene lake reflecting mountains under a clear sky.

4. Once you have a mud block, place it on the side of another block while leaving a two-block gap below it. Then, place a pointed dripstone beneath the mudblock.A pile of neatly stacked, folded beige linen towels.

5. After a few minutes, the water will slowly drip out through the stone leaving you with a clay block.**Focus Keyphrase:** colorful abstract art

Uses of Clay in Minecraft

You can use clays in Minecraft for the following purposes:

  • Decoration: Clay fits perfectly in a variety of natural and old-school structures in the game. Many players use it to design the floor with the Minecraft barn ideas.
  • Terracotta: When you smelt clay inside a furnace in Minecraft, it turns into terracotta. Then, you can dye that terracotta in sixteen unique colors for your building needs.
  • Sweet Sound: If you play a note block with a clay block beneath it, the note block plays flute sounds.

Find, Craft, and Use Clay in Minecraft 

Now that you have an unlimited supply of clay in Minecraft, it’s time to start building! If you want to build something simple then copper bulbs will work really well with clay. Meanwhile, experienced builders can take inspiration from the best Minecraft parkour servers. The only limit to your creativity is your imagination. Having said that, which biome are you going to explore for clay in your world? Drop your pick on our Discord server and discover where others are headed!

Udayveer Singh

Udayveer Singh

Udayveer Singh is a contributor to our news feed here at Minerank and is passionate about all things Minecraft!

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