You’ve spent eight hours mining. You finally finished that massive obsidian vault to keep your diamonds safe from griefers or that accidental Creeper click. Then, it happens. A Bedrock-edition glitch or a well-placed End Crystal turns your "impenetrable" fortress into a crater. It's frustrating. Honestly, it’s one of the most misunderstood mechanics in the entire game because the numbers don't always make sense at first glance.
Minecraft block blast resistance isn't just a static number hidden in the code. It is the invisible shield that determines whether your build survives a TNT prank or becomes literal dust. If you’re building for utility rather than just aesthetics, you need to know which blocks actually hold their ground when things get loud.
How the Math Actually Works (And Why It’s Weird)
Most players think a block with a resistance of 10 is twice as strong as one with 5. It doesn’t really work like that in practice. When an explosion occurs—whether from TNT, a Ghast fireball, or a Wither—the game calculates "explosion power." This power radiates outward from the center, losing strength as it passes through blocks.
Basically, every block has a specific resistance value. For a block to be destroyed, the explosion's remaining power at that specific coordinate must be greater than the block's resistance. Here is the kicker: the explosion power is actually reduced by the block's resistance plus a small increment of 0.75 for every meter the blast travels. This means dense blocks don't just survive; they actively "eat" the explosion, protecting everything behind them.
The Heavy Hitters
You already know Obsidian is king. With a blast resistance of 1,200, it is effectively immune to every standard explosion in the game, including TNT and Creepers. But it isn't the only one. Crying Obsidian shares that same 1,200 rating. Ancient Debris is even crazier because it’s blast-resistant and lava-proof. If you’re playing on a faction server, Ancient Debris is the ultimate flex for a reason.
Then you have the "industrial" blocks.
- Anvils: Surprisingly tough with a resistance of 1,200.
- Enchanting Tables: These sit at 1,200 too. Expensive way to build a wall, though.
- End Chests: Also 1,200.
- Respawn Anchors: These are beefy, but be careful—they explode themselves if you use them in the Overworld.
If you can't afford a wall of purple glass, you're looking at things like Deepslate Tiles or Polished Blackstone Bricks. These have a resistance of 6, which is enough to withstand a nearby Ghast fireball but will absolutely crumble if TNT is touching them.
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The Tragedy of Dirt and Wood
It sucks. You build a beautiful log cabin, a Creeper sneaks up behind you, and half your living room is gone. Wood, Dirt, and Sand have resistance values between 0.5 and 3. In the world of Minecraft block blast resistance, these are basically paper.
Even Stone, which feels "solid," only has a resistance of 6. This is the baseline. If you want a base that survives a determined raider or a stray Wither skull, Stone isn't going to cut it. You need to look at "Blast Resistant" blocks specifically.
Wait. Let’s talk about the Wither. The Wither is a jerk. Its "Blue Skull" attacks have a special property that treats almost every block as having a resistance of no more than 4, regardless of its actual stats. This is why the Wither can chew through Cobblestone like it's air. The only things that truly stop a Wither are Bedrock (which you can't get), End Portals, or a very specific setup involving Obsidian and a lot of luck.
Water Logging: The Secret Defense Strategy
If you’re a technical player, you know the "Water-Logging" trick. It’s basically cheating the physics engine. When a block is water-logged—like a Slab, Stair, or Wall—the explosion occurs inside the water source. Water has an incredibly high blast resistance in the game code.
Actually, it's more like the water absorbs 100% of the blast damage to blocks. You can set off a stack of TNT inside a water-filled Cobblestone Slab cage, and the Slabs won't take a scratch. If you’re building a base on a PvP server, you don't need Obsidian. You just need a "wet wall" where every block is water-logged. It's cheaper, though a bit of a pain to build.
Why Some Blocks Fall and Others Stand
The distance from the center of the blast matters more than most people realize. Because of the way the game calculates the "blast ray," a block might survive if it's two meters away but get vaporized at one meter.
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Take a look at the "Blast Resistance" scale:
- Bedrock/Barrier Blocks: 3,600,000 (Technically indestructible).
- Obsidian/Ancient Debris: 1,200.
- End Stone: 9. (This is why the Ender Dragon doesn't just delete the island).
- Cobblestone/Stone Bricks: 6.
- Dirt/Sand/Gravel: 0.5.
Note that End Stone is actually stronger than Stone or Cobblestone. Most people forget that. If you’re looking for a cheap, blast-resistant material for a mob farm or a bunker, End Stone is actually a top-tier choice once you’ve cleared the End. It’s easy to mine and holds up much better against TNT than your standard Overworld rocks.
Practical Tips for Your Next Build
Stop using regular Glass. Seriously. Glass has a blast resistance of 0.3. A breeze could break it. If you need windows in a dangerous area, use Tinted Glass (resistance 3) or better yet, just use iron bars which have a resistance of 6.
If you're worried about Ghasts in the Nether, you only need a resistance of 4 to be completely safe from their fireballs. This means Cobblestone is your best friend. Never build a Nether hub out of Netherrack (resistance 0.4) unless you want to spend your whole life relighting portals.
Actionable Next Steps:
- Audit your "safe rooms": Replace any Stone or Wood corners with Obsidian or Crying Obsidian. Explosions often "leak" through corners.
- Use End Stone for utility: If you've been to the End, bring back stacks of End Stone for your TNT-testing chambers or mob grinders. It’s 50% more resistant than Cobblestone.
- Water-log your defenses: If you’re on a server where TNT cannons are a threat, build your outer walls using Slabs or Stairs and fill them with water.
- Check your version: Remember that Bedrock Edition and Java Edition sometimes have slight variations in how "Blast Power" is calculated, but the block rankings remain the same.
The smartest way to build isn't just to use the strongest block, but to use the right block for the specific threat. Keep your wood for the interior and your Obsidian for the shell.