All Ice Blocks in Minecraft Compared
Minecraft has six ice blocks: ice, packed ice, blue ice, frosted ice, brittle ice (new in Fourth Drop 2026) and packed ice bricks (also new). Blue ice is the fastest for boats at 72.73 m/s; only packed ice bricks are safe to walk on without sliding and the only ice that drops without Silk Touch; ice and frosted ice melt under light, the rest never do. Full rules per block below.
The comparison table
| Block | Slippery | Melts? | Silk Touch? | How to get | Boat speed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ice | Yes (0.98) | Under bright light → water | Required | Water freezes in snowy biomes; igloos (JE) | 40 m/s |
| Packed Ice | Yes (0.98) | Never | Required | Ice spikes, frozen peaks, icebergs, ice caves (new), trader (1 emerald), 9 ice craft | 40 m/s |
| Blue Ice | Most (0.989) | Never | Required | 9 packed ice craft, icebergs, trader (6 emeralds) | 72.73 m/s |
| Frosted Ice | Yes (0.98) | Quickly under light | Not obtainable | Formed by Frost Walker boots over water | 40 m/s |
| Brittle Ice (new) | Walkable but cracks | Never | Required | Ice cave crevasses; water touching blue ice turns brittle | 40 m/s |
| Packed Ice Bricks (new) | No — default friction | Never | Not needed | Craft 2×2 packed ice | — |
Illustrations: original pixel-art renditions, not game screenshots.
Ice — the meltable original
The transparent block frozen water leaves behind in snowy biomes. It drops nothing without Silk Touch (and turns to water if there's a block underneath), melts near bright light, and is the base of the compression chain: 9 ice → packed ice → 9 packed ice → blue ice. None of these crafts reverse. Sprint-jumping on ice is one of the fastest player movement methods in the game, and boats hit 40 m/s.
Packed ice — the classic ice road
Opaque, never melts, never leaves water, still slippery. Get it with Silk Touch in ice spikes, frozen peaks and frozen-ocean icebergs — or, new in Fourth Drop 2026, scattered through the ice caves biome, including giant packed-ice columns. Wandering traders sell it for one emerald. Boats do 40 m/s, same as ice, and mobs can spawn on it (compact farm builders take note). New interaction in the drop: icicles grow longer when packed ice sits above them.
Blue ice — the speed king
The most slippery block in Minecraft (0.989) and the fastest surface for boats: 72.73 m/s, nearly double any other ice. Craft it from 9 packed ice (81 ice equivalent), mine it with Silk Touch from icebergs, or buy it for 6 emeralds. It never melts, forms basalt next to soul soil and lava, and — new in the drop — any water touching it horizontally turns to brittle ice, making renewable brittle-ice generators possible.
Frosted ice — Frost Walker's footprint
Not a block you own, a block you borrow: Frost Walker boots freeze water into frosted ice under your feet, which melts back into water soon after (faster in bright light — in darkness it lingers). It can't be obtained in survival (Bedrock's /give aside), it's slippery like ice, and Fourth Drop 2026's Preview 26.70.21 updated the enchantment: freezing is now a circle around you instead of direction-biased, and only happens while you stand on ground — no more fatal frosted-ice mid-dive.
Brittle ice — the floor that fights back (new)
New in Fourth Drop 2026. Stand on it and it cracks one stage every 1.2 seconds; after 3.6 seconds total it shatters — leaving no water and never melting. Step off and the cracks pause where they were; pre-cracked blocks break instantly under the next visitor. It generates covering crevasses in ice caves (fall through one and you're in the cave), it appears wherever water touches blue ice, and only Silk Touch collects it. Frostbites can stand on it unharmed; boats, minecarts and dropped items don't crack it, and boats still do 40 m/s across it.
Packed ice bricks — the builder's ice (new)
The newest member of the family and the answer to an old complaint: an ice block you can walk on. Packed ice bricks use default friction (nothing slides), never melt, never leave water, and — uniquely for ice — always drop when mined, no Silk Touch needed. Craft from 2×2 packed ice; slab, stairs, wall and chiseled variants (the chiseled one has an arrow pattern) work at a crafting table or stonecutter. Full chain in How to Get Packed Ice Bricks.
Which ice should you use?
| You want to… | Use | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Build a boat highway | Blue ice | 72.73 m/s, nearly double everything else |
| Move items in water streams | Blue or packed ice | Slipperiness speeds up items in currents |
| Build with ice aesthetics | Packed ice bricks | Not slippery, no Silk Touch to reclaim, full variant set |
| Make a trap floor | Brittle ice | Shatters under victims after 3.6 s; pair with a drop or crevasse |
| Cross water next to you | Frost Walker boots | Temporary frosted ice path, no blocks carried |
| Generate basalt | Blue ice | Lava + soul soil + blue ice = basalt generator |
FAQ
What is the fastest ice in Minecraft?
Blue ice: boats reach 72.73 m/s on it, versus 40 m/s on ice, packed ice, frosted ice and brittle ice. It's also the most slippery block (0.989).
Which ice blocks melt?
Ice (under bright light, becomes water) and frosted ice (quickly under light). Packed ice, blue ice, brittle ice and packed ice bricks never melt.
Which ice needs Silk Touch?
Ice, packed ice, blue ice and brittle ice. Frosted ice isn't obtainable in survival. Packed ice bricks are the only ice that drops without Silk Touch.
What's new in the Fourth Drop 2026?
Brittle ice (cracking floor block, ice caves) and the packed ice bricks set (decorative, non-slippery, 2×2 packed ice recipe). Both are playable now in Bedrock Preview 26.70.21+ and Java 26.4 Snapshot 5+, with full release in Q4 2026. See the drop guide.
How do you make packed ice bricks?
2×2 packed ice at a crafting table. We walk through getting the packed ice in the full recipe guide.