How to Make Glazed Terracotta Patterns in Minecraft (2026)

To make glazed terracotta in Minecraft, smelt a block of stained terracotta in a furnace. You will get the same color back, but in the glazed form with its bright pattern. Glazed terracotta comes in 16 colors and is mainly used for decorative floors and walls.

Glazed Terracotta was added as part of the “World of Color” update (1.12). This update is the same one that added concrete to the game.

In the photo above, you can see the main patterns and designs that can be made with glazed terracotta in Minecraft. Note that the direction you are facing when you place the block will rotate the block.

To create these patterns, you will have to experiment with the placement in different directions. There are more potential patterns than what is shown in the image, but these are the main patterns.

How to Make Glazed Terracotta (Step by Step)

The full process from clay to glazed terracotta only takes a few steps:

1. Get terracotta. Either smelt clay blocks in a furnace, or mine terracotta directly in a badlands biome (see the tip below).
2. Stain it. Combine 8 terracotta blocks with 1 dye in a crafting table to get 8 stained terracotta of that color.
3. Glaze it. Smelt the stained terracotta in a furnace. Out comes glazed terracotta in the same color.

Tip: The easiest way to find plain terracotta is by mining it in badlands (mesa) biomes, where entire hills are made of it. You can then stain plain terracotta to any color using dye in a crafting grid.

One important warning before you smelt: you cannot undo it. Once terracotta is stained or glazed, there is no changing the color or turning it back, so test your pattern with a few blocks before converting a whole stack.

Hidden Designs in the Patterns

Some glazed terracotta blocks have little secrets built into their textures. Here are the fun ones to look for:

• Magenta glazed terracotta contains an arrow, and the arrow points in the direction you were facing when you placed it. Players use these as direction markers in mazes, mines, and server spawns!
• Cyan glazed terracotta has a creeper face hiding in the pattern.
• Purple glazed terracotta shows the hilt of a sword.

When you place four blocks of the same color in a 2×2 square with the right rotations, the textures line up into one larger connected design. Every color can make 4 different patterns this way, so there is a lot to experiment with.

How To Use Glazed Terracotta in Minecraft

Glazed terracotta is primarily used as a decoration for flooring or walls. Because of the vibrant patterns, it’s important not to over-do it or else your build will look tacky. I recommend using it sparingly, for example as a centerpiece for your wall or floor.

READ MORE: 34 Cool Things to Build in Minecraft When You’re Bored

You can also combine different textures together to create a mural. For example, the below pattern was created by a reddit user:

Glazed terracotta also has a hidden redstone talent: it does not stick to slime or honey blocks, and sticky pistons can push it but not pull it back. Redstone builders love it for flying machines and piston doors because of this one-way behavior. So even if you never decorate with it, it is worth keeping some around.

Minecraft Glazed Terracotta Pattern FAQs

How do I get the right glazed terracotta pattern?

The pattern will be different depending on which direction you are facing when you place the block. To change the pattern, you will have to experiment placing the blocks in different directions. In general, try rotating either clockwise or counterclockwise for each corner of the pattern.

What is the difference between terracotta and hardened clay?

They are the same thing. Hardened clay was renamed to terracotta in a previous update.

How do I change the color of terracotta?

You cannot change the color of terracotta once it has been stained or glazed. You can only dye plain terracotta which is crafted by smelting clay blocks or by mining it in a badlands biome.

What tool do you need to mine glazed terracotta?

A pickaxe. If you break glazed terracotta with your hands or any other tool, it drops nothing, so keep a pickaxe handy when redecorating.

That concludes our guide to glazed terracotta patterns in Minecraft! Have you made a cool mural of your own? Leave a comment below!