Pressure Plate

"Plate" redirects here. For the armor in Minecraft Dungeons, see MCD:Plate Armor.
All pressure plates.

A pressure plate is a non-solid block that produces a redstone signal when stood on by an entity, with multiple variants that have different properties.

Variants

Obtaining

Usage

See also: Redstone circuit

A pressure plate can be used to detect entities on top of it (players, mobs, items, etc.).

Pressure plates on fences.
Pressure plates being used to contain water and lava.

To place a pressure plate, use it while aiming at the face of a block adjacent to the destination space.

A pressure plate can be placed on top of:

A pressure plate cannot be attached to the side or bottom of any block, but attempting to make such an attachment may cause the plate to attach to the top of a block under the destination space. For example, if a fence is on the ground, attempting to attach a plate to the side of the fence causes the plate to be attached to the top of the ground next to the fence instead. More information regarding placement on non-conductive blocks can be found at Opacity/Placement.

A minecart traveling on rails can activate a pressure plate diagonally adjacent to a curved rail's corner, but not one next to a straight rail (a stone pressure plate cannot be activated by a minecart, but it can be activated by the minecart's passenger, if present). For a block that works similarly to pressure plates but was designed specifically for minecarts, see Detector Rail.

A pressure plate is not solid (it is not a barrier to entity movement). A block under a pressure plate can provide a solid surface underneath it (for mobs to walk across, items to fall on, etc.), but when a pressure plate is placed on a block with a small collision box, such as a fence or nether brick fence, it is possible for entities to move through the pressure plate while still activating it (walking through it horizontally, or falling through it vertically). Thus, a pressure plate on a fence can be used to detect entities without stopping them. An entity moving fast enough can phase through a pressure plate without actually activating it.

Pressure plates are 0.0625 blocks high (1⁄16 of a block) when inactive and 0.03125 blocks high (1⁄32 of a block) when active, but because they are not solid they do not affect the position of entities "on top" of them, so a player on top of a pressure plate is actually standing on the block beneath it.

Unlike similar redstone components, pressure plates cannot be broken by water and lava, as such they are often used to contain these fluids. In Bedrock Edition, pressure plates can be waterlogged.

Behavior

Pressure plate placement and behavior.

A pressure plate activates when an entity is on top of it (specifically, when the entity's collision box intersects with a space occupied by the pressure plate that's as large as the pressure plate itself, but is 0.25 blocks (14 of a block) tall instead of 0.0625 blocks (116 of a block), which may include entities flying close to the ground). The activation conditions vary depending on the type of pressure plate.

After being activated, the pressure plate periodically[n 1] checks if there are still entities on top of it. If none are found, the pressure plate returns to its inactive state.

While active, a pressure plate provides weak power to its direct neighbors and strong power to the block below itself.

Block states

See also: Block states

Java Edition:

Stone and wooden pressure plates
Name Default value Allowed values Description
poweredfalsefalse
true
True if pressure plate is currently pressed down, providing power.
Weighted pressure plates
Name Default value Allowed values Description
power00
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
Specifies the redstone power level currently being produced by the weighted pressure plate.

Bedrock Edition:

Stone and wooden pressure plates
NameMetadata Bits Default value Allowed valuesValues for
Metadata Bits
Description
redstone_signal0x100
1
0
1
Specifies whether the pressure plate is pressed down.
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
UnsupportedUnused
Weighted pressure plates
NameMetadata Bits Default value Allowed valuesValues for
Metadata Bits
Description
redstone_signal0x1
0x2
0x4
0x8
00
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
0
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
Specifies the redstone power level currently being produced by the pressure plate.

Videos

History

Development

May 21, 2009Notch shows interest in adding pressure plates.
November 25, 2012Weighted pressure plates are announced at MINECON 2012. It was mentioned that they would, in addition to the functions actually given to them upon introduction, also be able to detect how full a minecart with chest is, functionality that was instead given to the detector rail and redstone comparator.

Java Edition

Java Edition Alpha
v1.0.1Added two types of pressure plates: wooden and stone pressure plates.
The model of pressure plates in item form is different compared to the placed block.
Java Edition Beta
1.3Pressure plates now require only two wood planks/stone to craft; previous versions required three (this recipe now creates slabs).
1.6Test Build 3Both types of pressure plates can now also be recovered by destroying the block they are on.
Pressure plates may no longer be placed on leaf blocks or TNT. Pressure plates placed on such blocks prior to this update drop themselves when disturbed (whether by stepping on them or by placing/breaking adjacent blocks) and can be recollected, though they can still ignite TNT.
1.7The model of pressure plates has been changed.
1.8Pre-releasePressure plates can now be placed on fences. However, due to the fence's collision box being 1 block wide and 1.5 blocks tall, they are hard to activate, but not impossible (e.g., pistons can be used to push a fence to the same position of an entity that's taller than one block, then a pressure plate can be placed on top of the fence).
Dropped pressure plate items no longer appear larger than normal blocks.
Java Edition
1.0.0Beta 1.9 Prerelease 2The width of the fences' collision box has been decreased, thus activating a pressure plate placed on a fence is now easier.
Beta 1.9 Prerelease 5The textures of pressure plates have been changed.
1.3.112w19aParticles no longer activate wooden pressure plate with an arrow on it.
1.513w01aAdded two new types of pressure plates: light weighted pressure plates and heavy weighted pressure plates.
The model of weighted pressure plates in item form is different compared to the placed block.
1.7.213w36aAll entities are now allowed to trigger weighted pressure plates.
Weighted pressure plates have been repurposed: rather than outputting based on the amount of and the stack size of item entities, their output now depends on the amount of entities (including non-item entities) on top of them. As a result, the stack size of item entities is now ignored: for example, dropping a stick item and a dirt item on top of a light weighted pressure plate now results in a higher output signal compared to dropping a full stack of sand on it (previously, the opposite would've been the case). The original signal strenght values per amount of items are listed below:
1.814w10aThe model of all pressure plates in item form has been changed to look like the block's model, however the item, when held, renders lower than it should.[1]
14w10cThe model changes from 14w10a have been reverted.
14w33aPressure plates now have unique item names.[2]
1.915w31aThe model of all pressure plates in item form has been changed to look like the block's model.
15w43aNon-stone pressure plates have now been given a different, more high-pitched activation sound, so that they no longer match the sound of stone pressure plates.
15w46aMobs no longer spawn on pressure plates.
1.1418w43aThe textures of all pressure plates have been changed.
19w12bAll pressure plates can now be placed on glass, ice, glowstone and sea lanterns.
1.14.3pre3All pressure plates can now be placed on iron bars and glass panes.
1.1620w06aAdded crimson and warped pressure plates.
20w15aAdded polished blackstone pressure plate.
1.1922w11aAdded mangrove pressure plates.
22w14aAdded mangrove trees and mangrove swamps. Mangrove pressure plates are now obtainable and renewable.
1.19.3
Experiment
Update 1.20
22w42aAdded bamboo pressure plates.
1.19.4
Experiment
Update 1.20
23w07aAdded cherry pressure plates.
1.21.2
Experiment
Winter Drop
24w40aAdded pale oak pressure plates.

Bedrock Edition

Pocket Edition Alpha
v0.13.0build 1Added four types of pressure plates: wooden, stone, heavy weighted, and light weighted pressure plates.
Bedrock Edition
1.10.0beta 1.10.0.3The textures of all pressure plates have been changed.
1.19.50
Experiment
Next Major Update
Preview 1.19.50.21The pressure plates now have different pitches based on their behavior to match Java Edition.

Legacy Console Edition

Legacy Console Edition
Xbox 360Xbox OnePS3PS4PS VitaWii USwitch
TU1CU11.001.001.00Patch 11.0.1Added two types of pressure plates: wooden and stone pressure plates.
TU5Pressure plates are now placeable on fences.
TU19CU71.121.121.12Added two new types of pressure plates as weighted pressure plates.
TU46CU361.381.381.38Patch 15Non-stone pressure plates have now been given a different, more high-pitched activation sound, so that they no longer match the sound of stone pressure plates.[is this the correct version?]
1.90 The textures of all pressure plates have been changed.

New Nintendo 3DS Edition

New Nintendo 3DS Edition
0.1.0Added four types of pressure plates: wooden, stone, heavy weighted, and light weighted pressure plates.

Gallery

Renders

Issues

Issues relating to "Pressure Plate" are maintained on the bug tracker. Issues should be reported and viewed there.

Notes

  1. The time period is specific to the type of pressure plate. This period is 10 game ticks for weighted pressure plates and 20 game ticks for other pressure plates.

References

  1. MC-50309
  2. MC-66247 — resolved as "fixed".

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