Skeleton Skull

Skeleton Skull

Rarity tier	Uncommon
Renewable	Yes
Stackable	Yes (64)
Tool	Any tool
Blast resistance	1
Hardness	1
Luminous	No
Transparent	Yes
Waterloggable	JE: No BE: Yes
Flammable	No
Catches fire from lava	No

{
    "title": "Skeleton Skull",
    "rows": [
        {
            "field": "Uncommon",
            "label": "(link to Rarity article, displayed as Rarity tier)"
        },
        {
            "field": "Yes",
            "label": "(link to Renewable resource article, displayed as Renewable)"
        },
        {
            "field": "Yes (64)",
            "label": "Stackable"
        },
        {
            "field": "Any tool",
            "label": "Tool"
        },
        {
            "field": "1",
            "label": "(link to Explosion#Blast resistance article, displayed as Blast resistance)"
        },
        {
            "field": "1",
            "label": "(link to Breaking#Blocks by hardness article, displayed as Hardness)"
        },
        {
            "field": "No",
            "label": "(link to Light article, displayed as Luminous)"
        },
        {
            "field": "Yes",
            "label": "(link to Opacity article, displayed as Transparent)"
        },
        {
            "field": "'''(link to Java Edition article, displayed as JE):''' No<br>'''(link to Bedrock Edition article, displayed as BE):''' Yes",
            "label": "(link to Waterlogging article, displayed as Waterloggable)"
        },
        {
            "field": "No",
            "label": "(link to Flammable article, displayed as Flammable)"
        },
        {
            "field": "No",
            "label": "Catches fire<br>from (link to lava article, displayed as lava)"
        }
    ],
    "invimages": [
        "Skeleton Skull"
    ],
    "images": [
        "Skeleton Skull.png"
    ]
}

A skeleton skull is the head of a skeleton in the form of a block. It can be obtained from ancient cities or by killing a skeleton using a charged creeper's explosion.

Obtaining

Breaking

No tool can accelerate the breaking process of skeleton skull.^[1]

Block	Skeleton Skull
Hardness	1
Breaking time (secs)
Default	1.5
Options
Haste	001 1JEBE

Legend

• incorrect tool, drops nothing
• correct tool, drops nothing or something other than the block itself
• correct tool, drops the block itself
• italicized can be instant mined

Skeleton skull drops itself when it's destroyed. When destroyed by an explosion, the skeleton skull always drops as an item.

Natural generation

Skeleton skulls can generate in ancient cities, which sometimes generate in the deep dark.

Mob loot

Skeleton heads are always dropped by a skeleton if it dies due to a charged creeper's explosion. In Bedrock Edition, if multiple mobs are killed by the same charged creeper, all of them drop their heads, however in Java Edition only one mob selected at random drops its head.^[2]

Usage

Decoration

A skeleton skull can be oriented in 16 different directions on top of a block, and 4 directions on the sides of blocks, similar to signs. They can be placed on top of, or beside each other by shift clicking.

Wearing

The player can wear skeleton skulls, similarly to pumpkins or helmets. This overlays the second layer of the player's skin.

Disguise

Wearing a skeleton skull reduces the detection range for skeletons. This is similar to (and stacks with) the reductions in detection range from sneaking and from the Invisibility status effect.

In Bedrock Edition, wearing a skeleton skull makes the player invisible to other players on a locator map.

Dispensers

A dispenser can equip a skeleton skull on a player, mob, or armor stand with an empty helmet slot, within the block the dispenser is facing.

Crafting ingredient

Ingredients	Crafting recipe
Skeleton skull + Gunpowder + Any Dye

Enchantments

Skeleton skulls can receive the following enchantments, but only through an anvil.

Name	Max level	Method
Curse of Binding	I	Anvil
Curse of Vanishing	I	Anvil

Note blocks

Placing a skeleton skull above a note block causes the note block to play the skeleton's ambient sound when activated.

The block below the note block does not affect the mob sound it creates.

Piston interactivity

Skeleton skull is destroyed when the piston tries to push it. It can't be pulled by the sticky piston.

Sounds

Generic

Java Edition:

v t e stone sound type
Sound	Closed captions	Source	Description	Identifier	Translation key	Volume	Pitch	Attenuation distance
	​Block broken	Blocks	Once the block has broken	block.stone.break	subtitles.block.generic.break​	1.0	0.8	16
	​Block placed	Blocks	When the block is placed	block.stone.place	subtitles.block.generic.place​	1.0	0.8	16
	​Block breaking	Blocks	While the block is in the process of being broken	block.stone.hit	subtitles.block.generic.hit​	0.25	0.5	16
	​Something falls on a block	Entity-Dependent	Falling on the block with fall damage	block.stone.fall	subtitles.block.generic.fall​	0.5	0.75	16
	​Footsteps	Entity-Dependent	Walking on the block	block.stone.step	subtitles.block.generic.footsteps​	0.15	1.0	16

Bedrock Edition:

v t e stone sound type
Sound	Closed captions [upcoming: BE 26.0]	Source	Description	Identifier	Translation key [upcoming: BE 26.0]	Volume	Pitch
	​Block broken	Blocks	Once the block has broken	dig.stone	subtitles.block.generic.break​	1.0	0.8-1.0
	​Block broken	Blocks	When the block is placed	dig.stone	subtitles.block.generic.break​	1.0	0.8-1.0
	​Block breaking	Blocks	While the block is in the process of being broken	hit.stone	subtitles.block.generic.hit​	0.37	0.5
	​Footsteps	Players	Falling on the block with fall damage	fall.stone	subtitles.block.generic.footsteps​	0.4	1.0
	​Footsteps	Players	Walking on the block	step.stone	subtitles.block.generic.footsteps​	0.3	1.0
	​Footsteps	Blocks	Jumping from the block	jump.stone	subtitles.block.generic.footsteps​	0.12	1.0
	​Footsteps	Blocks	Falling on the block without fall damage	land.stone	subtitles.block.generic.footsteps​	0.22	1.0

Unique

Java Edition

Bedrock Edition:

Data values

ID

Java Edition:

Name	Identifier	Form	Item tags	Translation key
Skeleton Skull	skeleton_skull	Block & Item	skulls	block.minecraft.skeleton_skull
Skeleton Wall Skull	skeleton_wall_skull	Block	—	block.minecraft.skeleton_wall_skull

Name	Identifier
Block entity	skull

Bedrock Edition:

Name	Identifier	Alias ID	Numeric ID	Form	Item ID[i 1]	Translation key
Skeleton Skull	skeleton_skull	skull / 0	144	Block & Giveable Item[i 2]	Identical[i 3]	item.skull.skeleton.name

Name	Savegame ID
Block entity	Skull

Block states

Java Edition:
Floor

Wall

Bedrock Edition:

Block data

A skeleton skull has a block entity associated with it that holds additional data about the block.

Java Edition:

Bedrock Edition:

See Bedrock Edition level format/Block entity format.

Achievements

Icon		Achievement	In-game description	Actual requirements (if different)	Gamerscore earned	Trophy type (PS)
PS4	Other
		Camouflage	Kill a mob while wearing the same type of mob head.	—	30	Bronze

History

Reveal

Java Edition

Java Edition
1.4.2			12w36a				Added skeleton skulls, obtainable only from the Creative inventory.
			12w37a				Changed item textures.
1.4.6			12w49a				Skeleton skulls can now be used to craft a firework star with creeper-face effect.
1.8			14w29a				Heads now display a cracking animation.
			14w30a				Skeleton skulls in inventories and held by mobs/players now display as blocks.
							Skulls worn by mobs and players are now displayed on the armor layer. Previously, the skull replaced the mob/player's head texture; the hat layer appeared over the skull.
							Skeleton skulls are now available in survival. The player can obtain them by killing a skeleton with a charged creeper.
			14w30b				A single charged creeper explosion no longer yields more than one mob head. The mob head that drops is chosen randomly.
1.9			15w31a				Skeleton skulls now appear larger in the inventory.
			15w32a				Skeleton skulls can now be worn to reduce detection by the corresponding mobs by 50%.
			15w33c				The disguise that is given by mob heads now reduces detection range to 37.5% of normal.
			15w36a				The disguise that is given by mob heads now reduces detection range to 50% of normal again.
			15w39a				Dispensers can now equip skeleton skulls onto players, mobs and armor stands.
			15w49a				Skeleton skulls no longer turn red when the player or mob takes damage.[4]
1.13			17w47a				Skeleton skulls now play a sound when placed.
							Skeleton skulls can no longer be placed inside entities.[5]
			18w21a				The rarity of skeleton skulls has been changed from "Common" to "Uncommon".
1.19			Deep Dark Experimental Snapshot 1				Skeleton skulls now generate as part of ancient cities.
1.19.4 Experiment Update 1.20			23w03a				Skeleton skulls can now be placed on top of note blocks without sneaking.
1.19.4			23w05a				Skeleton skulls can now be swapped with other pieces of headgear in the head inventory slot by using them.[6]

Bedrock Edition

Pocket Edition Alpha
v0.12.1			build 1				Added skeleton skulls.
							The skeleton skull uses the Java texture prior to 14w30a.
v0.14.0			build 1				Skeleton skulls can now be worn as armor.
Bedrock Edition
1.2.0			beta 1.2.0.2				Skeleton skulls can now be used to craft firework stars.
			beta 1.2.0.11				Skeleton skulls in inventories and when held by mobs/players now display as blocks.
1.19.60 Experiment Next Major Update			Preview 1.19.60.25				Heads can now be placed on top of note blocks without sneaking.
1.21.30			Preview 1.21.30.21				The rarity of skeleton skulls has been changed from "Common" to "Uncommon" to match Java Edition.

Legacy Console Edition

Legacy Console Edition
Xbox 360	Xbox One	PS3	PS4	PS Vita	Wii U	Switch
TU12	CU1	1.00	1.00	1.00	Patch 1	1.0.1	Added skeleton skulls to the Creative inventory.
TU19	CU7	1.12	1.12	1.12			Skeleton skulls can now be used to craft a firework star with creeper-face effect.
TU31	CU19	1.22	1.22	1.22	Patch 3		Skeleton skulls in inventories and held by mobs/players now display as blocks.
							Skeleton skulls are now available in Survival. The player can obtain them by killing a skeleton with a charged creeper.
TU34	CU22	1.25	1.25	1.25	Patch 4		Skeleton skulls can now be swapped with other pieces of headgear in the head inventory slot by using them.
TU49	CU39	1.42	1.42	1.42	Patch 18		Skeleton skulls are now held the same way as on Java Edition in first person.

New Nintendo 3DS Edition

New Nintendo 3DS Edition
0.1.0							Added skeleton skulls.

Data history

Issues

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

Trivia

• Skeleton skulls do not have their own textures and take their textures from other objects.
• When breaking a skeleton skull, the particle effect of breaking it is the same as soul sand.
• In Bedrock Edition, the skull variant for the item is stored under the damage component, normally used for items with durability.

Gallery

Renders

• 
  Alex wearing a skeleton skull.
• 
  Ari wearing a skeleton skull.
• 
  Efe wearing a skeleton skull.
• 
  Kai wearing a skeleton skull.
• 
  Makena wearing a skeleton skull.
• 
  Noor wearing a skeleton skull.
• 
  Steve wearing a skeleton skull.
• 
  Sunny wearing a skeleton skull.
• 
  Zuri wearing a skeleton skull.

Screenshots

• 
  Kai wearing a skull, near a skull, near a skeleton, in an ancient city.

References

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