How to Get Blue Ice in Minecraft (Fastest Ice)

Guide Java Bedrock

Quick answer: Mine blue ice with any Silk Touch tool (a pickaxe is fastest) - without Silk Touch it drops nothing. Find it at the underwater base of icebergs in frozen oceans, craft 9 packed ice into 1 blue ice (81 regular ice total), or buy it from a wandering trader for 6 emeralds.

What you need

Any Silk Touch tool (pickaxe recommended)
OR 81 regular ice (9 packed ice) per blue ice block
OR 6 emeralds per block from a wandering trader

Step by step

Get Silk Touch first. Blue ice breaks instantly into nothing without it. Any Silk Touch tool works, but a pickaxe mines it fastest.
Hunt icebergs in frozen ocean biomes: blue ice generates along their underwater base and in big arching formations nearby. Rarely, a whole iceberg is made of blue ice - a jackpot.
Craft it instead: fill the 3x3 grid with packed ice to get 1 blue ice. Since packed ice is 9 regular ice, one blue ice costs 81 ice - an ice farm makes this painless.
Buy it from wandering traders: they sell 1 blue ice for 6 emeralds. Prices are steep, but it saves the trip.
Loot natural piles: blue ice also generates in some snowy plains village houses and inside ancient cities.
Put it to work: blue ice is the slipperiest block in the game (boats hit about 72.7 m/s versus 40 on regular ice), it never melts near light, items slide much further in water streams above it, and lava flowing over soul soil next to blue ice generates basalt.

Java vs Bedrock

Identical generation and crafting in both editions. Bedrock bonus: a wandering trader currently offering blue ice has a 25% chance (+1% per Looting level) to drop one when killed while you hold an emerald.

Versions: Added in Java 1.13 (Update Aquatic, 2018) and Bedrock 1.4.0. It has been renewable ever since packed ice became craftable in the same release; ancient cities added another natural source in 1.19.

Frequently asked questions

Does blue ice melt?

No. Unlike regular ice, blue ice never melts, even right next to torches or glowstone - same as packed ice.

Is blue ice faster than packed ice?

Yes. Boats top out around 72.7 m/s on blue ice versus 40 m/s on ice or packed ice, and items in water streams slide further. For long ice roads, blue ice is worth it.

Can you craft blue ice back into packed ice?

No - blue ice is not a storage block. The conversion is one-way, so spend your ice wisely.