How to Get Clay in Minecraft

Guide Java Bedrock

Quick answer: Find gray clay patches in shallow water or on lush cave pond floors. Each clay block drops four clay balls without Silk Touch. For renewable clay, put mud above a block with pointed dripstone hanging underneath and wait for it to convert.

What you need

Shovel for faster mining
Silk Touch tool to keep whole blocks (optional)
Mud, a supporting block and pointed dripstone for conversion (optional)

Step by step

Look for gray clay patches in shallow rivers, lakes and swamps, or explore the pond floors of lush caves.
Mine with any tool; a shovel is fastest. Each block drops four clay balls.
Use Silk Touch to collect the whole block instead. Fortune does not increase the number of balls.
For a renewable route, hang pointed dripstone beneath a supporting block and put mud directly on top of that block.
Wait for the mud to turn into clay. Conversion depends on random ticks, so it is not a fixed timer. It does not work in the Nether.
Smelt clay balls into brick items, or smelt whole clay blocks into terracotta. Four balls in a 2×2 square also rebuild one clay block.

Java vs Bedrock

Clay drops and the mud conversion work in Java and Bedrock. The conversion does not work in the Nether. In Java, masons can give clay blocks to players with Hero of the Village.

Versions: javabedrock

Frequently asked questions

Where should I look for lots of clay?

Lush cave pond floors contain large amounts. Shallow surface water is another convenient source.

How do I turn mud into clay?

Put mud on top of a block with pointed dripstone hanging beneath it, then wait. Random ticks control conversion, not a guaranteed countdown.

Does Fortune give more clay?

No. Without Silk Touch, each clay block drops four balls regardless of Fortune.

What is the difference between clay balls and blocks?

Balls smelt into brick items. Whole blocks smelt into terracotta. Four balls craft back into one block.