How to Make a Piston in Minecraft

Guide Java Bedrock

Quick answer: Craft a piston from any planks, cobblestone, an iron ingot and redstone dust. Add a slimeball to a piston to make a sticky piston. A piston moves up to 12 blocks at once.

What you need

3 planks of any wood
4 cobblestone
1 iron ingot
1 redstone dust
For a sticky piston: + 1 slimeball

Step by step

Gather the materials: 3 planks of any wood, 4 cobblestone, 1 iron ingot and 1 redstone dust.
Craft the piston: top row planks - planks - planks, middle row cobblestone - iron ingot - cobblestone, bottom row cobblestone - redstone dust - cobblestone.
Make it sticky: combine a slimeball with a piston.
Power it with a redstone signal. It extends in 2 game ticks (0.1 seconds) and pushes at most 12 blocks.
Place it facing you: pistons are always placed facing toward the player.
Break it with any tool; a pickaxe is faster. It always drops itself.

Java vs Bedrock

Java Edition has quasi-connectivity: a piston can be powered from one block above, which Bedrock lacks. Bedrock has soft inversion (a redstone torch on a powered piston turns off) and a fixed start delay of 2 game ticks. In Java the start delay is 0 or 1 tick.

Versions: Slime blocks pull and push adjacent blocks since 14w18a.

Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between a piston and a sticky piston?

A sticky piston (piston + slimeball) can also pull blocks back; a normal piston only pushes.

How many blocks can a piston push?

Up to 12 blocks at once.

How fast does a piston extend?

It takes 2 game ticks (0.1 seconds) after its start delay.

Can a normal piston pull a slime block?

No. Slime and honey blocks only stick for sticky pistons: a normal piston cannot pull them.