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Minecraft: How to get glass without sand

Glass is a block in Minecraft that you can craft and use in various ways. It is firstly a building block that can be used in structures, but it can also be used to craft various items and other blocks. Glass is fragile and will break with any tool or bare hands. However, it can only be broken and picked up if broken by a tool with silk touch enchantment. The most common method to craft glass is by smelting sand blocks in a furnace.

However, there are other ways to obtain glass in the game as well, even though they are not the most efficient methods.


How to get glass without smelling sand in Minecraft

Mining glass from existing structures

Glass blocks or panes generate naturally in various structures (Image via Mojang Studios)
Glass blocks or panes generate naturally in various structures (Image via Mojang Studios)

Though glass is rarely found naturally, it can be found in two Overworld structures: Woodland Mansion and Ancient City.

In the mansion, panes of glass can be found on each window, and there are certain rooms with glass blocks generating as well. In the Ancient City, there is a small chance that an area with glass blocks gets progressively generated.

As mentioned above, you will need a silk touch enchanted tool of any kind to break and get the glass blocks or panes in their intact form; otherwise, they will just shatter.


Buy glass from villagers

Glass blocks can be bought from a journeyman librarian villager (Image via Mojang Studios)
Glass blocks can be bought from a journeyman librarian villager (Image via Mojang Studios)

The second method to get glass blocks without smelting sand blocks is through a librarian villager. Though librarians are best known for their enchanted book trades, players can also buy four glass blocks for one emerald from them. This trade only unlocks once a librarian villager reaches the journeyman level, which is the third level in the villager profession tier.


Uses of glass blocks

Glass can be used to craft various blocks and can be used in building (Image via Mojang Studios)
Glass can be used to craft various blocks and can be used in building (Image via Mojang Studios)

As mentioned above, glass can be used in various ways. Since it is a completely transparent block, it can be great to make windows in a build or even on farms to watch the inner mechanics. Since it is not a solid block, it can also be used as a spawn-proofing block.

Apart from that, the block can be used to craft all kinds of items and blocks like beacons, end crystals, daylight detectors, glass panes, glass bottles, and more. They can also be stained using various dyes and be tinted using four amethyst shards.


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