Server Guide
Server Guide

Redstone Hoppers

Redstone Hoppers

Learn how to make hoppers with Redstone

Overview

Hoppers are blocks which automatically collect nearby items and move them to an adjacent container. While this may make them sound relatively simple, hoppers actually have a lot of hidden complexity that can allow you to do tons of useful and unexpected things with them! Let's explore some of the things that make this block so powerful.

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What Can You Do With Hoppers?

A floor that collects items for you

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Players and mobs can stand on hoppers, so you can make a room where the entire floor is hoppers, and any items that drop in that room will automatically be collected and can be transferred to a chest so you can grab them later. You can use this to make a chicken coop that groups all the eggs up for you effortlessly!

Pipes for long-distance item transfers

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While hoppers can only move items into an adjacent container, that container can be another hopper! By chaining several hoppers together in sequence, they can pass along items one-by-one until they reach their destination at the end of the sequence. Now you've made pipes in Minecraft!

Automated item sorting machines

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Hoppers can also be used in complex machines, such as this one which is designed to automatically sort items into different chests based on what they are. Redstone plays a big role in telling items apart, and with a little wiring you'll have a contraption that can organize your items for you!

How To Use a Hopper

Start by deciding where your items should be deposited to. Your target should be a container - chests and barrels are the most common choices, but you can also deposit items into furnaces or even other hoppers!

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Place the hopper directly onto that destination container, either on top or on the sides. If placed correctly, the spout on the bottom of the hopper will be pointing towards the block that will be receiving the items.

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Can't place the hopper? Try holding down the sneak button - this will prevent you from interacting with the block you want to place it on.

Fill the hopper with items in one of the following ways:

  1. Right-click the hopper to open its inventory, and then fill the hopper's 5 item slots with items directly.
  2. Place a container like a chest or barrel on the open top of the hopper, and then deposit items into it.
  3. Use the drop button (on computers, press the Q key) to toss them into the open top of the hopper.
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Right-click the destination container and you'll see items being added to it. Success!

Things To Know

Here are some basic rules to know when using hoppers.

1️⃣
Hoppers need to be "pointed" at the container you want to deposit items into. The bottom of the hopper has a small spout on it, and that spout can be pointing either straight down or sideways. The direction of the spout determines where items will be sent. The direction of the spout is based on how you place it, so if you place it on the side of the chest it will point towards that chest. If you keep opening the chest by mistake instead of placing the hopper, hold down the sneak button (on computers, press the Q key) and try again.
2️⃣
Hoppers move items one at a time. If you feed a full stack of items into a hopper, the hopper will transfer one item from that stack at a time. This means that the process of moving the items can take some time depending on how large the stacks are.
3️⃣
You can use redstone to disable a hopper. If a hopper receives a redstone signal, it will prevent it from depositing items. It can still receive items from drops or containers, so it's possible for the hopper to fill up with items completely.
4️⃣
Hoppers can also transmit a redstone signal based on how many items they're holding. A full hopper (i.e. one with 5 full stacks in it) will produce a max-power redstone signal, and as it empties the signal power will decrease accordingly. In order to make the hopper output a signal, put a redstone comparator next to it, as seen below.
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Hoppers are very powerful tools for moving and sorting items, and you'll unlock many kinds of new complex builds as you learn more about them. Use these rules and see what you can create!