Quick answer
To craft Packed Ice Bricks, place 4 Packed Ice blocks in a 2×2 square on a crafting table or Stonecutter in Minecraft Java 26.4 Snapshot 5 or later.
Minecraft’s winter content keeps expanding, and the latest snapshot gives builders a reason to stock up on ice. Packed Ice Bricks turn the old smooth ice block into a masonry pattern that suits frozen castles, village roofs, and icy archways.
This guide walks through getting Packed Ice, crafting the bricks and their four variants, and finishing off the new advancement tied to the Frostbite mob.
Before you start
- Difficulty Easy
- Time needed 15 minutes
- Works on Minecraft Java Edition, 26.4 Snapshot 5 or later
What you'll need
- Minecraft Java Edition launcher with a Microsoft/Mojang account
- 26.4 Snapshot 5 or later installed as an experimental installation
- A backed-up world save (snapshots are unstable builds)
- A crafting table and, optionally, a Stonecutter
Important
- Back up your world save before testing a snapshot, since experimental builds can be unstable.
- Packed Ice Bricks and the Frostbite advancement are not yet in the stable Java release.
Get set up and gather Packed Ice
Before you can craft anything, you need the snapshot installed and a stack of Packed Ice in hand.
Step 1: Install 26.4 Snapshot 5
Open the Minecraft Launcher, go to Installations, and create or select the 26.4 Snapshot 5 profile. This experimental build, released October 20, 2026, adds Packed Ice Bricks, the new advancement, ambient ice sounds, and a Windows-only DXGI display option.
Launch the world you want to build in, but back it up first since snapshots can be unstable.
Tip: Keep your main survival world on the stable release and test the snapshot in a copy.
Step 2: Find or craft Packed Ice
- Mine it naturally in icy biomes such as Icebergs, Frozen Oceans, and Ice Spikes.
- Craft it from 9 regular Ice blocks in a 3×3 crafting grid, which makes it fully renewable.
Patch notes for the bricks suggest Silk Touch isn’t required to break Packed Ice into brick form, though older guidance still recommends a Silk Touch pickaxe when mining it directly from the world.
Tip: Craft extra Ice early if you plan to make slabs, stairs, walls, and chiseled bricks too.
Craft Packed Ice Bricks and their variants
You can make the base bricks and every shape on a crafting table, but a Stonecutter is faster once you have bricks in hand.
Step 1: Craft bricks on a crafting table
Open the Crafting Table UI and place 4 Packed Ice blocks in a 2×2 square. Take the 4 Packed Ice Bricks from the output slot.
Step 2: Or cut bricks with a Stonecutter
Place a Stonecutter and interact with it. Put a single Packed Ice block in the left cell, choose the Packed Ice Brick option, then take the result from the right slot.
The Stonecutter converts Packed Ice to bricks one for one, which wastes nothing.
Tip: Use the Stonecutter when you only need a few bricks and don't want leftover ice.
Step 3: Craft the slab, stair, and wall variants
- Slab: 3 Packed Ice Bricks in a row on a crafting table makes 6 slabs.
- Stairs: 6 bricks in a staircase pattern makes 4 stairs on a crafting table, or 1 Packed Ice per stair at the Stonecutter.
- Wall: 6 bricks in two rows makes 6 walls.
The Stonecutter cuts one Packed Ice or one brick at a time and saves a third of the material on stairs compared with the crafting table.
Step 4: Craft Chiseled Packed Ice
Stack 2 Packed Ice Brick Slabs, one on top of the other, to get 1 Chiseled Packed Ice block. It carries a snowflake pattern on all six sides and works as a detail block for flat surfaces.
Tip: Mix chiseled accents into plain brick walls so surfaces don't look too uniform.
Unlock the Frostbite advancement
The advancement readers call “Frostbite” is officially named What Goes Around Comes Around, and it rewards fighting back against the mob with its own weapon.
Step 1: Find a Frostbite in an Ice Cave
Head into an Ice Cave rather than an ordinary cave under a cold biome. A fixed bug (MC-312404) stopped Frostbites from spawning in regular caves, so Ice Caves are now the reliable spot.
Step 2: Collect an Ice Ball from the Frostbite
Let the Frostbite throw an Ice Ball at you, or kill one and pick up the Ice Ball it drops. You can throw Ice Balls yourself, the same way you throw a snowball.
Step 3: Kill a Frostbite with its own Ice Ball
Throw the Ice Ball at another Frostbite and finish it off with that hit. This unlocks What Goes Around Comes Around, which sits after Monster Hunter in the Adventure advancement tree.
Tip: Keep a few spare Ice Balls in your hotbar in case the first throw misses.
Pro tips
- Store extra Packed Ice before crafting so you can make variants without backtracking to an icy biome.
- Mix stairs and slabs into flat brick walls to break up a boxy outline.
- Chiseled Packed Ice works well as a window frame or floor accent against plain bricks.
Troubleshooting
| Problem | What to do |
|---|---|
| You can't find any Frostbites. | Search Ice Caves specifically rather than regular caves under cold biomes; a fixed spawning bug (MC-312404) removed them from ordinary caves. |
| The crafting table isn't accepting your Packed Ice. | Confirm you're running 26.4 Snapshot 5 or later under Installations in the launcher, since earlier builds don't include the recipe. |
| Your block or item names show up in English only. | This is expected in Snapshot 5: the five new names aren't translated yet and will appear in English in every language until a later build. |
Frequently asked questions
Do I need Silk Touch to get Packed Ice Bricks?
Patch notes for the bricks suggest Silk Touch isn’t required to break the bricks themselves, though mining base Packed Ice from the world is still commonly done with a Silk Touch pickaxe.
Can I get Packed Ice Bricks without finding ice biomes?
Yes. Craft Packed Ice from 9 regular Ice blocks in a crafting grid, which makes the whole chain renewable without visiting a frozen biome.
Is the Frostbite advancement really called that?
No, its official name is What Goes Around Comes Around. It’s earned by killing a Frostbite mob with an Ice Ball, which is why players shorthand it as the Frostbite advancement.
Will Packed Ice Bricks be in the stable release?
Not yet. As of October 24, 2026 they only exist in 26.4 Snapshot 5 and later experimental builds, ahead of the full fourth game drop of 2026.
With the base bricks, their four variants, and the new advancement covered, the only thing left is to pick a build and start laying courses of ice. For the full rundown of what else changed in this snapshot, see Packed Ice Bricks coverage and the official patch notes at Minecraft.How.
Sources and further reading
- Minecraft.How — Minecraft 26.4 Snapshot 5: Ice Bricks & Frostbite
- Beebom — How to Get Packed Ice Bricks in Minecraft
- Endgame Tools — Minecraft 26.4 Snapshot 5: Packed Ice Bricks, new advancement
- Sportskeeda — Minecraft Packed Ice Bricks guide: Recipe, variants, and more
