Hardened glass vs glass: How different are the two Minecraft blocks?

Glass blocks have been a staple in Minecraft for quite some time, and the relatively new hardened glass blocks available in the game's Education Edition expand on the popular block somewhat.

Hardened glass blocks, created by combining glass or stained glass with Aluminum Oxide and Boron Trioxide, have an increased hardness and blast resistance compared to standard glass.

This means the blocks are overall tougher to break, but they also possess other features that glass blocks can't perform. Hardened glass' weight allows the placement of certain items and decorations that otherwise wouldn't be possible on standard glass.

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Minecraft: Differences between hardened glass and standard glass

Standard glass is much easier to break and cannot hold certain decorations to it as a solid block (Image via Mojang)

One of the biggest differences in Minecraft between hardened glass and ordinary glass is the status of the block after it is broken. When glass blocks are broken, they simply shatter and drop nothing unless a Silk Touch-enchanted tool is used. With hardened glass blocks, breaking them drops them as a block that can be picked up without any additional assistance from enchantments.

Both hardened and normal glass blocks have their boundaries turned invisible when they are placed next to each other. However, if a player views hardened glass blocks that are placed together while looking through standard glass blocks, they can still see the individual hardened glass blocks without the removed borders.

One of the most distinguishing factors of hardened glass in Minecraft is that it functions similarly to a solid block with regard to item placement. This includes decorations such as torches and redstone torches, which can be placed on the top and the side of the hardened glass blocks. These blocks also retain glass' ability to have redstone dust placed on top of it.

In most other capacities, hardened glass and standard glass are the same. However, glass possesses several crafting recipes, and there are currently no recipes that involve hardened glass or hardened stained glass that make other items.

It's a small difference, but a substantial one if players are planning on building certain objects such as beacons, daylight detectors, or end crystals. These items will require standard glass, and cannot be made in the same recipe using hardened glass.

This is likely due to hardened glass being essentially an example of chemical treatment in Minecraft: Education Edition, as the block is more instructional than practical in many cases.