9 Best Uses of Dyes in Minecraft

Because Minecraft contains lots of neutral-colored blocks, the highly vibrant textures are sometimes necessary for the right balance in home builds. This is where dyes come in handy. These items allow us to create some gorgeous colorful blocks. In this article, we’ll focus mainly on the green dye, but all the uses are applicable to other dyes as well. So, let’s begin!

Table of Contents

Before we dive into the uses, let’s see how to obtain green and other dyes in-game. Most dyes can be obtained in a couple of different ways, usually by breaking down a flower or other item in the crafting table. So, there is a different process for getting each color dye. Therefore, we recommend you check out our dedicated guide on how to get every color dye where you’ll find all the useful information.

You can use dyes to color blocks, items and mobs in-game. So, let’s see how you can do that right now.

1. Color Sheep

Right-clicking a sheep with green dye or any other color, you can turn the sheep green. After that, every time that sheep is sheared, it’ll give green wool.

This mechanic is extraordinarily useful and is applied in the wool farm designs.

2. Color Dog and Cat Collars

After taming a wild cat or a wolf, they become your loyal friends. To distinguish untamed pets from tamed pets, you can use collars on tamed animals.

However, to make each collar stand out, you have an ability to dye the pet’s collar in different colors using dyes. To dye a collar green, you need to select the green dye and right-click the pet with it. This way, you can easily tell your dogs apart, without having to use a name tag on them.

3. Add Pattern to Banners

Green and other dyes allow you to make your banner designs stand out, thanks to the amazing pattern options. For applying different banner patterns or regular patterns, you’ll need a loom block.

4. Dye Various Blocks

Blocks such as terracotta, glass, beds, shulker boxes, candles, carpets and wool can be dyed different colors, either in a crafting table or in the player’s inventory.

5. Craft Concrete Powder

Unlike dying most other blocks, concrete powder requires a dye in its crafting recipe. Combined with 4 sand and 4 gravel blocks, you can create these amazing gravity-affected blocks that you can solidify and turn into concrete blocks.

6. Change the Color of Text

You can make the text on regular or hanging signs more eye-catching by using dyes on them. Not only that, but glow squid ink will create a distinctive outline around the text, making sure everyone can easily read it.

Since these signs have gotten such a major upgrade in Minecraft 1.20, players should definitely have them all around their base.

7. Craft Firework Stars

Firework stars are special items you can craft fireworks with and they gain an explosive effect. The explosion shape and color depends on the firework star recipe used. So, you have a ton of different and exciting options to choose from.

8. Craft Other Dyes

Green dye is also used in creating some other dyes. Combining a green dye with a blue dye, you’ll get two cyan dyes and mixing green and white dyes, two lime dye will be produced. So, dye uses don’t only need to imply dying blocks or mobs, but also the ability of mixing it with other Minecraft dyes to create a new one, just like we did with the green dye in the image below.

9. Trade with Shepherd Villagers

Expert-level shepherd villagers will occasionally offer to buy 12 green dye from you for an emerald. To learn more about villagers and their trades, check out our linked guide on all the villager jobs in Minecraft. You can also check out the best villagers trades in our additional guide.

And we’ve reached the end of this guide. Now you know about all the uses of green and all the other dyes in Minecraft. Dyes are fairly important and pretty basic items in the game, that easily allow you to obtain different items, blocks and even create farms and bring colors to your world. So with that said, which color dye is your favorite? Let us know in the comments below!