5 cool ways to use shelves in Minecraft

The latest beta and snapshot have introduced a brand-new block, and players are looking for cool ways to use shelves in Minecraft. This unique item has steadily become a great asset for storing and displaying items, offering gamers a practical way to access things without being limited by single slots or functional restrictions.

Here are five cool ways to use shelves in Minecraft.

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Banners and other cool ways to use shelves in Minecraft

1) Lettering with banners

Use shelves in Minecraft to place lettering and create engaging signboards or hoardings (Image via Sportskeeda Gaming || Mojang Studios)

The shelf in Minecraft allows players to place items and essentially display them in a row or series, similar to an item frame. However, the multiple slots per block make it open to creative placement of items, including banners with lettering made using dyes and patterns.

Players can make lettering using vertical and horizontal patterns on dye and place them on the block to create unique messages or designs. This could be a great decorative item, serving as signage or highlighting specific areas of interest in the built environment. The endless customization options easily make this one of the best ways to use shelves in Minecraft.

Also read: How to download Minecraft 1.21.8 Optifine

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2) Storage

The shelves can be used as a unique storage block with easy access (Image via Sportskeeda Gaming || Mojang Studios)

One of the best ways of using the shelves in Minecraft is to make use of them as a storage rack. With three slots per block and the ability to stack, players can create walls of storage for different items or make individual towers for various resource types.

It can also be used to store bundles, making it the perfect way to cache items without looking tacky. Players can fill up bundles with various items and then just put them in the shelf for display. The ability to quickly retrieve items easily makes it one of the coolest ways to use shelves in Minecraft.

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3) Hotswap items

Use shelves in Minecraft to hotswap your weapons and tools (Image via Sportskeeda Gaming || Mojang Studios)

Another nifty feature of the shelves in Minecraft is their seamless ability to allow hotswapping of items in the game. Players can simply interact with the shelf while holding an item to replace it with the contents within any of the occupied slots. Additionally, redstone-powered shelves allow gamers to hotswap entire stacks of items with ease.

This makes it a great way to swap out rarities of items or replace used weapons or tools with new ones without the need for opening chests. Players can create separate shelves for weapons and items or unique towers based on missions or playstyle, opening up the way for endless loadouts or builds. The unique feature ranks it among the best ways to use shelves in Minecraft.

Also read: How to use shaders in Minecraft 1.21.8

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4) Building block

Players can use shelves in Minecraft as building blocks for their structures and items (Image via Sportskeeda Gaming || Mojang Studios)

Apart from using the shelf for storage or hotswapping items, players have found it as a useful building block. The shelf can be stacked or placed together to create hollow tunnels or enclosed areas, making it great for columns or vertical structures. It can also be extended in different directions, allowing for the placement of other blocks while using it as a foundation.

Additionally, the thin look of the block makes it a great item to create unique walls or sleek compartments without making it look chunky like a regular block. The endless crafting options using various placements and orientations make it one of the niftiest ways to use shelves in Minecraft.

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5) Vertical slab

Use shelves in Minecraft as vertical slabs for builds (Image via Sportskeeda Gaming || Mojang Studios)

Another great way to use shelves in Minecraft is to place and build them as a replacement for the vertical slab. While it is a much-requested feature, these slabs are currently unavailable in the game. However, the sleek look and the ability to vertically stack make the shelf the closest players can get to fulfilling their desires.

Players can stack multiple shelves in various directions, allowing them to be used as walls or partitions without the chunkiness of regular wood or other blocks. Additionally, the functional nature of the shelf makes it a slab with a powerful utility, which is great for survival bases and small builds where storage optimisation is key.

Also read: Best Minecraft hollow mountain seeds

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Edited by Sayendra Basu