Minecraft Cold Sulfur Cube: How to Make an Ice Path With Blue Ice

Mojang has added a new type to the Sulfur Cube family in Minecraft 26.4. The Cold Sulfur Cube turns water into ice every time it moves.

The type arrived in 26.4 Snapshot 6 on October 27, 2026, and was already adjusted in Snapshot 8 on November 10. For players who enjoy Sulfur Cube physics, it opens up new ideas, from temporary ice paths to sliding tracks across a lake.

This guide is based on Mojang's official release notes for Java Edition 26.2, 26.4 Snapshot 6, and 26.4 Snapshot 8. We have not tested every scenario in game, so the behavior described here may change before the final release.

What Is a Cold Sulfur Cube?

The Sulfur Cube is a mob from the Chaos Cubed update, Java 26.2, released on June 16, 2026. It spawns in the Sulfur Caves biome. When a player interacts with it while holding a block, the cube absorbs that block, its AI switches off, and it becomes a physical object that can be punched and pushed.

The absorbed block decides the cube's archetype. Wooden blocks make it bouncy, metal blocks make it slow and flat, and icy blocks make it slide fast. Cold is a new special archetype that comes only from Blue Ice.

According to the Snapshot 6 notes, the Cold Sulfur Cube has the same properties as the Fast Sliding archetype: fast, no bounce, low ground friction, and low air drag. The difference is that it replaces water below it with a disk of Frosted Ice whenever it moves, similar to boots with the Frost Walker enchantment.

Summarized from Java 26.2 and 26.4 Snapshot 5 and 6 release notes.

How to Make a Cold Sulfur Cube

First, get Blue Ice. You can mine it from icebergs in frozen ocean biomes with a Silk Touch tool, or craft it from nine Packed Ice. Packed Ice is crafted from nine Ice.

Second, find a Sulfur Cube in the Sulfur Caves. The cube follows players holding a block it can absorb, so hold the Blue Ice to lead it where you want. Large cubes can also be picked up with an empty bucket and released somewhere else.

Third, use the Blue Ice on the Sulfur Cube. It absorbs the block and becomes a Cold Sulfur Cube. To turn it back, use Shears on it to remove the absorbed block. Dispensers can also insert or swap blocks inside a cube.

For data pack creators, Mojang added the item tag sulfur_cube_archetype/cold. It lists the items that turn a Sulfur Cube into the Cold archetype, so the trigger list can be changed through a data pack.

How the Ice Path Works and What It Needs

When a Cold Sulfur Cube moves over water, the water below it turns into Frosted Ice. Mojang's notes list two conditions. The block above the water must be air, and the cube only places ice if it starts moving while it is on the ground.

In practice, push or punch the cube from the shore toward the water. Once it slides, ice forms beneath it, letting the cube keep going across the freshly frozen surface. Because it is slippery and does not bounce, a single hit can send it a long way.

Frosted Ice is temporary and slowly melts back into water. That makes the path better for quick crossings or minigames than for a permanent bridge. If you need a lasting route, replace the ice with regular blocks after crossing.

Snapshot 8 also fixed a bug that let Cold Sulfur Cubes freeze flowing water. After that fix, use ponds or lakes with still water for reliable results.

What Changed in 26.4 Snapshot 8

In Snapshot 6, the Cold Sulfur Cube floated on water, unlike the regular Fast Sliding type. In Snapshot 8, released November 10, 2026, Mojang wrote that the Cold archetype no longer floats, so it now behaves like other archetypes with similar properties.

That matters if you built contraptions in Snapshot 6 or 7. A cube that used to bob on a lake can now sink if it is not on ice or solid ground. Retest your designs after updating.

Snapshot 8 also made all undead mobs immune to the Freezing effect and lowered Ice Ball damage. Both changes affect how you fight Frostbites in Ice Caves, the new biome where many of these icy materials are found.

Ways to Use a Cold Sulfur Cube

Here are a few ideas to try in a creative or survival snapshot world.

Emergency crossing: carry a bucketed Sulfur Cube and one Blue Ice while exploring. At a small lake, release the cube on the shore, feed it the Blue Ice, and hit it toward the far side to lay a short ice path.

Curling minigame: build an arena of still water surrounded by walls and take turns hitting the cube from a starting line. The trail of ice shows the path of every shot.

Winter decoration: pair Frosted Ice trails with new 26.4 blocks such as Snow Bricks, Packed Ice Bricks, and Calcite to build a lively ice village.

Conclusion

The Cold Sulfur Cube gives the Sulfur Cube a practical side. With one Blue Ice, it freezes water along its path and opens up crossings, minigames, and winter builds.

The feature is still in snapshots and has already changed once in Snapshot 8. Check the next release notes before building anything large that depends on it.