Minecraft Map Art Color Guide: Complete Block Palette

Here's something a lot of people don't realize: Minecraft maps don't actually photograph your builds. Instead, every block type gets assigned a preset "map color" and that's what shows up regardless of lighting or time of day.

How Many Colors Are We Working With?

The game has about 62 base map colors, and each one comes in 3 brightness levels (normal, bright, dark). When planning your map art palette, you need to understand these fundamental minecraft map art colors:

• Flat builds: ~62 colors to work with
• Using staircasing: ~186 colors (62 × 3)

This is why stair-stepped map art looks so much better.

Block Colors Quick Reference

Greens (Plants & Grass)

Hex Code	Color	Blocks
#7FB238	Grass green	Grass Block, Moss Block
#667633	Olive	Mossy Cobblestone, Vines
#127E14	Deep green	Emerald Block
#8ABD40	Lime	Melon, Sugar Cane

Blues (Water & Minerals)

Hex Code	Color	Blocks
#4040FF	Water blue	Water
#1B439B	Deep blue	Lapis Block
#4A80FF	Sky blue	Ice
#62D2E7	Cyan/Teal	Diamond Block, Prismarine

Browns & Grays (Earth & Stone)

Hex Code	Color	Blocks
#976D4D	Dirt	Dirt, Jungle Planks
#707070	Stone gray	Stone, Cobblestone
#A0A0A0	Light gray	Clay
#4C3228	Dark brown	Dark Oak Planks

Whites & Creams (Snow & Building)

Hex Code	Color	Blocks
#FFFFFF	Pure white	Snow Block
#F9F9F9	Off-white	White Concrete, Quartz
#D1B1A1	Beige	Sandstone
#A79A8C	Tan	Smooth Stone

Reds & Blacks (Nether Stuff)

Hex Code	Color	Blocks
#A12722	Dark red	Nether Brick, Redstone Block
#252529	Black	Black Concrete, Obsidian
#472A27	Maroon	Nether Wart Block
#FF6D3D	Lava orange	Magma Block

Wool vs Concrete - Which Is Better?

Color	Wool	Concrete	Verdict
White	✅	✅	Concrete brighter
Orange	✅	✅	Concrete more vibrant
Magenta	✅	✅	About the same
Light Blue	✅	✅	Concrete darker
Yellow	✅	✅	Concrete purer
Lime	✅	✅	Similar
Pink	✅	✅	Concrete more saturated
Gray	✅	✅	Concrete deeper
Light Gray	✅	✅	Similar
Cyan	✅	✅	Concrete more vivid
Purple	✅	✅	Concrete deeper
Blue	✅	✅	Concrete purer
Brown	✅	✅	Similar
Green	✅	✅	Concrete brighter
Red	✅	✅	Concrete bolder
Black	✅	✅	Concrete darker

My take: Use concrete when you can. Colors are cleaner and it won't catch fire.

How Staircasing Brightness Works

The advanced features guide goes deep on this, but basically:

Compared to Block North of It	Brightness	What Happens to Color
Lower	Dark	Original × 0.71
Same height	Normal	Original color
Higher	Bright	Shifts lighter

So one purple concrete block can show three different shades depending on its height relative to neighbors.

Picking the Right Blocks

Survival Mode - Think About Availability

Resources aren't free:

Easy to get (use these):

• 🟢 Wool - just need sheep
• 🟢 Terracotta - deserts have tons
• 🟢 Planks - everywhere
• 🟢 Concrete - sand + gravel + dye

Harder to farm (use sparingly):

• 🔴 Diamond/Emerald blocks - unless you're loaded
• 🔴 Nether blocks - the trip is annoying
• 🔴 Prismarine - ocean monuments aren't fun

Creative Mode - Go for Quality

No resource limits, so pick based on:

1. Color purity: Concrete > Wool > Terracotta
2. Texture noise: Solid colors > Patterned blocks
3. Special effects: Glowstone and Sea Lanterns glow

Color-Specific Recommendations

Quick picks for each color:

Reds: Red Concrete, Redstone Block, Nether Brick Blues: Blue Concrete, Diamond Block, Lapis Block Yellows: Yellow Concrete, Gold Block Greens: Green Concrete, Emerald Block Blacks: Black Concrete, Obsidian Whites: White Concrete, Snow Block, Quartz

Let Tools Handle Color Matching

Figuring this out manually is tedious. Our converter has the complete block color database:

1. Upload an image, it analyzes every pixel
2. Filters blocks based on your mode (survival/creative)
3. Matches closest colors algorithmically
4. Optionally adds dithering for smoother results

You can also exclude specific blocks if they're too hard to get.

MC Version Differences

New versions add new blocks with new colors:

1.17+: Copper blocks (and oxidized variants), Amethyst, Deepslate, Moss

1.19+: Mud blocks, Mangrove wood, Sculk (nice dark tones)

1.20+: Cherry wood (pink!), Bamboo

Our tool lets you pick your target version and auto-filters unavailable blocks.

Practical Tips

Test Before Committing

For big projects:

1. Pick a representative section of your image
2. Convert and export just that part
3. Build it in-game and see how it looks
4. Adjust settings, then do the full thing

Lighting Doesn't Affect Map Colors

But you still need to see what you're building, so work in good light or grab a night vision potion.

Viewing Distance Matters

Map art looks best from 3-5 blocks away. Too close and you just see block edges.

Wrapping Up

Understanding MC's map color system is key to good map art:

1. About 62 base colors exist
2. Staircasing triples that to 186
3. Concrete is usually your best bet
4. Tools make color matching way easier

Get this down and your map art will look way better.

Try it out → Online Color Converter