Chest vs Ender chest in Minecraft: How different are the two blocks?

Minecraft has multiple ways to store items. Two of the most common ones are through the use of chests and ender chests.

In plenty of ways, chests and ender chests are quite similar. However, there are many properties that make them starkly different as well. To make this clear, the following is a brief guide on their similarities and differences in Minecraft.

---

Chest and ender chest in Minecraft: Differences and similarities

Similarities

The interior of a Minecraft loot chest (Image via Mojang)

To start, an ender chest has the same internal layout as a regular chest. There are 27 available slots inside both chests and ender chests.

Both regular chests and ender chests cannot be opened when there is a block placed directly above them. The former opens upwards, so there must be a clear path for them to do so.

Aside from these similarities, and the given fact that they both store items, chests and ender chests are radically different Minecraft blocks.

---

Differences

An ender chest emits light in dark spaces (Image via Mojang)

There are many aspects of ender chests and regular chests that set them apart.

First off, these two are made with completely different materials. A regular chest can be made with any sort of wood planks. An ender chest requires more expensive materials: obsidian and an ender eye.

It is important to note that regular chests can be expanded into large chests, whereas ender chests cannot. By placing a second chest next to an already placed one, players can combine the two to form a larger chest for more storage. Ender chests, on the other hand, are limited to their single chest storage space.

Chests are easy to break since they are made of wood, but ender chests are quite sturdy and require a diamond or netherite pickaxe to collapse. Additionally, when an ender chest breaks, it will drop as the items required for crafting a normal one. For this reason, gamers consider the placement of their ender chests carefully before committing to a single spot.

Chests can also have variants such as a trapped chest. These ones can be used in redstone builds.

Another major difference between chests and ender chests is their accessibility. Regular chests can be accessed from wherever they are placed. This is also true for ender chests, but one of their best properties is the ability to access their items from anywhere in a Minecraft world.

Additionally, Minecraft players who place items in one ender chest will see them inside of any other ender chest in various locations.

Players should note that there are multiple other methods of storing items should a chest or ender chest not work out for a certain Minecraft situation. These options include shulker boxes, barrels, and bundles.