You have a diamond pickaxe in your possession. You’ve gathered obsidian and constructed your portal, lighting it up to activate it. As you step inside, everything suddenly goes dark… followed by an unexpected noise.
You find yourself deep within the Nether realm of Minecraft PE, surrounded by zombified piglins and rivers of lava with flames flickering all around.
As you explore, you dodge fireballs from Ghasts until you unexpectedly come across a wall made of dark, fire-resistant bricks. “This could definitely be a contender for ‘Block of the Week’ in Minecraft,” you think to yourself as you’re attacked by Wither skeletons. And indeed, you were right!
The Nether Brick blocks were introduced in version Minecraft 1.0.0, the game’s first official release. They naturally generate only in one location – the walls and pillars of Nether fortresses, providing protection for those inside against fireballs and other threats. Unfortunately, these fortresses often harbor more dangers in MCPE, serving as spawn points for Blazes, Wither skeletons, and other horrors.
Yet, you’ll still venture inside because it’s the only place to obtain Blaze rods, Wither skeleton skulls, and Nether wart. Sorry about that. But isn’t that what makes the game enjoyable? If it offers any consolation, you’ll also discover chests filled with treasures like diamonds, armor, golden swords, and… saddles. Welcome?
If you wish to recreate a Nether fortress in your world, you can craft Nether Bricks by placing four individual Nether bricks in a square on the crafting grid, each created by smelting Nether rack in a furnace. You can also break existing Nether Brick blocks using any type of pickaxe in Minecraft PE.
In the real world, there is no Nether (or is there?), but we do have fireproof bricks—commonly referred to as “refractory bricks”—that maintain their strength at extremely high temperatures. Different materials allow them to withstand varying degrees of heat; refractory clay bricks can endure temperatures up to around 1500 °C, chrome bricks can handle up to 1700 °C, while zirconia can withstand temperatures exceeding 2000 °C without melting!
Refractory bricks were invented in 1822 by a Welshman named William Weston Young. Previously, people used fireproof ovens lined with ceramic coatings, which were fragile and easily broken. However, Young’s design allowed for the creation of furnaces entirely made from refractory bricks, proving to be more durable and cost-effective.
This invention played a significant role in advancing the Industrial Revolution, and similar bricks are still utilized in iron and steelmaking furnaces today, as well as in rockets and the bottoms of space shuttles. So, if you ever decide to build a space shuttle in Minecraft, consider lining its underside with Nether Bricks for a realistic touch. It will withstand any temperatures you throw at it!
