Java Edition:Petrified Oak Slab
When wooden slabs were first introduced, they were actually stone slabs with data value 2. This resulted in strange properties such as requiring a pickaxe to mine and not burning. In 12w17a (1.3 snapshot), these stone slabs were replaced with the oak slabs currently in the game. However, the old slabs remained in the game separate. In 17w47a (1.13 snapshot), the old slabs were kept and given the name "Petrified Oak Slab" yet have still never been intentionally obtainable since 12w16a (1.3 snapshot). Despite this, there have been several methods to obtain the block.
While sometimes referred to as "Alpha slabs", this name is incorrect. Slabs other than the conventional stone slabs were not implemented until Beta 1.3, when sandstone, wooden (petrified oak) and cobblestone slabs were added, meaning they were added after the Alpha era.
Obtaining
Crafting
Crafting oak slabs from Beta 1.3 until snapshot 12w16a would create slabs called "wooden slabs". After 14w25a, the item form of these wooden slabs would display the purple checkered missing texture. That was until snapshot 17w47a, when wooden slabs were given a proper item model again, and were renamed petrified oak slabs.
Liquid Transmutation
From versions Beta 1.8 Pre-release 2 ;) to 1.2.3, the water variant of the block transmutator can be used to obtain the petrified oak slabs. Data value 0 stone bricks should be used using water placed in the 2nd position in the transmutator. This item can then be picked up with a pickaxe.
Arrow Transmutation
From versions 13w36a to 1.7.5, the arrow variant of the block transmutator can be used to obtain the invalid data values. The machine should be used on a data value 0 stone brick using a golden pressure plate set to 2 with that many arrows. This will create the petrified oak slab which can then be picked up with a pickaxe.
Door Transmutation
From version 12w06a (1.2 snapshot) to 14w21b (1.8 snapshot), door transmutation can be used to convert nether brick slabs (data value 6) to petrified oak slabs (data value 2).
Word Tearing and Any Falling Block via Asynchronous Threads
From 14w32a (1.8 snapshot) to 17w46a (1.13 snapshot), asynchronous block updates allow for block palette corruption, and this corruption, when combined with the registry palette type, can allow for the creation of any block that can exist, such as petrified oak slabs. Asynchronous block updates also allow for usage of the "generic method" to create a falling block entity of any existing block in your world.
These falling blocks may also be used to obtain their respective item, if it exists in item form, such as end portal frames. Blocks such as end gateways cannot be obtained as items with this method, as they have no corresponding item. Falling blocks also allow for the placement of both blocks that cannot normally be placed, either due to operator restrictions (e.g. command blocks) or not having an item form (e.g. end gateways).
20w14∞
Petrified oak slabs can be found in various random dimensions in the 20w14∞ April Fools' version. An example of this is the `t dimension.
22w13oneBlockAtATime Endermen Spawning
Endermen in the April Fools' version 22w13oneBlockAtATime spawn carrying random blocks. One of these blocks they can spawn with is petrified oak slab. There are 902 different blocks that are equally likely for them to spawn with and so there is a 1/902 = 0.11% chance of the enderman spawning with this block specifically. If the enderman spawns holding a generic_item_block (1/902) there's also a 1/1105 chance it will be this block as its block state, but there's only a 0.0001% chance of this occurring.[1]
In the version, the block can be received from the enderman by angering it then letting it attack the player with an open hand. This will cause the block to transfer into the player's hand. Also, if the enderman dies and the falling block launches from the enderman, this can be picked up by the player. The items can be stored in 22w13oneBlockAtATime by switching the block from carrying to the offhand, shift right-clicking onto a donkey/mule with a chest, and then swapping the item into a slot. Additionally, the enderman carrying the block can be updated and then killed in a later version to obtain the item.
23w13a_or_b Votes
The April Fool's snapshot 23w13a_or_b introduces a plethora of ways to obtain every block and item in the game, including petrified oak slabs. These include:
- The
egg_freevote, when applied, will allow chickens to lay any block or item in the game (without NBT) - The
fish_anythingvote, when applied, will allow any item from the creative menu (not the operator tab, with NBT) to be fished (combine with thebuff_fishingvote to greatly increase fishing speed) - The
give_itemvote, when applied, will give every online player a random amount of any block or item in the game (without NBT) - The
replace_itemsvote, when applied, will replace all items in online players' inventories with any block or item in the game (NBT is preserved) - The
replace_loot_dropvote, when applied, will replace all loot drops of a random block or item with any block or item in the game (NBT is preserved) - The
replace_recipe_outputvote, when applied, will replace all recipes for the given item with any block or item in the game (NBT is preserved) - The
villager_gemvote, when applied, will replace all emeralds in all loaded villager's trades with any block or item in the game (without NBT) - The vote
natural_spawn_replacementcan be used to replace the natural spawning of any mob with any other mob in the game, including. Once approved, all mobs as specified by the vote, when spawning from natural spawns, will be replaced with a mob as specified by the vote. - The
basalt_gen_replace,cobblestone_gen_replace,obsidian_gen_replace, andstone_gen_replacevotes, when applied, replace the block of their respective fluid interaction with any block in the game
Special Properties
These slabs are fireproof, similar to crimson and warped slabs. They need to be mined with a pickaxe to be obtained, unlike all other wooden slabs that prefer an axe. This was because originally all slabs were re-textured stone slabs. When compared to oak slabs, they are visually identical.
Gallery
The original wooden slab
Wooden slabs displaying the missing item texture
Oak slabs and petrified oak slabs are visually impossible to tell apart
Holding a petrified oak slab
- ↑ 1/902 * 1/1105 ≈ 0.0001%