Layer 1 of 8 · 56 blocks · 15 × 15 square

Layer 1 of 81522222222222221515 × 15 base, 8 layers

225 blocks in total (3 stacks + 33, counting 64 per stack) across 8 layers. Size: 15 × 15 base, 8 layers.

Blocks per layer, bottom layer first
LayerSideBlocksRunning total
115 × 155656
213 × 1348104
311 × 1140144
49 × 932176
57 × 724200
65 × 516216
73 × 38224
81 × 11225

Everything is drawn in your browser. Nothing you enter is uploaded or saved, and your placed marks disappear when you close the page. This is an unofficial fan tool: it is not made by or connected to Mojang or Microsoft.

Stepped pyramids with a step height you choose

Enter the base side and the step height. With a step height of 1, every layer is one block smaller on each side than the layer below, which makes a 45° staircase: a base of 9 gives layers of 9, 7, 5, 3 and 1. With a step height of 2, each size is used for two layers in a row, so the pyramid is steeper and twice as tall.

How the pyramid is calculated

A block belongs to the pyramid when its center lies inside the ideal shape. The page tests the center of every block in the bounding box and keeps the ones that pass, so the result is symmetric and the counts are exact for the size you type.

The side length of a layer is the base side minus two blocks for every completed step. An odd base finishes at a single block; an even base finishes at a 2 × 2 square. Hollow keeps only blocks that have at least one face open to the outside, which leaves a shell you can walk through with no gaps between blocks that share a face. A thick shell also keeps blocks that touch the outside only at an edge or a corner, which gives a sturdier wall. Filled keeps every block.

In the default hollow style the floor is open, so the base layer is only a square ring. Tick Closed floor to fill it.

Building it layer by layer

Layer 1 is the bottom. Use the slider or the arrow buttons to step up, and compare each chart with the faint gray blocks, which are the layer you just placed underneath. The center lines run through the middle of the build, and the number at the end of each row is how many blocks to place in that row.

  • Each chart is a square, and the table lists the side length next to the count.
  • Place the next layer one block in from each edge, so it sits centered on the one below.
  • For a hollow pyramid every layer is a square ring except the top, which is solid, so you can build the walls first and decide about the inside later.
  • A step height of 2 or more suits tall temples; a step height of 1 is the classic staircase silhouette.

Common questions

Can the base be an even number?

Yes. An even base steps down to a 2 × 2 top instead of a single block, because every layer keeps an even side length.

What does step height mean?

It is how many layers share the same side length before the pyramid steps in by one block per side. Step height 1 gives a 45° staircase, and larger numbers are steeper.

Why is there a layer limit?

Pages stop at 100 layers so charts stay readable. A base of 100 with a step height of 2 reaches exactly 100 layers.

The studio notebook

A useful place to begin.

Clear steps, considered details, and ideas you can put to use.