Contents
Choose an odd diameter when something has to sit on one exact centre block, such as a beacon or a ladder shaft. Choose an even diameter when the centre should be a 2×2 patch. An odd circle has a middle row and column; an even circle has a seam between two rows and two columns.
Diameter here means the width of the square the circle fits in, counted in blocks and including the outline. A block is filled if its centre lies within the radius of the grid’s centre. The grids on this page use that rule, the same one as the Minecraft circle generator, so you can check any of them there. Other generators use other rules and can differ at some sizes, so compare grids only within one tool.
Where the centre falls
An odd-width grid has one middle column and one middle row, which cross at a single block. An even-width grid has two middle columns and two middle rows, so the centre is the 2×2 patch where they meet.
An odd circle mirrors across its middle row and column. An even circle mirrors across the line between its two middle rows and the line between its two middle columns.
If your build has no centre feature, such as a dome, plaza or wall, either parity works. When building, mark the single centre block for an odd circle. For an even circle, mark the corner shared by the four middle blocks, or the 2×2 patch itself.
Even and odd diameters side by side
Two even sizes and two odd sizes, filled, from the same rule. Look at the middle rows: in the even grids the two middle rows are identical, while in the odd grids one row stands alone.
The step from 11 to 12 shows why people lose track of counts. Going up by one block of diameter adds a whole row and column, so filled totals jump by more than ten blocks, not by one. The circle chart lists these totals for every size if you want to look one up.
Thin or thick outline
A thin outline is one block wide, and where the edge steps diagonally the blocks touch only at their corners. A thick outline fills those corners so the blocks touch face to face. It is sturdier and reads as a solid ring from a distance, but it can cost more blocks.
| Diameter | Centre | Filled | Thin outline | Thick outline |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10 | 2×2 | 80 | 28 | 28 |
| 11 | 1 block | 97 | 28 | 28 |
| 12 | 2×2 | 112 | 32 | 32 |
| 13 | 1 block | 137 | 36 | 40 |
The two styles give the same count at some diameters and different counts at others. Of 10 to 13, only 13 differs: 36 thin against 40 thick, the extra blocks being the corners the thick outline fills. Check your own size in the generator before buying materials.
Which diameter for which centre feature
Match the diameter’s parity to the thing at the middle. The reasoning in each row is geometry: a feature that is one block wide can only be centred on an odd run of blocks, and one that is two blocks wide on an even run.
| Centre feature | Pick | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Door in the wall, facing the centre | Odd for a one-block door; even for a doorway two blocks wide | An opening is centred on the wall only when its width has the same parity as the diameter. |
| Beacon | Odd | A beacon is one block and sits on top of a pyramid whose layers are odd-width squares, so it is centred on a single block. An even circle puts the centre between blocks, so the pyramid and beacon end up off-centre. See the beacon pyramid calculator. |
| Ladder or one-wide shaft | Odd | The shaft runs down the single centre block and the tower stays symmetric around it. The round tower generator uses the same grids. |
| Any other machine, pillar, fountain or statue base | Odd if its footprint is an odd number of blocks wide; even if it is an even number wide | The footprint has to share the circle’s centre, which only works when the widths have the same parity. |
Why the rule has a centre either way
The circle rule measures each block’s distance from the middle of the grid, so odd sizes put a block on the middle and even sizes put four around it, with no special case. How to make a circle in Minecraft covers the rule and the building steps.
When you need different widths
If the shape should be longer one way, parity is chosen separately for each direction. The oval generator takes a width and a depth, and an odd or even value in each gives a single middle column or row, or a pair.
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