Universal Compression
Universal Compression adds a generic compressed-block system that stacks any block into denser tiers, nine blocks at a time, up to nine tiers deep.
What it does
Each compressed tier takes nine blocks of the previous tier and crafts them into one block, and that block can be compressed again. The mod works on blocks from any installed mod, and it is applied at startup without per-mod code. Its tier overlay draws the texture of the top parent block on every compressed block, so the tiers remain identifiable at a glance.
Loot tables and recipes for the compressed blocks are generated at runtime rather than written as datapack files, which keeps the instance from filling with generated data. Because the number of tiers grows quickly, the math becomes large fast. Server owners can exclude whole mods through a config file, and the mod needs upfront configuration before it is first used.
The mod requires NeoForge 1.21 or later on that loader, and it is published for Forge and NeoForge across 13 release versions, 1.20.1 – 1.21.11. It runs on client and server, so the server and every player need it, and it is released under the MIT License, which makes the code open source. Source code and an issue tracker are publicly linked.
Key features
Nine-to-one crafting
Nine blocks of one kind craft a single compressed block, and the process repeats up to nine tiers.
Any block compresses
The system is generic, so blocks from installed mods can be compressed without a dedicated integration.
Tier overlay texture
Each compressed block displays the texture of its top parent block, so tiers can be told apart visually.
Runtime loot and recipes
Loot tables and recipes are generated at runtime instead of as datapack files on disk.
Config exclusions
Entire mods can be excluded from compression through a config file, which is set up in the config folder.
Gallery
Compatibility
Latest build for each game version and loader.
1.21.x12 of 12 versions with builds
1.20.x1 of 1 version with builds
Only full game releases are shown. This mod publishes no snapshot builds.
How it compares
Universal Mod Core is a Forge and NeoForge library, licensed under the GNU Lesser General Public License v2.1 only, and covers 1.7.10 – 1.21.4, so it serves other mods rather than compressing blocks. Compressed Box is open source under the MIT License, targets Fabric, Forge and NeoForge for 1.20.1 – 1.21.1, and compresses blocks in a different way. Cobblestone Compressed is Forge-only for 1.20.1 and is not open source.
| Mod | Loaders | Game versions | Environment | Updated |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Universal Compression | Forge and NeoForge | 1.20.1 – 1.21.11 | Client and server | 2026-10-02 |
| Universal Mod Core | Forge and NeoForge | 1.7.10 – 1.21.4 | Client and server | 2026-09-06 |
| Compressed Box | Fabric, Forge and NeoForge | 1.20.1 – 1.21.1 | Client and server | 2026-02-07 |
| Cobblestone Compressed | Forge | 1.20.1 | Client and server | 2025-05-30 |
Questions
Does Universal Compression require Fabric API?
Does the server need Universal Compression?
In the catalog
Universal Compression is one of 4,058 Storage mods on ModsFinder, and one of 1,886 Storage mods for Forge. 19,862 mods support Minecraft 1.21.11.
More from Universal Mods
Similar mods
What the author says
# Universal Compression Compress (nearly) any block in the game into progressively denser stacks, up to nine tiers deep.
Official listing
- Modrinth page
- modrinth.com/mod/universal-compression
- Owner
- Universal Mods
- Published
- 2026-02-27
- Updated on Modrinth
- 2026-10-02
- Facts verified
- 2026-10-15