Updated 24 October 2026. Every answer lists its source.
Minecraft ore and mining questions, answered
Where each ore is most common, which pickaxe it needs, what it drops, and how to mine faster. Y levels are minecraft.wiki's measured figures for 1.18+ worlds.
What is the best Y level for netherite?
Mine for ancient debris around Y 16 in the Nether. It generates from Y 8 to 119, but most of it sits near Y 16.
Ancient debris is the ore that becomes netherite scrap after smelting. Beds or TNT blow away the netherrack around it quickly.
Source: Minecraft Wiki - Ancient Debris
What is the best Y level for emeralds?
Emerald ore only generates in mountain biomes. It is most common around Y 85 and can be found up to the mountain tops.
Source: Minecraft Wiki - Emerald Ore
What is the best Y level for redstone?
Redstone ore is most common near the bottom of the world, around Y -59. It generates from Y -64 up to Y 15.
Source: Minecraft Wiki - Redstone Ore
What is the best Y level for copper?
Copper ore is most common around Y 43. It generates from Y -16 to 112, with bigger blobs in dripstone caves.
Source: Minecraft Wiki - Copper Ore
What is the best Y level for lapis lazuli?
Lapis lazuli is most common around Y -2. It generates from Y -64 to 64.
What is the best Y level for coal?
Coal ore is most common around Y 45, and there is a lot of it high up in exposed stone. It generates from Y 0 to 320.
Source: Minecraft Wiki - Coal Ore
What is the best Y level for Nether quartz?
Nether quartz ore generates from about Y 10 to 117 in every Nether biome. It is common, so any level in the Nether works.
What is the best Y level for all ores?
Around Y -59 for diamonds and redstone, Y -18 for gold, Y -2 for lapis, Y 14 for iron and around Y 43-45 for copper and coal.
Source: Minecraft Wiki - Ore
How do you find diamonds in Minecraft 1.8?
In 1.8 the world floor is Y 0, so mine at about Y 5 to 12 where diamonds are most common.
Source: Minecraft Wiki - Diamond Ore, Minecraft Wiki - Java Edition 1.8
What does each ore drop in Minecraft?
Coal ore drops coal, iron ore drops raw iron, gold ore drops raw gold, copper ore drops 2-5 raw copper, lapis drops 4-9 lapis, redstone drops 4-5 dust.
Diamond and emerald ore drop one gem each. Nether quartz ore drops quartz and Nether gold ore drops 2-6 gold nuggets.
Source: Minecraft Wiki - Ore
How much lapis does lapis ore drop?
Lapis ore drops 4 to 9 lapis lazuli. With Fortune III a single ore can drop up to 36.
How much copper does copper ore drop?
Copper ore drops 2 to 5 raw copper, and up to 20 with Fortune III.
Source: Minecraft Wiki - Copper Ore
How much redstone does an ore drop?
A redstone ore drops 4 or 5 redstone dust, and up to 8 with Fortune III.
Source: Minecraft Wiki - Redstone Ore
How much does Nether gold ore drop?
Nether gold ore drops 2 to 6 gold nuggets with any pickaxe. Mining it near piglins makes them angry.
Source: Minecraft Wiki - Nether Gold Ore
How do you get raw iron into iron ingots?
Smelt raw iron in a furnace or blast furnace. A block of raw iron crafted from 9 raw iron saves space.
Source: Minecraft Wiki - Raw Iron
Why does ancient debris not drop with an iron pickaxe?
Ancient debris needs a diamond or netherite pickaxe. Mined with anything weaker, it drops nothing.
Source: Minecraft Wiki - Ancient Debris
Is ancient debris blast proof?
Ancient debris resists normal explosions, so TNT and beds clear the netherrack around it without destroying it.
Source: Minecraft Wiki - Ancient Debris
How do you make netherite ingots?
Smelt ancient debris into netherite scrap, then craft 4 netherite scrap with 4 gold ingots into one netherite ingot.
Source: Minecraft Wiki - Netherite Ingot
Does Fortune work on iron and gold ore?
Yes. Since 1.17 iron, gold and copper ores drop raw metal, which Fortune multiplies.
Does Fortune work on ancient debris?
No. Ancient debris always drops itself, so Fortune does nothing.
Source: Minecraft Wiki - Ancient Debris, Minecraft Wiki - Fortune
What is deepslate in Minecraft?
Deepslate is the dark stone below Y 0 in the Overworld. It takes longer to mine than normal stone and has its own ore versions.
Source: Minecraft Wiki - Deepslate
Is deepslate diamond ore the same as diamond ore?
Yes. Deepslate ores drop the same items as their normal versions; they just look different and take longer to mine.
Source: Minecraft Wiki - Deepslate, Minecraft Wiki - Diamond Ore
What is the fastest pickaxe in Minecraft?
A golden pickaxe mines fastest but breaks quickly and is too weak for many ores. Netherite with Efficiency V is the best all-round choice.
Source: Minecraft Wiki - Pickaxe, Minecraft Wiki - Efficiency
How do you mine faster in Minecraft?
Use a better pickaxe with Efficiency, get Haste from a beacon, and mine while standing on the ground.
Mining underwater or while in the air is five times slower, unless you have Aqua Affinity underwater.
What is Haste in Minecraft?
Haste is an effect that makes you mine and attack faster. Beacons give it; there is no Haste potion in Survival.
Conduits give Conduit Power instead, which also speeds up mining underwater.
Source: Minecraft Wiki - Haste, Minecraft Wiki - Conduit Power
What is the best way to mine for diamonds?
Branch mine at Y -59: dig a main tunnel and side tunnels two blocks apart, or explore large caves at that depth with plenty of torches.
Source: Minecraft Wiki - Mining
What is the most dangerous thing when mining?
Lava hiding behind blocks, falls into caves and mobs in the dark. Carry a water bucket, blocks to seal lava, and food.
How do you deal with lava when mining?
Place a block over it, scoop it with a bucket, or pour water on it to make obsidian or stone.
What are ore veins in Minecraft?
Ore veins are huge snake-shaped bands of ore: copper with granite above Y 0 and iron with tuff below. They are part of 1.18+ generation.
Source: Minecraft Wiki - Ore vein
What are geodes in Minecraft?
Amethyst geodes are round pockets of amethyst underground. Budding amethyst inside grows amethyst crystals over time.
Source: Minecraft Wiki - Amethyst Geode
Where do you find fossils in Minecraft?
Fossils are bone block shapes buried underground in deserts and swamps, and in Nether soul sand valleys.
Source: Minecraft Wiki - Fossil
What is a mineshaft in Minecraft?
A mineshaft is an abandoned tunnel network with rails, chests in minecarts and cave spider spawners. Badlands mineshafts are partly above ground.
Source: Minecraft Wiki - Mineshaft
How do you find caves in Minecraft?
Look for openings in hills and ravines, or dig down a staircase. 1.18+ worlds have huge caves called cheese and spaghetti caves.
Source: Minecraft Wiki - Cave
What are all the ores in Minecraft?
Overworld: coal, copper, iron, gold, redstone, lapis lazuli, diamond and emerald. Nether: Nether quartz, Nether gold and ancient debris.
Most Overworld ores also have deepslate versions below Y 0.
Source: Minecraft Wiki - Ore
What is the rarest ore in Minecraft?
Emerald ore is the rarest Overworld ore, found only in mountain biomes. Ancient debris is the rarest ore in the Nether.
Source: Minecraft Wiki - Emerald Ore, Minecraft Wiki - Ancient Debris
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