Updated 25 October 2026. Facts on this page come from minecraft.wiki, minecraft.net and the live Artemis PvP server; sources are listed at the bottom.
Emerald Ore in Minecraft: Where to Find It and Uses
Emerald ore is a rare ore found only in mountain and windswept biomes. It drops 1 emerald (up to 4 with Fortune) and 3 to 7 experience, and needs an iron pickaxe or better. Emeralds are the currency for villager trading.
Where is emerald ore found?
It generates from Y=-16 up to Y=320 in mountains and windswept biomes, most common around Y=232, often exposed to the sky. It forms tiny blobs of up to 3 ores, tried 100 times per chunk.
How do you mine it?
Mine it with an iron pickaxe or better; anything weaker drops nothing. Fortune raises the emeralds per block, and Silk Touch drops the ore itself.
What is emerald ore used for?
- Emeralds for villager trades
- Blocks of emerald for storage and beacon bases
- Experience from mining
- Decoration (Silk Touch ore)
Tip
Emerald ore is rare, so many players also get emeralds by trading with villagers.
Pickaxes, Silk Touch and Fortune
Most stone-like blocks need a pickaxe: without one they break slowly and drop nothing. Silk Touch picks up a block that normally drops something else, such as an ore or plain stone, and Fortune adds drops to ores but not to plain stone. Blast resistance and hardness decide how well a block survives explosions and how long it takes to break, which matters when you choose a building block for a base. A stonecutter turns stone blocks into stairs, slabs and walls one block at a time, which is cheaper than crafting for stairs (1 stair per block instead of 4 stairs from 6). See tool tiers and emeralds.
Does ArtemisPvP have custom gear?
Frequently asked questions
Where is emerald ore found?
Only in mountain and windswept biomes, most common around Y=232.
What pickaxe do you need for emerald ore?
An iron pickaxe or better.
Sources
Every fact on this page was checked against these pages; the wording is ours.