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.
Iron in Minecraft: Best Y Level, Ingots and Uses
Iron ore generates most around Y=16 underground and around Y=232 inside tall mountains. Mine it with a stone pickaxe or better to get raw iron, then smelt that into iron ingots. Iron makes armor, tools, buckets, shears, rails, hoppers, anvils and iron golems, so most players need hundreds.
Where is iron most common?
| Batch | Y range | Peak |
|---|---|---|
| Mountain iron | Y 80 to 384 | Around Y 232 (inside mountains) |
| Underground iron | Y -24 to 56 | Around Y 16 |
| Small blobs everywhere | Y -64 to 72 | Even spread |
Big iron ore veins (iron ore mixed with raw iron blocks and tuff) also form in the deepslate layer. In caves, look at walls around Y=16; in mountains, cut into cliffs. Every ore's best level: ore Y levels.
How do you get iron ingots?
- Mine iron ore with a stone pickaxe or better: it drops 1 raw iron, or up to 4 with Fortune III. Silk Touch drops the ore block itself, which is worse.
- Smelt raw iron in a furnace or blast furnace (twice as fast) for 1 ingot each; see furnaces and smelting.
- 9 raw iron make a block of raw iron, 9 ingots make a block of iron, and 9 nuggets make an ingot.
- Iron golems drop 3-5 ingots, and smelting iron tools and armor gives nuggets back.
What is iron used for?
| Item | Iron needed |
|---|---|
| Full iron armor | 24 ingots |
| Bucket | 3 ingots |
| Shears | 2 ingots |
| Anvil | 3 blocks + 4 ingots (31 ingots) |
| Hopper | 5 ingots + a chest |
| Minecart | 5 ingots |
| Rails (16) | 6 ingots + 1 stick |
| Cauldron | 7 ingots |
| Compass | 4 ingots + 1 redstone |
| Iron golem | 4 blocks of iron + a carved pumpkin |
Iron tools sit in the middle of the tool tiers and are the lowest that can mine diamonds, gold and redstone; see tool tiers.
Can you farm iron?
Yes. An iron farm makes villagers spawn iron golems by scaring them with a zombie, then kills the golems for ingots. It is the most common big farm in survival worlds; see how to build an iron farm.
Is iron worth anything on ArtemisPvP?
Frequently asked questions
What is the best Y level for iron?
Around Y=16 underground, or around Y=232 if you are inside a tall mountain.
What pickaxe do you need for iron?
A stone pickaxe or better.
Sources
Every fact on this page was checked against these pages; the wording is ours.