- Minecraft Mining Notes
1.14+ can do crawl mining. Otherwise, standard strip mining.
Pre-1.17 Ore Distribution:
| Ore | Biome | Most Found | Common Up To | Rare On Layers | None At/Above |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Coal | Any | 5-52 | 124 | 125-127 | 128 |
| Iron | Any | 5-54 | 61 | 62-63 | 64 |
| Gold (Any) | Any | 5-29 | 29 | 31-33 | 34 |
| Gold (Badlands) | Badlands | 5-29 | 76 | 77-79 | 80 |
| Redstone | Any | 5-12 | 12 | 13-15 | 16 |
| Lapis Lazuli | Any | 13-17 | 23 | 31-33 | 34 |
| Diamond | Any | 5-12 | 12 | 13-15 | 16 |
| Emerald | Mountains | 5-29 | 29 | 30-32 | 33 |
Pre beta 1.6, ores generate less in north/east quadrants compared to south/west. In beta 1.8, the Y-level range of each ore was lowered by 4.
Post-1.18 Ore Distribution:
| Ore | Biome | Total Range | Peak Layer | No Spawn At |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Coal | Any | 0 to 320 | 45 | -64 to -1 |
| Copper | Any (Dripstone caves for larger veins) | -16 to 112 | 43 | -64 to -17; 113+ |
| Iron | Any | -64 to 72 & 80 to 320 | 14 | 73 to 79 |
| Gold (Normal) | Any | -64 to 32 | -18 | 33+ |
| Gold (Badlands) | Badlands | -64 to 256 | 32 to 256 | 257+ |
| Redstone | Any | -64 to 16 | -59 | 16+ |
| Lapis Lazuli | Any | -64 to 64 | -2 | 65+ |
| Diamond | Any | -64 to 16 | -59 | 16+ |
| Emerald | Mountains/Hills | -16 to 320 | 85 | -64 to -17 |
If a diamond vein is exposed to air there is a 50% chance it won’t generate.
Nether Ore Distribution:
| Ore | Most Found | Commonly Up To | Rare on Layers | None At/Above |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Quartz | 114 | 120 | 123–125 | 128 |
| Gold | 114 | 95 | 96–116 | 117 |
| Ancient Debris | 15–16 | 23 | 22–119 | 120 |