Minecraft Ore Levels Chart
The best Y level for every ore, worked out from Minecraft's own world generation.
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How to find the best Y levelHow to find the best Y level
Choose Overworld or Nether to see the ores that spawn there.
Each ore shows where it spawns and the Y level where you find the most.
Click an ore for its own page with the best level, the pickaxe it needs and where it spawns.
Frequently Asked Questions
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Diamonds and redstone Y -59, gold Y -18, lapis Y -2, iron Y 14, copper Y 46 and coal Y 94. Iron is even more common high up in mountains, and so is coal around Y 136. Emeralds only spawn in mountains, more the higher you go. In the Nether, mine ancient debris at Y 15.
How much of each ore spawns at every Y level in solid stone, worked out from the world generation files of Minecraft 26.3. Each column is scaled to its own best level, so it shows where an ore spawns, not how common it is next to the others.
Y -59. It's the best level for diamonds and redstone and still has about half as much gold as gold's best level. You'll find little iron or copper that deep, so mine those higher up.
Most charts list the level the game aims each vein at. Veins grow downward from there, so the most ore blocks end up one or two levels lower. That's why this chart says Y 14 for iron and Y -18 for gold instead of Y 16 and Y -16.
No. Ores spawn at the same levels as in 1.21. The last change was in 1.20.2, which added extra diamonds below Y -4.
Yes, the best levels are the same on Java and Bedrock. Bedrock has slightly bigger iron veins and more ancient debris, but you mine at the same Y levels.
For diamonds, gold and lapis, yes. Many of their ores don't spawn where they would touch open air, so caves only show you part of them. Iron, copper, redstone and emeralds spawn just as well next to caves, so exploring caves works fine for those.
The chart counts ore in solid stone. Real worlds also have caves, water, dirt and gravel underground, and some ores don't spawn next to air, so you'll find a bit less. The best levels stay the same.