Minecraft ore finder: best Y-levels for every ore
An exact ore finder for your seed isn't available yet. Until it is, here's where Java Edition 1.21.1 places each ore, read from the game's own world-generation data.
Best Y-level for each ore
"Most placed at" is the height where the game makes the most attempts to place that ore.
| Ore | Placed between | Most placed at | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| Diamond | Y -64 to 16 | The lower the better | Mine at Y -59: about 95% as many diamond placements as the bottom, and no bedrock |
| Redstone | Y -64 to 15 | The lower the better | Same trick as diamonds: Y -59 |
| Gold | Y -64 to 32 | Y -16 | Much more in badlands, from Y 32 to 256 |
| Lapis lazuli | Y -64 to 64 | Y 0 | |
| Iron | Y -64 to 319 | Y 16 underground; Y 232 in mountains | The upper band only matters where mountains reach that high |
| Copper | Y -16 to 112 | Y 48 | Bigger veins in dripstone caves |
| Coal | Y 0 to 319 | Y 136 in mountains; Y 96 elsewhere | |
| Emerald | Y -16 to 319 | Y 232 | Only in mountain biomes |
Java 1.21.1 world-generation data, read from the official server.
Bedrock always fills Y -64 and never reaches Y -59, so Y -59 is the lowest level you can strip-mine without hitting it. Diamonds and redstone are placed almost as often there as at the very bottom.
Ores measured in real worlds
The table above comes from the game’s placement rules. To see what is actually left after caves, aquifers and bedrock, we generated real worlds on the official server and counted every ore block. “Most blocks at” is the Y-level where we found the most of that ore.
| Ore | Blocks per chunk | Most blocks at | Range between seeds |
|---|---|---|---|
| Diamond | 24 | Y -57 | 20 – 25 |
| Redstone | 35 | Y -59 | 31 – 37 |
| Gold | 25 | Y -11 | 21 – 26 |
| Lapis lazuli | 23 | Y 4 | 21 – 25 |
| Iron | 78 | Y 15 | 68 – 106 |
| Copper | 78 | Y 33 | 52 – 139 |
| Coal | 69 | Y 45 | 34 – 120 |
| Emerald | 0.1 | Y 69 | 0.0 – 1.4 |
| Ancient debris (Nether) | 1.5 | Y 15 | 1.2 – 1.8 |
| Nether gold (Nether) | 39 | Y 114 | 13 – 53 |
| Nether quartz (Nether) | 114 | Y 114 | 40 – 151 |
Counted in 2,560 Overworld and 2,560 Nether chunks generated by the official Java 1.21.1 server, 256 of each around 0, 0 in 10 test seeds.
In the Overworld, copper, iron and coal are by far the most common. Emerald is rare because it only generates in mountain biomes: only 2 of our 10 test areas had any. Ancient debris averaged 1.5 blocks per Nether chunk. For diamonds, see the diamond finder, which breaks them down layer by layer.
Iron shows why the measured view matters: the game has an upper band for iron in mountains around Y 232, but few places have terrain that high. Only 0.7% of the iron we counted was above Y 80; the rest was underground, with the most at Y 15.
Ores that need a specific biome
- Emerald only generates in mountain biomes: meadow, cherry grove, grove, snowy slopes, jagged peaks, frozen peaks, stony peaks, windswept hills, windswept forest and windswept gravelly hills.
- Extra gold generates in badlands, eroded badlands and wooded badlands, from Y 32 to 256, on top of the normal gold.
- Large copper veins replace normal copper in dripstone caves.
Nether ores
| Ore | Placed between | Most placed at | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ancient debris | Y 8 to 119 | Y 16 | Never placed touching air, so it’s always buried |
| Nether gold | Y 10 to 117 | Evenly spread | Twice as much in basalt deltas |
| Nether quartz | Y 10 to 117 | Evenly spread | Twice as much in basalt deltas |
Java 1.21.1 world-generation data, read from the official server.
Why there's no exact ore finder yet
Since 1.18, where ore ends up depends on the caves and terrain around it. Ore only replaces stone and deepslate (or Nether stone), and the game throws away part of the ore that would touch air: half of the exposed blocks in small diamond veins, for example, and all of the exposed ancient debris. Predicting exact ore positions therefore means generating the real chunks for your seed. We're building an ore finder that does that, starting with Java 1.21.
How these numbers were worked out
We ran the data generator that ships in the official Java 1.21.1 server and read the placement rules for every ore. Each rule gives a height range and a number of attempts per chunk, spread either evenly or in a triangle that peaks in the middle. We added up the rules for each ore to find where the most attempts land. Veins can reach a few blocks past these ranges. Other versions and Bedrock Edition aren't covered by this table.
Frequently asked questions
Is there an ore finder by seed?
Not yet on this site. Ore positions depend on caves and terrain, so an exact finder has to generate the real chunks for your seed. We’re building one, starting with Java 1.21. Until then, this page and the diamond finder show the best heights to mine, measured in real worlds.
What is the best Y-level for diamonds?
Y -57 had the most diamond blocks in our count; Y -59 is almost as good and has no bedrock.
What is the best Y-level for iron?
Y 16 underground, or high in mountains around Y 232 where the terrain reaches that high.
Where is ancient debris most common?
Around Y 16 in the Nether. It never generates touching air, so you have to mine through netherrack to find it.
Do these Y-levels work on Bedrock?
They are measured on Java 1.21.1. We haven’t measured Bedrock Edition.
Find structures and biomes for your seed now
- Diamond finderDiamonds layer by layer, counted in real worlds.
- Structure finderVillages, strongholds, ancient cities and more.
- Biome finderAny biome, including cave biomes at a Y-level.
- Lush cave finderLush caves and the best Y-level to dig to.
- Slime chunk finderEvery slime chunk around you.