Minecraft ore distribution: the best Y level for every ore

Every ore has its own best height. These are the peak Y levels for Java Edition 26.3, computed from the game's world-generation files.

Press F3: the middle number of the XYZ line is your height, measured at your feet. Sea level is Y 63, Bedrock covers Y -64 to -60, and Deepslate replaces Stone below Y 0. Pick any ore in the explorer below to see its full curve.

Ore	Best Y	Range
Coal Ore	62 (caves), 136 (mountains)	0 to 320
Copper Ore	48	-16 to 112
Iron Ore	16, or 232 in mountains	-64 to 72, and 80 upward
Lapis Lazuli Ore	0	-64 to 64
Gold Ore	-16	-64 to 32 (32 to 256 in badlands)
Redstone Ore	-59	-64 to 15
Diamond Ore	-59	-64 to 16
Emerald Ore	232 (mountains only)	-16 upward
Nether Quartz Ore	any (even spread)	10 to 117
Nether Gold Ore	any (even spread)	10 to 117
Ancient Debris	16	8 to 119

Underground, Coal Ore gets more common the higher you go, up to Y 96 inside hills; in caves under flat land, which stop around sea level, the best layer is Y 62, and Y 50 to 62 is good. In mountains a second coal layer starts at Y 136 and runs to the top of the world (best between Y 136 and 162). Any pickaxe, even a Wooden Pickaxe, mines it.

Copper Ore peaks at Y 48 (good from Y 36 to 60) and generates between Y -16 and Y 112. In Dripstone Caves it comes in large veins with about four times as much copper. You need a Stone Pickaxe, a Copper Pickaxe or better; each ore drops 2–5 Raw Copper.

Iron Ore peaks at Y 16 (good from Y 8 to 24). Iron veins never lose blocks to caves, so every vein that touches a cave is fully visible: exploring caves around Y 16 works well. Below Y 0 you find Deepslate Iron Ore instead. A Stone Pickaxe or Copper Pickaxe is enough; each ore drops 1 Raw Iron.

Lapis Lazuli Ore peaks at Y 0 (good from Y -9 to 9) and generates between Y -64 and Y 64. Part of it comes in buried veins that never touch air, so dig tunnels around Y 0 instead of only checking cave walls. Use a Stone Pickaxe or better; each ore drops 4–9 Lapis Lazuli.

Gold Ore peaks at Y -16 (good from Y -25 to -7) and generates between Y -64 and Y 32. Buried gold veins skip half of the blocks that would touch a cave.

Badlands, Eroded Badlands and Wooded Badlands get extra gold, spread evenly from Y 32 to 256. These veins are never hidden from air, so you often see gold in canyon walls. Gold needs an Iron Pickaxe or better and drops Raw Gold.

Diamond Ore and Redstone Ore both peak at Y -59, the first layer above the bedrock. Diamonds generate from Y -64 to 16 (good from Y -60 to -38), redstone from Y -64 to 15 (good from Y -60 to -53). Both need an Iron Pickaxe or better; redstone ore drops 4–5 Redstone Dust.

Redstone veins are always fully visible in caves, but diamond veins lose 50% to 70% of their air-exposed blocks, and buried diamond veins never touch air at all. Dig 2-block-high tunnels with 2 blocks of rock between them. Caves between Y -63 and -55 are filled with lava, so carry a Water Bucket.

Emerald Ore only generates in mountain biomes: Windswept Hills, Windswept Forest, Windswept Gravelly Hills, Meadow, Cherry Grove, Grove, Snowy Slopes, Jagged Peaks, Frozen Peaks and Stony Peaks. It peaks at Y 232 (good from Y 183 to 281) and can appear from Y -16 upward, always as single small veins. Mine it with an Iron Pickaxe or better.

The same peaks hold a second iron layer that also tops out at Y 232 (good from Y 202 to 262). It is the richest iron layer in the game, but only high mountains reach it.

In the Nether, Nether Quartz Ore and Nether Gold Ore spread evenly between Y 10 and Y 117, so height does not matter. Basalt Deltas contain twice as much of both. Any pickaxe works: quartz ore drops Nether Quartz, nether gold ore drops 2–6 Gold Nuggets.

Ancient Debris is the exception. It peaks at Y 16 (good from Y 15 to 17), generates between Y 8 and 119, is never exposed to air and needs a Diamond Pickaxe.