Strip mining for hours is slow. This Minecraft ore finder predicts where ore veins generate from your seed, so you can dig with a plan. It covers ten ores: diamond, ancient debris, emerald, gold, iron, redstone, lapis lazuli, copper, coal and nether quartz.

Pick an ore, enter your seed and the map shows predicted veins near spawn. Click one for coordinates and a /tp command. Below, you will also find the best Y level for every ore and a plain explanation of how ore generation works.

Ore finders

Diamond FinderAncient Debris FinderEmerald FinderGold FinderIron FinderRedstone FinderLapis Lazuli FinderCopper FinderCoal FinderNether Quartz Finder

How Ore Generation Works Since 1.18

Java and Bedrock 1.18 changed ore generation a lot. Each ore now has its own height pattern, and some ores use more than one.

There are two main patterns. A triangle distribution is most common at one middle height and fades out toward the top and bottom. A uniform distribution spreads ore evenly across its whole range. Diamonds, for example, use triangles that make them more common the deeper you go.

Ore spawns in blobs. The game picks a spot, then fills a small cluster of stone or deepslate with ore. Blob size varies by ore.

Many ores also check for air exposure. If an ore block would touch air, it may be skipped. That is why diamonds are rare on cave walls but common when you dig into solid rock. Water and lava do not count as air.

Best Y Levels for Every Ore

The table lists the height where each ore is most common, plus its full range in Java Edition 1.18 and later. Use it to choose a mining level.

Emerald peaks at Y 232 on paper. Few mountains reach that high, so in practice most emeralds sit lower in mountain biomes.

How the Ore Finder Predicts Veins

Ore placement is driven by the world seed. The finder repeats the same placement steps the game uses for each chunk, then marks where ore blobs should appear.

The result is a strong prediction, not a promise. Several things can change what you find:

• Caves and aquifers carve out stone after ore is placed. A predicted vein can be partly or fully removed.
• Air exposure rules skip some blocks, depending on what generates nearby.
• Version mismatch shifts everything. Pick the exact version your world was created in.

So treat each marker as a place to dig and check. Mine a few blocks around it, since small offsets are common.

Mining Tips by Dimension

Overworld ores split into two height bands. Coal, copper and the upper iron band sit high, often in mountains. Diamond, redstone, gold and lapis sit deep, mostly in deepslate below Y 0.

In the Nether, ancient debris and nether quartz behave very differently. Quartz is everywhere between Y 10 and 117, so you rarely need a map for it. Ancient debris is rare and never generates touching air. That makes a finder especially useful for netherite hunting.

Finally, remember your tools. Diamond, gold, redstone and emerald need an iron pickaxe or better. Ancient debris needs a diamond or netherite pickaxe.

Choosing the Right Ore Finder

Each ore finder is built for one ore and its own height pattern. Pick the one that matches what you need right now.

• Diamond: tools, armor and enchanting tables. Mine deep in deepslate.
• Ancient debris: netherite upgrades. Mine around Y 16 in the Nether.
• Emerald: trading currency and beacons. Mine in mountain biomes.
• Gold: bartering, golden carrots and powered rails. Mine deep, or in badlands.
• Iron: almost every tool and machine. Mine at Y 16 or high in mountains.
• Redstone: circuits and brewing. Mine near the bottom of the world.
• Lapis lazuli: enchanting and blue dye. Mine around Y 0.
• Copper: lightning rods, spyglasses and building blocks. Mine around Y 48.
• Coal: fuel and torches. Mine high in hills and mountains.
• Nether quartz: comparators, observers and quartz blocks. Mine anywhere in the Nether.

Several ores share heights. For example, diamond, redstone and gold all sit deep, so one tunnel can cover all three.

FAQ