A living cross-section of the world, drawn from the game's real worldgen odds. Drag to set your mining depth, click an ore column to inspect it.
Branch mine at Y -16 for the peak, or explore a Badlands where 50 extra veins per chunk generate between Y 32 and 256.
100%Y -16, or anywhere in a badlands. Every figure on this page is read from the 26.2 worldgen files the game itself ships, so it reflects what actually generates rather than a community estimate.
The standard gold batch is a triangle from Y -64 to Y 32 peaking at Y -16, attempting 4 veins per chunk with a discard chance of 0.5 on air exposure. That makes Y -16 the answer almost everywhere in the world.
Badlands biomes break the rule completely. Badlands, Eroded Badlands and Wooded Badlands each add ore_gold_extra, a uniform batch from Y 32 to Y 256 attempting 50 veins per chunk. That is more than twelve times the standard rate, placed in a band you can reach by walking around on the surface.
If you need gold in quantity and there is a badlands within reach, going there is not a marginal improvement over mining at Y -16. It is the difference between a mining session and picking it up off the terrain.
Minecraft places ore in separate batches, each with its own count, height range and vein size. A discard value above zero means the game throws away veins that would touch open air, which is what decides whether caving or tunnelling is the better approach.
| Batch | Veins/chunk | Range | Vein size | Air discard |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ore_gold | 4 | triangle Y -64 to 32, peak Y -16 | 9 | 50% |
| ore_gold_extrabadlands biomes only | 50 | uniform Y 32 to 256 | 9 | none |
| ore_gold_lower | 0 to 1 | uniform Y -64 to -48 | 9 | 50% |
ore_gold_extra attempts 50 veins per chunk from Y 32 to 256, and it exists in exactly three biomes: badlands, eroded_badlands and wooded_badlands. Everywhere else in the Overworld gets 4 veins per chunk.
The peak level differs for each ore, and a few of them share a band closely enough to mine on one trip. The full interactive chart is on the ore distribution hub.
| Ore | Best Y level |
|---|---|
| diamonds | Y -59 |
| netherite | Y 15 |
| iron | Y 16 underground, Y 232 in mountains |
| coal | Y 96, or anything above Y 136 |
| gold | Y -16, or anywhere in a badlands |
| redstone | Y -59 |
| lapis lazuli | Y 0 |
| copper | Y 48 |
| emeralds | Y 232, mountain biomes only |
| nether quartz | Any level from Y 10 to 117 |
| nether gold | Any level from Y 10 to 117 |
Y -16 in normal terrain. In a badlands biome, anywhere between Y 32 and Y 256 is far better, because those three biomes add a batch of 50 veins per chunk.
Badlands, Eroded Badlands and Wooded Badlands are the only biomes that place ore_gold_extra, a uniform batch from Y 32 to 256 with 50 attempted veins per chunk against the usual 4.
Yes, as nether gold ore, which is a different block. It generates throughout the Nether from Y 10 to 117 and drops gold nuggets rather than raw gold.
Iron or better. A stone pickaxe will break the block and drop nothing.
Related ore levels:
