Minecraft ores, such as diamonds, iron, gold, and coal, are reasonably easy to find if you understand the newest Minecraft ore distribution. Since Minecraft version 1.18, ores have been distributed throughout your Minecraft world much differently than in prior versions. You will find that diamonds no longer spawn around y-level 15. Furthermore, you may be surprised to no longer find bedrock at y-level 0. In this article, we will go over the most up-to-date information about Minecraft ore distribution!
Minecraft Ore Levels Version 1.17 Vs. 1.18
The most significant change in Minecraft ore levels occurred when Minecraft update 1.18 came out. In this update, the world generation system was majorly changed. Mountains appeared much more detailed and extreme, and cave networks were completely overhauled. On top of this, the lowest y-level became y-level -64. This significantly changed the ore distribution, as depicted in
this diagram from Mojang.

In the chart, each shaded shape represents a different Minecraft ore. The height of the shape represents the y-levels where it is possible to find the associated ore. The width of the shape represents the probability of finding that ore at any given y-level. For example, the copper shape is widest at y-level 48, which is where you will most frequently find it.
What are the best Ore levels for Minecraft Version 1.20?
The best levels to find Minecraft ores in version 1.20 are the following:
Minecraft Ore | Best y-level | Max y-level | Minimum y-level |
Redstone | -59 | 16 | -64 |
Diamond | -59 | 16 | -64 |
Gold | -16 | 32 | -64 |
Copper | 48 | 112 | -16 |
Lapis | 0 | 64 | -64 |
Coal | 96 | 256 | 0 |
Iron | 16 or 232 | -64 | 256 |
Emeralds | 235 | 256 | -16 |
Gold (In Badlands Biome) | 32-256 | 256 | 32 |
Copper (In Dripstone Caves) | 48 | 112 | -16 |
How to find Iron ore in Minecraft
To find iron ore in Minecraft, you will want to dig down to at least y-level 16. While iron will spawn between levels -64 and 256 (with some exceptions), you will consistently find the most iron at level 16. However, it is also very important to note that iron can also spawn very frequently in mountain biomes. If you come across a tall mountain, then it will actually be better to mine iron at y-level 232 instead of y-level 16.
There are multiple ways to mine the iron quickly. First, you can create a strip mine. Essentially, a strip mine is a man-made tunnel system that spreads out systematically. To create a strip mine, you will want to start by creating a straight tunnel that extends out a good distance. You will then want to create branches to either side of the tunnel, separated by two to three blocks. The mine should end up looking like the diagram below.

While strip mining is a good strategy, another strategy that most players prefer is finding a large cave or ravine. These are extremely beneficial for finding iron since you can easily spot iron ore out in the open. This saves time as you do not have to dig an extensive tunnel system.
If you plan to use the cave exploration method, you will want to use the Minecraft Fullbright mod. This mod allows you to see in the dark without any artificial light. It is very similar to the night vision effect in Minecraft, but it lasts infinitely. To start using the Fullbright mod,
we recommend downloading Badlion Client, which allows you to play Minecraft with Fullbright in a matter of minutes.
Without Fullbright:

With Fullbright:

How to find diamonds in Minecraft
You can find diamonds in Minecraft below y-level 16. However, if you dig even further down to Y-level -59, you will have the best chance of finding diamonds.
You can use the strip-mining method to find diamonds very easily. As mentioned before, simply start by making a long tunnel that spans a good enough distance (several chunks). However, this time you will want to make the branches of the tunnel two blocks apart so that you do not miss any diamonds.
Additionally, you can look in caves for diamonds. One benefit to looking for diamonds at y-level -59 in caves is that you will find yourself surrounded by deepslate. If you use bonemeal on a moss surrounded by deepslate, you will cause the deepslate blocks around the moss to be turned into more moss. This then makes it incredibly easy to break blocks and find diamonds around you!
You can read more about how to find diamonds in Minecraft in our recent
Minecraft diamond article.
How to find gold ore in Minecraft
The best way to find gold in Minecraft is by heading down to y-level -16. However, while you can find gold in most biomes, it will spawn the most frequently in the Badlands biome. This makes exploring to find a Badlands biome worth it.
What are you waiting for? Armed with this new knowledge, you have what it takes to become extremely rich with ores in Minecraft. Make sure to check out
Badlion Client to optimize your experience even further and make your game more enjoyable.