Ores

This page is an overview page over the ores found in Minetest Game.

General facts

All ores are generated by replacing stone and always are formed in clusters. Other block types, such as desert stone, never contain ores.

Underground ores

The underground ore generation is simple: The deeper you get, the more you find. Ores generate at a height of Y = 64 or lower, starting with coal ore. At a height of Y = -1024 or lower, all ores can be found at their peak probability. All ores (except mese blocks) are generated in 2 variants: rare and common. The rare variant has smaller clusters and is less likely to appear and is found in the underground at a higher height. The common variant has usually a larger cluster size and is more likely to appear, but is found deeper.

Sky ores

All ores can also be generated at Y=1025 or above (i.e. high in the skies) at the same probability as common underground ores, as long there is stone. With the map generators v5, v6, v7 and flat at default settings, you won't find any ores at these heights because no stone is generated there. But if you use custom map generator settings, a custom modded map generator or the fractal map generator which generates stone at these extreme heights, you will also find plenty of all ores at this height.

Ores overview

	Ore type		Drops		Weakest required tool	Ores in cluster	Found at ≤ Y	Most common at ≤ Y
	Coal Ore		1 Coal Lump		Wooden Pickaxe	8-27	64	0
	Iron Ore		1 Iron Lump		Stone Pickaxe	5-27	0	-64
	Copper Ore		1 Copper Lump		Stone Pickaxe	4-5	-16	-64
	Gold Ore		1 Gold Lump		Stone Pickaxe	3-5	-64	-256
	Mese Ore		1 Mese Crystal		Steel Pickaxe	3-5	-64	-256
	Diamond Ore		1 Diamond		Steel Pickaxe	4	-128	-256
	Mese Block		1 Mese Block		Steel Pickaxe	3	-1024	-1024