Tutorial:Mining/Ore veins

Ore veins are rare large‑scale ore features scattered underground in the Overworld. A single ore vein typically contains a massive quantity of mineral resources. This tutorial guides players on locating and mining ore veins.

There are two types of ore veins; iron ore veins and copper ore veins, each generating within their own elevation range.

About ore veins

Iron ore veins generate between Y=-60 and Y=-8 in the Overworld, meaning players can only find them within the deepslate layer.

Copper ore veins generate between Y=0 to Y=50 in the Overworld. They appear mostly in the stone layer, and occasionally at the boundary between stone and deepslate.

An iron ore vein consists of only three block types; deepslate iron ore, block of raw iron, and tuff. Similarly, a copper ore vein is made up of just three blocks; copper ore, block of raw copper, and granite. Note that diorite and andesite are not components of copper ore veins.

Iron ore veins generate within deepslate, where caves are sparse. Veins are seldom cut apart and tend to remain largely intact. Copper ore veins form in the stone layer, which has dense cave systems. They are frequently broken by underground structures and appear fragmented; individual intact segments are generally smaller than those of iron ore veins.

Locating ore veins

Found iron ore vein in a cave

Found copper ore vein in a cave

Ore veins are not only rare and sparsely distributed but also visually inconspicuous, making them exceptionally hard to locate. Most players stumble across ore veins by accident while mining or exploring caves.

If you insist on actively searching for ore veins, manual mining techniques such as branch‑mining and vertical shaft mining are not recommended. Instead, exploring large caves or mineshafts and identifying veins by their characteristic features is the better approach. Exposed copper ore veins can occasionally be found on the deep‑sea seafloor.

• Raw‑metal blocks cannot generate naturally outside ore veins. If you spot naturally‑occurring raw‑metal blocks, an associated ore vein must lie nearby.
• Players may encounter peculiar patchy formations inside caves: deepslate iron ore, tuff, and deepslate, or copper ore, granite, and stone. This scattered interleaved distribution is the defining signature of an ore vein. Ordinary ore blobs normally contain continuously connected ore blocks.

Because ore veins are so rare, if you are fortunate enough to locate one, write down its coordinates for later mining trips.

Tools such as Chunkbase seed viewers or this map can be used to pinpoint ore vein coordinates:

It is worth noting that copper blocks in trial chambers serve as an alternative copper source. Compared with copper ore veins, veins produce more copper when mined with Fortune II or higher; trial chamber copper yields more when using no Fortune or Fortune I. Trial chambers are more common and easier to find, and copper blocks are finished products requiring no smelting. Beware of hostile mobs inside, however. Choose between mining copper veins or looting trial chambers according to your own circumstances.

Preparing for mining

Once you have found a vein, mark its location and get properly equipped. Recommended inventory items are listed below:

• Iron pickaxe or better; ore veins contain huge volumes of blocks. Low‑tier pickaxes mine slowly and lack sufficient durability for full‑vein excavation.
  • Enchant your pickaxe with the highest‑level Fortune available to drastically boost ore drops. Unbreaking and Efficiency further streamline mining.
  • If feasible, build a basic beacon near the vein to apply Haste to increase mining speed.
• Crafting table; Used for crafting raw‑ore items into compact raw‑metal blocks for easier transport and inventory‑space saving.
• Shovel of any tier; for clearing gravel that obstructs the vein.
• Multiple Bundles to store miscellaneous resources and conserve inventory space.
• Water bucket to extinguish lava or put out fire on yourself.
• Shulker Boxes (optional) to efficiently store mined blocks and loot.
• Flint and steel, lava bucket (optional); used to rapidly dispose of unwanted Tuff, Deepslate, and other debris produced while mining.
• TNT (optional) to blast large sections of the vein for fast block clearance.
• Water‑filled caves may generate within copper‑vein elevation ranges. Bring Sponges to soak up water if needed.

Mining

A cross‑section of an iron ore vein, showing the distribution of deepslate iron ore and tuff. As can be seen, the ore is fairly scattered.

When you are fully prepared and have found an ore vein, you can begin mining.

Pick any ore block or raw‑metal block inside the vein as your center, and break every block within a 3×3×3 cube around it.

Select another ore block or raw‑metal block in the newly‑exposed area and repeat the cube‑clearing process.

If no ore or raw‑metal blocks remain in the exposed section, mine through granite or tuff in that zone to search for further ore. When only irrelevant stone or deepslate is left, that segment of the vein is exhausted; move on to another section.

Do not ignore gravel you encounter. Clear it completely with a shovel, since veins can be interrupted by gravel generation and full recovery depends on removing it.

Dense clusters of granite or tuff with no ore embedded are merely ordinary rock blobs, not ore veins — stop digging there.

Place torches throughout mined zones; they mark explored territory and prevent mob spawning.

Keep mining until all ore from the vein is harvested. Afterwards, smelt your collected ore into metal ingots.