The Minecraft 1.20 update focuses on decoration and customization, with armor sets getting the “trimming” option and several artistic and colorful blocks joining the game. However, ores still play an important part as they’re required in the making of armor sets and many other items in the game. The mines and caverns below the Overworld are filled with numerous ore blocks, all waiting to be mined and plucked away to smelt down and create gear like weapons, tools, and other items.
Each ore in Minecraft resides at a different height, often giving players a general area to look around in when trying to find them. However, with the changes in world generation and ore height in the Caves and Cliffs part 2 update, some players may face difficulty finding the location of certain ores.
Minecraft 1.20: The best levels to mine on for the most valuable ores
5) Redstone (Y=-58 and -59)
Redstone is an important ore in Minecraft, though it has very specific uses. However, if mastered, redstone can be a game changer for players trying to make their life easier within the game. Redstone can be difficult to find as it spawns at a deeper level in Minecraft’s underground cave system.
What helps is that it generates in two different batches. The first has an even pattern of generation and can be found between Y levels 15 and -63. The second batch generates from Y levels -32 to -63 and keeps expanding the deeper you go, meaning the most amount of redstone ore should be found at Y level -63.
However, the deepest levels of the Overworld are covered with bedrock, making it impossible to mine efficiently. Therefore, the most profitable levels for redstone in Minecraft 1.20 are Y levels -58 and -59.
4) Coal (Y=136)
Coal is one of the most important resources in Minecraft, especially in the early game phase, as it allows players to smelt ore, cook food, and craft torches. Being an efficient fuel source makes it viable for much of the game’s duration.
Coal generates in two batches across the Overworld, with the first being from Y levels 0 to 190 and the second from Y levels 136 to 256. The two batches overlap at Y level 136, which makes it the most profitable level for coal in Minecraft 1.20.
3) Lapis Lazuli (Y=-1)
Lapis Lazuli is a rare blue-colored ore used in the process of enchanting. Since enchanting is virtually impossible without this ore, its role in a player’s progress through Minecraft’s survival mode can be considered crucial.
Lapis Lazuli ore generates between Y levels -32 and 30, and Y level -1 has the maximum amount of Lapis generation. However, digging at this level means that the ore will have zero exposure to air and will have to be dug out from between layers.
It also means that the entire mining area will be covered with deepslate, notoriously annoying to mine in as it takes twice the amount of time as stone to break. A second batch of Lapis generates between Y levels -64 and 64, which still means that the most profitable level to mine this ore is Y level -1.
2) Iron (Y=15)
Iron is extremely important in Minecraft; some might even say it is the most important ore in the game. This is primarily because it is the most widely used ore in the game, aside from coal.
It is used to make almost every important item in the game, such as armor, weapons, tools, and buckets. It is easily accessible and has a decent amount of durability attached to it.
Iron generates in three batches across the Overworld’s cave system. The first batch generates between Y levels 54 and -24, with the most profitable level being Y level 15.
The second generates evenly between 64 and -63. Both overlap, so the best level for both batches is at Y level 15.
The third batch spawns between Y levels 319 and 80, so unless you’re mining inside a mountain, don’t expect to land a treasure trove of iron from this batch.
Aside from these three batches, iron ore also spawns in the form of ore veins anywhere below Y level 0. These veins are large areas filled with iron ore mixed with tuff and raw iron blocks. Some of the biggest iron ore veins have been known to contain up to 2000 ore blocks.
1) Diamonds (Y=-59)
Even though Netherite is officially the strongest and most durable material in Minecraft, it is also extremely rare. So, the throne of the best overall ore in Minecraft stays with diamond ore. Diamonds can be found between Y levels -63 and -14.
As with redstone, Diamonds increase in volume as you go deeper into the Overworld, so keep an eye out when exploring the deepest points of cave systems. Since the deepest layers generate a ton of bedrock, mining at the lowest non-bedrock level (Y level -59) is the most profitable to obtain diamonds.
Before starting a lengthy mining trip, players should try to procure more than one pickaxe and carry it with them on their trip. Pickaxes below the diamond tier can easily run out of durability during long mining endeavors.
While a stone pickaxe is suitable for a small part of the early game phase, players should try to get iron ones as soon as they can, as they fulfill the minimum requirements to mine diamonds.
Finally, players should try to get the “Fortune” enchantment for their pickaxe early, as it can massively increase the number of ores collected during each mining trip. If Fortune is unavailable, consider using Silk Touch to collect valuable ore blocks and store them until you get the Fortune enchantment.
