{{About|the block|the terrain feature that is made up of ores|Ore (feature)|the blackstone block mistakenly called an ore|Gilded Blackstone|the mineral commonly mistaken as an ore|Amethyst Shard|the terrain feature that has iron or copper ores|Ore vein}}

An '''ore''' is any uncommon rock-type [[block]] used to obtain specific resources.    
{{Block
| title = Ore
| invimage = Coal Ore
| invimage2 = Iron Ore
| invimage3 = Copper Ore
| invimage4 = Gold Ore
| invimage5 = Redstone Ore
| invimage6 = Emerald Ore
| invimage7 = Lapis Lazuli Ore
| invimage8 = Diamond Ore
| invimage9 = ----
| invimage10 = Deepslate Coal Ore
| invimage11 = Deepslate Iron Ore
| invimage12 = Deepslate Copper Ore
| invimage13 = Deepslate Gold Ore
| invimage14 = Deepslate Redstone Ore
| invimage15 = Deepslate Emerald Ore
| invimage16 = Deepslate Lapis Lazuli Ore
| invimage17 = Deepslate Diamond Ore
| invimage18 = ----
| invimage19 = Nether Gold Ore
| invimage20 = Nether Quartz Ore
| invimage21 = Ancient Debris
| renewable = No
| tool = pickaxe
| stackable = Yes
| maxStack = 64
| tntres = 
* 3
* '''Ancient Debris:''' 1200
| hardness = 
* '''Normal, Quartz and Nether Gold:''' 3
* '''Deepslate:''' 4.5
* '''Ancient Debris:''' 30
| light = No
| transparent = No
| flammable = No
| lavasusceptible = No
}}

== Usage ==
[[File:Extracted Ores.png|thumb|350px|Ores isolated down to bedrock]]

Ore blocks are primarily collected for their resources, which are used for [[crafting]] items, such as [[tools]], [[weapons]], [[armor]], and [[redstone circuits]]. The resource can also be combined to create a block of the material's type. 

Most ores drop their resource when mined, and require a [[Silk Touch]] pickaxe to drop themselves.
*Ores that drop 1 unit of their corresponding material:
**[[Coal ore]] and its deepslate variant.
**[[Diamond ore]] and its deepslate variant.
**[[Emerald ore]] and its deepslate variant.
**[[Nether quartz ore]].
*Ores that drop 1 unit of their raw material:
**[[Iron ore]] and its deepslate variant.
**[[Gold ore]] and its deepslate variant.

* Ores that drop multiple units of their corresponding material:
**[[Copper ore]] and its deepslate variant drop 2–5 [[raw copper]].
**[[Redstone ore]] and its deepslate variant drop 4–5 [[redstone dust]].
**[[Lapis lazuli ore]] and its deepslate variant drop 4–9 [[lapis lazuli]].
**[[Nether gold ore]] drops 2–6 [[gold nugget]]s instead of [[raw gold]].
The average yield of any of the ores in the list above can be increased by using a pickaxe with [[Fortune]].

[[Ancient debris]] drops itself when mined and must be smelted to obtain [[netherite scrap]].

=== Smelting ingredient ===
{{smelting
|head=1
|showname=0
|ingredients=Any ore + Any [[fuel]]
|Coal Ore; Deepslate Coal Ore; Iron Ore; Deepslate Iron Ore; Copper Ore; Deepslate Copper Ore; Lapis Lazuli Ore; Deepslate Lapis Lazuli Ore; Gold Ore; Deepslate Gold Ore; Redstone Ore; Deepslate Redstone Ore; Diamond Ore; Deepslate Diamond Ore; Emerald Ore; Deepslate Emerald Ore; Nether Quartz Ore; Nether Gold Ore; Ancient Debris
|Coal; Coal; Iron Ingot; Iron Ingot; Copper Ingot; Copper Ingot; Lapis Lazuli; Lapis Lazuli; Gold Ingot; Gold Ingot; Redstone Dust; Redstone Dust; Diamond; Diamond; Emerald; Emerald; Nether Quartz; Gold Ingot; Netherite Scrap
|0,1; 0,1; 0,7; 0,7; 0,7; 0,7; 0,2; 0,2; 1; 1; 0,7; 0,7; 1; 1; 1; 1; 0,2; 1; 2
}}
{{smelting
|Raw Iron; Raw Copper; Raw Gold
|Iron Ingot; Copper Ingot; Gold Ingot
|0,7; 0,7; 1
|foot=1
}}
Ores can be smelted faster using a [[blast furnace]].

It is not efficient to mine with [[Silk Touch]] and then smelt an ore block that normally drops multiple pieces of its resource, because smelting these ores yields less experience and only 1 piece of the resource. Nether gold ore is the only exception, as each ore block drops an average of 8.8 gold nuggets even when mined with [[Fortune]] III, which is less than a guaranteed gold ingot obtained from smelting the ore obtained using Silk Touch.

=== Note blocks ===
All types of ores can be placed under note blocks to produce "bass drum" sounds.

== Distribution ==
{{main|Ore (feature)}}
The following is the distribution of ores according to the [[altitude]] (layers are number of blocks above the lowest layer of [[bedrock]]) in the [[Overworld]] and [[the Nether]]. For detailed generation, see [[Ore (feature)]].

{{Block distribution|Coal Ore|Copper Ore|Lapis Lazuli Ore|Iron Ore|Gold Ore|Redstone Ore|Diamond Ore|Emerald Ore|Nether Quartz Ore|Nether Gold Ore|Ancient Debris}}

=== Overworld ===
{{for|the pre-1.17 ore distribution|Ore/Pre-1.17 distribution}}
{{for|the 1.17 ore distribution|Ore/Pre-1.18 distribution}}

{| class="wikitable" data-description="Ores, resources and mineral blocks" style="text-align:center;"
|-
!
!{{BlockLink|Coal Ore|Coal}}{{fn|This refers to coal ore blocks spawned in blobs and not as parts of [[fossils]] or [[mansion]] forges.}}
! colspan="2" |{{BlockLink|Copper Ore|Copper}}
!{{BlockLink|Lapis Lazuli Ore|Lapis Lazuli}}
!{{BlockLink|Iron Ore|Iron}}
! colspan="2" |{{BlockLink|Gold Ore|Gold}}
!{{BlockLink|Redstone Ore|Redstone}}
!{{BlockLink|Diamond Ore|Diamond}}
!{{BlockLink|Emerald Ore|Emerald}}{{fn|Instead of multi-block blobs, emerald ore is placed in scattered blocks.}}
|-
! Stone variant
| [[File:Coal Ore.png|75px|link=Coal Ore]]
| colspan="2" |[[File:Copper Ore.png|75px|link=Copper Ore]]
| [[File:Lapis Lazuli Ore.png|75px|link=Lapis Lazuli Ore]]
| [[File:Iron Ore.png|75px|link=Iron Ore]]
| colspan="2" |[[File:Gold Ore.png|75px|link=Gold Ore]]
| [[File:Redstone Ore.png|75px|link=Redstone Ore]]
| [[File:Diamond Ore.png|75px|link=Diamond Ore]]
| [[File:Emerald Ore.png|75px|link=Emerald Ore]]
|-
! Deepslate variant{{fn|Deepslate variants only generate in deepslate and tuff under layer 0.}}
| [[File:Deepslate Coal Ore.png|75px|link=Coal Ore]]
| colspan="2" |[[File:Deepslate Copper Ore.png|75px|link=Copper Ore]]
| [[File:Deepslate Lapis Lazuli Ore.png|75px|link=Lapis Lazuli Ore]]
| [[File:Deepslate Iron Ore.png|75px|link=Iron Ore]]
| colspan="2" |[[File:Deepslate Gold Ore.png|75px|link=Gold Ore]]
| [[File:Deepslate Redstone Ore.png|75px|link=Redstone Ore]]
| [[File:Deepslate Diamond Ore.png|75px|link=Diamond Ore]]
| [[File:Deepslate Emerald Ore.png|75px|link=Emerald Ore]]
|-
!Raw resource
| [[File:Coal.png|75px|link=Coal]]
| colspan="2" |[[File:Raw Copper.png|75px|link=Raw Copper]]
| [[File:Lapis Lazuli.png|75px|link=Lapis Lazuli]]
| [[File:Raw Iron.png|75px|link=Raw Iron]]
| colspan="2" |[[File:Raw Gold.png|75px|link=Raw Gold]]
| [[File:Redstone Dust.png|75px|link=Redstone Dust]]
| [[File:Diamond.png|75px|link=Diamond]]
| [[File:Emerald.png|75px|link=Emerald]]
|-
!Minimum pickaxe tier required
| {{ItemLink|Wooden Pickaxe|Wooden}}
| colspan="2" |{{ItemLink|Stone Pickaxe|Stone}}
| {{ItemLink|Stone Pickaxe|Stone}}
| {{ItemLink|Stone Pickaxe|Stone}}
| colspan="2" |{{ItemLink|Iron Pickaxe|Iron}}
| {{ItemLink|Iron Pickaxe|Iron}}
| {{ItemLink|Iron Pickaxe|Iron}}
| {{ItemLink|Iron Pickaxe|Iron}}
|-
!Found in biome
| Any
| Any
| {{BiomeLink|Dripstone Caves|Dripstone<br>Caves}}{{fn|Copper ore blobs generate in larger sizes in this biome.}}
| Any
| Any
| Any
| {{BiomeLink|Badlands}}{{fn|Gold ore has increased frequency in this biome.}}
| Any
| Any
| {{BiomeLink|Meadow}}<br>{{BiomeLink|Cherry Grove}}<br>{{BiomeLink|Grove}}<br>{{BiomeLink|Snowy Slopes}}<br>{{BiomeLink|Jagged Peaks}}<br>{{BiomeLink|Frozen Peaks}}<br>{{BiomeLink|Stony Peaks}}<br>{{BiomeLink|Windswept Hills}}<br>{{BiomeLink|Windswept Gravelly Hills}}<br>{{BiomeLink|Windswept Forest}}
|-
!Abundance
| class="general-background-gray" |Very common
| class="general-background-lime" |Common
| class="general-background-gray" |Very common
| class="general-background-yellow" |Rare
| class="general-background-lime" |Common
| class="general-background-cyan" |Rare
| class="general-background-lime" |Common
| class="general-background-yellow" |Uncommon
| class="general-background-cyan" |Very rare
| class="general-background-yellow" |Uncommon
|-
!Total range
| 0 to 320
| colspan="2" |-16 to 112 
| -64 to 64
| -64 to 72
80 to 320
| -64 to 32
| -64 to 256
| -64 to 16
| -64 to 16
| -16 to 320
|-
!Most found in layers{{fn|This is based on data acquired from real world generation. Maximum values in world generation data files are different because in actual generation, terrain and features might prevent ores from spawning.|name=actual-data}}
| 45
| colspan="2" |43
| -2
| 14
| -18
| 32 to 256 
| -59
| -59
| 85
|-
!None at layers
| -64 to -1
| colspan="2" |-64 to -17 and 113 to 320
| 65 to 320
| 73 to 79
| 33 to 320
| 257 to 320
| 15 to 320
| 16 to 320
| -64 to -17
|}

<gallery>
OreDistribution 1-18-2.png|The figures show the ore distribution by layer in [[Java Edition 1.18.2]]
File:1-18-ore-distribution.jpg|Ore distribution 1.18-1.20.2
</gallery>

=== The Nether ===
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center;"
!
! {{BlockLink|Nether Quartz Ore|Nether Quartz}}
! {{BlockLink|Nether Gold Ore|Nether Gold}}
! {{BlockLink|Ancient Debris}}
|-
! Ore block
| [[File:Nether Quartz Ore.png|75px|link=Nether Quartz Ore]]
| [[File:Nether Gold Ore.png|75px|link=Nether Gold Ore]]
| rowspan="2" |[[File:Ancient Debris.png|75px|link=Ancient Debris]]
|-
! Raw resource
| [[File:Nether Quartz.png|75px|link=Nether Quartz]]
| [[File:Gold Nugget.png|75px|link=Gold Nugget]]
|-
! Minimum pickaxe<br>tier required
| colspan="2" |{{ItemLink|Wooden Pickaxe|Wooden}}
| {{ItemLink|Diamond Pickaxe|Diamond}}
|-
! Found in biome
| colspan="4" |Any [[Nether]] biome
|-
! Abundance
| class="general-background-gray" |Very common
| class="general-background-lime" |Common
| class="general-background-magenta" |Very rare
|-
! Most found in layers{{fn|name=actual-data}}
| colspan="2" | 114
| 16{{fn|Unlike most other ores, ancient debris' frequency peaks at layer 16, and quickly tapers off above and below.}}
|-
! Commonly up to layers
| 120
| 95
| 23
|-
! Rare on layers
| 123-125
| 96-116
| 22-119
|-
! None at or above
| 128
| 117
| 120
|}
<gallery>
Nether-ores-1-20-4.png|Nether ore distribution as of 1.20.4<ref>https://github.com/Parcival791/DistribHelperTxt</ref><!-- DO NOT ADD GILDED BLACKSTONE, IT IS NOT AN ORE. SEE https://bugs.mojang.com/browse/MC-178087#comment-666625 FOR MORE INFO -->
</gallery>

{{fnlist}}

== History ==
{{HistoryTable
|{{HistoryLine|java classic}}
|{{HistoryLine||May 21, 2009|link=https://web.archive.org/web/0/http://notch.tumblr.com/post/110762705/my-list-on-tile-types-so-far|[[Notch]] shows interest in adding ores. Originally, only [[iron ore]] was planned.}}
|{{HistoryLine||0.0.14a|dev=May 23, 2009|slink=Java Edition Classic 0.0.14a/Development#New Blocks (May 23, 2009)|Added [[coal ore]], [[iron ore]], and [[gold ore]]. They can be found in veins of two hundred on average.}}
|{{HistoryLine|||dev=release|Ores could be found exposed only in amounts ranging from roughly 10 to 30 in a blob.}}
|{{HistoryLine||0.26 SURVIVAL TEST|[[Breaking|Mining]] an ore now gives the corresponding [[block]] of it.}}
|{{HistoryLine|java indev}}
|{{HistoryLine||0.31|dev=20100128|Added [[diamond ore]].}} 
|{{HistoryLine|||dev=20100201-2227|Ores can no longer be mined without a pickaxe.}}
|{{HistoryLine|java infdev}}
|{{HistoryLine||20100320|Random ores are now placed randomly around the world.}}
|{{HistoryLine||20100327|slink=Java Edition Infdev 20100327|Ores now replace stone upon a world reload.}}
|{{HistoryLine||20100330|slink=Java Edition Infdev 20100330|The change of replacing stone upon a world reload has been reverted.}}
|{{HistoryLine|java alpha}}
|{{HistoryLine||v1.0.1|Added [[redstone ore]].}}
|{{HistoryLine|java beta}}
|{{HistoryLine||1.2|Added [[lapis lazuli ore]].
|Increased the sizes of iron and diamond ore blobs.}}
|{{HistoryLine|java}}
|{{HistoryLine||1.0.0|dev=Beta 1.9 Prerelease 4|Coal, lapis lazuli, redstone, and diamond ore now also drop as ore blocks with [[Silk Touch]].}}
|{{HistoryLine||May 21, 2012|link=https://imgur.com/Z113y|[[Jeb]] released a screenshot of himself testing the [[trading]] system,<ref>{{Tweet|jeb|204619936616808451|... and this is why I'm playing with Testificates: (work in progress, as usual)|May 21, 2012}}</ref> showcasing [[ruby ore]].<ref name="en_US 12w21">snapshot 12w21a/b ''lang/en_US.lang'': '''tile.oreRuby.name=Ruby Ore'''</ref>}}
|{{HistoryLine||1.3.1|dev=12w21a|Added [[emerald ore]], which replaced Ruby ore.}}
|{{HistoryLine|||dev=12w22a|All ores (except iron and gold) now drop [[experience]] points when mined.}}
|{{HistoryLine||1.5|dev=13w01a|Added [[nether quartz ore]].}}
|{{HistoryLine||1.16|dev=20w06a|Added [[ancient debris]].}}
|{{HistoryLine|||dev=20w11a|Added [[nether gold ore]].}}
|{{HistoryLine|||dev=20w12a|Nether gold ore now drops [[gold nugget]]s instead of itself.}}
|{{HistoryLine||October 3, 2020|link={{ytl|DWZIfsaIgtE|t=1h50m33s}}|Copper ore is revealed at [[Minecraft Live 2020]].}}
|{{HistoryLine||1.17|dev=20w45a|Added [[copper ore]].}}
|{{HistoryLine|||dev=February 17, 2021|slink={{Tweet|HenrikKniberg|1362095363314876418}}|[[Henrik Kniberg]] showcases [[deepslate]] (then grimstone) variants of Overworld ore.}}
|{{HistoryLine|||dev=21w08a|Added [[deepslate iron ore]], [[deepslate gold ore]], [[deepslate diamond ore]], [[deepslate redstone ore]], and [[deepslate lapis lazuli ore]].}}
|{{HistoryLine|||dev=21w10a|Added [[deepslate coal ore]], [[deepslate emerald ore]], and [[deepslate copper ore]]. They do not generate in Survival mode as they are intended for usage by map makers and datapack creators.
|[[Fossils]] that generate below Y{{=}}0 now generate with deepslate diamond ore.}}
|{{HistoryLine|||dev=21w14a|If iron, gold and copper ores are broken without [[Silk Touch]], they drop raw metal instead.}}
|{{HistoryLine|||dev=21w16a|[[Deepslate emerald ore]] now generates naturally.
|Added ore veins in the prototype data pack, which contain copper ore and deepslate iron ore.}}
|{{HistoryLine|||dev=21w17a|[[Deepslate coal ore]] and [[deepslate copper ore]] now generate naturally.}}
|{{HistoryLine||1.18|dev=Experimental Snapshot 1|Deepslate emerald ore and deepslate coal ore no longer generate naturally.}}
|{{HistoryLine|||dev=21w40a|Deepslate emerald ore can now generate naturally, again.}}
|{{HistoryLine|||dev=21w44a|Deepslate coal ore can now generate naturally, again.}}
|{{HistoryLine||1.20.2|dev=23w31a|Increased the generate amount of diamond ore below Y{{=}}0.}}

|{{HistoryLine|pocket alpha}}
|{{HistoryLine||v0.1.0|Added [[coal ore]], [[iron ore]], [[gold ore]], [[diamond ore]], [[redstone ore]], and [[lapis lazuli ore]].}}
|{{HistoryLine||v0.3.0|Coal ore now drops [[coal]].
|Lapis lazuli ore now drops [[lapis lazuli]].}}
|{{HistoryLine||v0.3.2|Diamond ore now drops a [[diamond]].
|Iron and [[gold ore]]s are now [[smelt]]able into [[ingot]]s.}} 
|{{HistoryLine||v0.8.0|dev=build 1|Redstone ore now drops [[redstone dust]].}}
|{{HistoryLine||v0.9.0|dev=build 1|Added [[emerald ore]].}}
|{{HistoryLine||v0.12.1|dev=build 1|Added [[nether quartz ore]].
|Mining ores now gives [[experience]].}}
|{{HistoryLine|bedrock}}
|{{HistoryLine||1.16.0|dev=beta 1.16.0.51|Added [[ancient debris]].}}
|{{HistoryLine|||dev=beta 1.16.0.57|Added [[nether gold ore]].}}
|{{HistoryLine||1.16.210|exp=Caves and Cliffs|dev=beta 1.16.210.57|Added [[copper ore]].}}
|{{HistoryLine||1.16.220|exp=Caves and Cliffs|dev=beta 1.16.220.52|Copper ore is no longer randomly rotated.}}
|{{HistoryLine||1.17.0|exp=Caves and Cliffs|dev=beta 1.16.230.52|Added [[deepslate coal ore]], [[deepslate copper ore]], [[deepslate iron ore]], [[deepslate gold ore]], [[deepslate diamond ore]], [[deepslate redstone ore]], [[deepslate lapis lazuli ore]], and [[deepslate emerald ore]]
|Ore is generated as normal, when the ore is generated where Deepslate has been generated, deepslate ore is generated instead.}}
|{{HistoryLine|||dev=beta 1.17.0.50|If iron, gold and copper ores are broken without [[Silk Touch]], they drop raw metal instead.}}
|{{HistoryLine||1.17.0|dev=beta 1.17.0.52|Copper ore, alongside deepslate ore variants are no longer available only in [[experimental gameplay]].}}

|{{HistoryLine|console}}
|{{HistoryLine||xbox=TU1|xbone=CU1|ps3=1.00|psvita=1.00|ps4=1.00|wiiu=Patch 1|switch=1.0.1|Added [[coal ore]], [[iron ore]], [[gold ore]], [[diamond ore]], [[redstone ore]], and [[lapis lazuli ore]].}}
|{{HistoryLine||xbox=TU7|All ores (except iron and gold) now drop experience points when mined.}}
|{{HistoryLine||xbox=TU14|ps3=1.04|psvita=1.00|ps4=1.00|Added [[emerald ore]] and [[nether quartz ore]].}}
|{{HistoryLine||xbox=TU43|xbone=CU33|ps3=1.36|psvita=1.36|ps4=1.36|wiiu=Patch 13|20 additional blobs of gold ore now generate in [[mesa]] biomes between Y{{=}}32 and Y{{=}}79.}}

|{{HistoryLine|New 3DS}}
|{{HistoryLine||0.1.0|Added [[coal ore]], [[iron ore]], [[gold ore]], [[diamond ore]], [[redstone ore]], [[lapis lazuli ore]], [[emerald ore]], and [[nether quartz ore]].}}
}}

== Issues ==
{{issue list}}

== Trivia ==
*Since it is exclusive to only two categories of Overworld biomes (mountains and windswept hills), emerald ore is actually rarer than ancient debris per chunk.
*The texture of ores were changed in 1.17 to make them distinct for color blind players.<ref>{{tweet|JasperBoerstra|1362396465470005251|Adjusted the new ores. If you are color blind, please give feedback - and state what kind of color blindness you have :)|February 18, 2021}}</ref>

== Gallery ==
<gallery>
Every Overworld Ore.png|All of the current overworld ores, including deepslate variants.
Deep ores.png|Naturally generated [[diamond ore]], [[redstone ore]] and [[lapis lazuli ore]] found in a [[canyon]]. Check the image for seed and coordinates.
Compact Ore Cave.jpg|Multiple ores found in one cave.
Ores in a Ravine.png|Several types of ore in a ravine.
Ksg.png|Some ore being mined.
PercentOfOreByHeight.png|This graph shows the actual amount of ores found in a relatively small but untapped world as of [[Java Edition 1.12.2]].
Ore Layout.png|The pre-caves & cliffs ore textures.
Floating Ores.png|Floating ores and lava.
Ancient Debris Spawn Rate Per Layer.png|This graph shows the actual amount of [[ancient debris]] found in a relatively small but untapped world in [[Java Edition 20w06a]]
</gallery>

=== Caves and Cliffs development ===
<gallery>
21w07a Texture comparison.jpg|21w07a texture comparison.
Grimstone ores.jpg|The now and soon texture comparison of the ores and their deepslate variants (before 21w08a).
Ores in 1.17.png|Normal ores generating within deepslate (before the addition of deepslate ores).
Deepslate ores.png|Early deepslate ore textures.
Ore textures pre-release.jpg|An image showing another texture for deepslate diamond ore which improves on blending the ore texture with the base deepslate.
Grimstone diamond ore pre-release.png|An image showing another texture for deepslate [[diamond ore]] which improves on blending the ore texture with the base deepslate.
Jappa Ores 1.jpg|More ore texture revisions.
Jappa Ores 2.jpg|More ore texture revisions.
Ore textures pre-release 2.jpg|An image showing new iron and diamond texture.
21w08a Texture comparison.jpg|21w08a texture comparison.
21w10a Texture comparison.jpg|21w10a texture comparison.
21w07a approximate ore distribution.jpg|Ore distribution in 21w07a.
21w08a approximate ore distribution.jpg|Ore distribution in 21w08a/21w08b.
21w10a approximate ore distribution.jpg|Ore distribution in 21w10a.
21w18a approximate ore distribution.jpg|Ore distribution in 21w18a.
</gallery>

== References ==
{{reflist}}

== Navigation ==
{{Navbox ore}}
{{Navbox blocks|natural}}

[[Category:Ore| ]]

[[cs:Ruda]]
[[de:Erz]]
[[es:Mena]]
[[fr:Minerai]]
[[hu:Érc]]
[[it:Minerale grezzo (blocco)]]
[[ja:鉱石]]
[[ko:광석]]
[[pl:Rudy]]
[[pt:Minério]]
[[ru:Руды]]
[[tr:Cevher]]
[[uk:Руда]]
[[zh:矿石]]
