Iron Ore

For other iron-related blocks and items, see Iron.

Iron Ore

Renewable	No
Stackable	Yes (64)
Tool
Blast resistance	3
Hardness	Iron Ore: 3 Deepslate Iron Ore: 4.5
Luminous	No
Transparent	No
Flammable	No
Catches fire from lava	No
Map color	11 STONE  59 DEEPSLATE
Note block instrument	Bass Drum
Sulfur cube archetype	Slow Flat

Iron ore is a mineral block typically found underground. It is a source of raw iron, which can be smelted into iron ingots.

Deepslate iron ore is the deepslate variant of iron ore. It is found in deepslate layers.

Obtaining

Breaking

Iron ore itself can be obtained by mining it with a stone pickaxe or higher enchanted with Silk Touch. When mined without Silk Touch, iron ore drops a single raw iron. It is affected by the Fortune enchantment, dropping 1–2, 1–3, or 1–4 raw iron with Fortune I, II, and III, respectively.

Block	Iron Ore	Deepslate Iron Ore
Hardness	3	4.5
Tool
Breaking time (sec)[A]
Default	115 (JE) 15 (BE)	122.5 (JE) 22.5 (BE)
Wooden	17.5 (JE) 7.5 (BE)	111.25 (JE) 11.25 (BE)
Stone	11.15 (JE) 1.15 (BE)	11.7 (JE) 1.7 (BE)
Copper	10.9 (JE) 0.9 (BE)	11.35 (JE) 1.35 (BE)
Iron	10.75 (JE) 0.75 (BE)	11.15 (JE) 1.15 (BE)
Diamond	10.6 (JE) 0.6 (BE)	10.85 (JE) 0.85 (BE)
Netherite	10.5 (JE) 0.5 (BE)	10.75 (JE) 0.75 (BE)
Golden	11.3 (JE) 1.25 (BE)	11.9 (JE) 1.9 (BE)
Options
Efficiency	000
Haste	001 1JEBE

Legend

• incorrect tool, drops nothing
• correct tool, drops nothing or something other than the block itself
• correct tool, drops the block itself
• italicized can be instant mined

Natural generation

Iron ore generates in three batches. The first batch attempts to generate 90 times per chunk in blobs of 0–13‌^{[JE only]} or 0–16‌^{[BE only]}, from levels 80 to 384, being most common around level 232 and becoming less common toward either end of the range. The second batch attempts to generate 10 times per chunk in blobs of 0–13‌^{[JE only]} or 0–16‌^{[BE only]}, from levels −24 to 56, being most common around level 16 and becoming less common toward either end of the range. The third batch attempts to generate 10 times per chunk in blobs of 0–5, evenly from levels −64 to 72.

Iron ore can replace stone, andesite, diorite, granite, tuff, and deepslate. Iron ore that replaces tuff below Y=0 or deepslate becomes deepslate iron ore.

Iron ore can generate as a large ore vein found in the deepslate layer, consisting of iron ore, blocks of raw iron, and tuff.

Iron ore also generates in abandoned camps.

Usage

The primary usage of iron ore is to mine it for raw iron.

Smelting ingredient

Ingredients	Smelting recipe
Iron Ore or  Deepslate Iron Ore + Any fuel	0.7

Sounds

Iron ore

Java Edition:

stone sound type
Sound	Closed captions	Source	Description	Identifier	Translation key	Volume	Pitch	Attenuation distance
	​Block broken	Blocks	Once the block has broken	block.stone.break	subtitles.block.generic.break​	1.0	0.8	16
	​Block placed​[until: JE 26.4]	Blocks	When the block is placed	block.stone.place	subtitles.block.generic.place​	1.0	0.8	16
	​Block breaking	Blocks	While the block is in the process of being broken	block.stone.hit	subtitles.block.generic.hit​	0.25	0.5	16
	​Something falls on a block	Entity-Dependent	Falling on the block with fall damage	block.stone.fall	subtitles.block.generic.fall​	0.5	0.75	16
	​Footsteps	Entity-Dependent	Walking on the block	block.stone.step	subtitles.block.generic.footsteps​	0.15	1.0	16

Bedrock Edition:

stone sound type
Sound	Closed captions	Source	Description	Identifier	Translation key	Volume	Pitch
	​Block broken	Blocks	Once the block has broken	dig.stone	subtitles.block.generic.break​	1.0	0.8–1.0
	​Block placed	Blocks	When the block is placed	place.stone	subtitles.block.generic.place​	1.0	0.8–1.0
	​Block breaking	Blocks	While the block is in the process of being broken	hit.stone	subtitles.block.generic.hit​	0.37	0.5
	​Footsteps	Players	Falling on the block with fall damage	fall.stone	subtitles.block.generic.footsteps​	0.4	1.0
	​Footsteps	Players	Walking on the block	step.stone	subtitles.block.generic.footsteps​	0.3	1.0
	​Footsteps	Blocks	Jumping from the block	jump.stone	subtitles.block.generic.footsteps​	0.12	1.0
	​Footsteps	Blocks	Falling on the block without fall damage	land.stone	subtitles.block.generic.footsteps​	0.22	1.0

Deepslate iron ore

Java Edition:

deepslate sound type
Sound	Closed captions	Source	Description	Identifier	Translation key	Volume	Pitch	Attenuation distance
	​Block broken	Blocks	Once the block has broken	block.deepslate.break	subtitles.block.generic.break​	1.0	0.8	16
	​Block placed​[until: JE 26.4]	Blocks	When the block is placed	block.deepslate.place	subtitles.block.generic.place​	1.0	0.8	16
	​Block breaking	Blocks	While the block is in the process of being broken	block.deepslate.hit	subtitles.block.generic.hit​	0.25	0.5	16
	​Something falls on a block	Entity-Dependent	Falling on the block with fall damage	block.deepslate.fall	subtitles.block.generic.fall​	0.5	0.75	16
	​Footsteps	Entity-Dependent	Walking on the block	block.deepslate.step	subtitles.block.generic.footsteps​	0.15	1.0	16

Bedrock Edition:

deepslate sound type
Sound	Closed captions	Source	Description	Identifier	Translation key	Volume	Pitch
	​ ?	Blocks	Once the block has broken	dig.deepslate	​ ?	1.0	0.8–1.0
	​ ?	Blocks	When the block is placed	place.deepslate	​ ?	1.0	0.8–1.0
	​ ?	Blocks	While the block is in the process of being broken	hit.deepslate	​ ?	0.3	0.5
	​ ?	Players	Falling on the block with fall damage	fall.deepslate	​ ?	0.4	1.0
	​ ?	Players	Walking on the block	step.deepslate	​ ?	0.3	1.0
	​ ?	Players	Jumping from the block	jump.deepslate	​ ?	0.12	1.0
	​ ?	Players	Falling on the block without fall damage	land.deepslate	​ ?	0.22	1.0

Data values

ID

Java Edition:

Name	Identifier	Form	Block tags	Item tags	Translation key
Iron Ore	iron_ore	Block & Item	iron_ores mineable/pickaxe needs_stone_tool	iron_ores	block.minecraft.iron_ore
Deepslate Iron Ore	deepslate_iron_ore	Block & Item	iron_ores mineable/pickaxe needs_stone_tool	iron_ores	block.minecraft.deepslate_iron_ore

Bedrock Edition:

Name	Identifier	Numeric ID	Form	Item ID[i 1]	Translation key
Iron Ore	iron_ore	15	Block & Giveable Item[i 2]	Identical[i 3]	tile.iron_ore.name
Deepslate Iron Ore	deepslate_iron_ore	656	Block & Giveable Item[i 2]	Identical[i 3] (Numeric: -401)	tile.deepslate_iron_ore.name

Videos

History

Development

Java Edition

Java Edition Classic
0.0.14a							Added iron ore.
							Iron ore spawns in huge blobs, sometimes big enough to protrude into 3 caverns, and could be as big as 167 blocks.
0.0.19a							Iron ore is not placeable under normal conditions, as it is not present on the hotbar. This version is the one that introduces the concept of inventory sprites, and the sprite here can be seen in later versions.
0.26 SURVIVAL TEST							Breaking iron ore now gives the player 1–3 blocks of iron when mined.
Java Edition Indev
0.31			20100124-2119				Iron ore now generates in starting house chests.
			20100128-2200				Iron ore now drops itself instead of blocks of iron when mined.
			20100129-1447				Iron ore can now be smelted by throwing it into fire.
							Iron ore no longer generates in starting house chests.
			20100201-2227				Iron ore now requires a stone pickaxe or higher to be obtained.
Java Edition Infdev
20100227-1414							Iron ore no longer generates.
20100320							Iron ore blobs now generates in veins of 1.
20100325-1545							Ore blobs now appear more like they do today.
20100327							Iron ore now regenerates after the world is reloaded, assuming that the positions of the ore blocks were replaced by stone.
20100330							Iron ore no longer regenerates.
Java Edition
1.3.1			12w22a				Smelting iron ore, along with other ores, blocks and items, gives the player experience orbs when taking the item out of the furnace. One stack of iron ore gives the player approximately 2 levels of experience.
Texture Update			?				A new texture for iron ore has been proposed.
1.14			18w43a				The texture of iron ore has been changed.
1.14.1			pre1				The texture of iron ore has been changed again.
1.17			21w06a				The height limit was expanded down to Y=-64. Iron ores are temporary generating from Y=-64 instead of Y=0.
			21w07a				The texture of iron ore has been changed, once again.
							Iron ore now attempts to generate twice: once as a triangle spread peaking at an altitude of Y=256, generating above Y=128; and another as a triangle spread peaking at Y=32 and generating with a minimum height of Y=-16 and a maximum height of Y=80.
			February 17, 2021				Henrik Kniberg shows grimstone variant of iron ore.
			February 18, 2021				JAPPA shows updated iron ore texture and grimstone variant of iron ore.
			February 22, 2021				JAPPA shows another updated iron ore texture and grimstone variant of iron ore.
			21w08a				Added deepslate iron ore.
							The texture of iron ore has been changed again.
							Iron ore now generates less frequently. However, a bug exists in this version where regular iron ore are generated way more infrequent.
							Iron ore can now generate in negative Y-levels in smaller blobs.
			21w08b				Regular iron ore now generates more frequently than in 21w08a.[1]
			March 2, 2021				JAPPA shows updated iron ore texture.
			March 4, 2021				JAPPA shows updated deepslate variant of iron ore texture.
			21w10a				The textures of iron ore and deepslate iron ore was updated.
							Now generates less iron ore, and it generates lower down. The deepest iron generation range: previously Y = -64 to -8, now Y = -64 to -32. The middle iron generation range: previously Y = -16 to 80(most at 32), now Y = -24 to 56(most at 16).
			21w14a				It now drops raw iron when broken without Silk Touch, instead of itself.
			21w15a				All changes to iron ore generation in the previous 1.17 snapshots have been reverted, but they can be re-enabled with the Caves & Cliffs Prototype Data Pack.
			21w18a				Extended the vertical range of the smaller blobs of iron ore, to make it possible to find iron in caves near the surface, but only if the Caves & Cliffs Prototype Data Pack is applied to a world.
							Slightly reduced the amount of normal-sized iron ore blobs, to compensate for large ore veins and the increased range of smaller blobs, but only if the Caves & Cliffs Prototype Data Pack is applied to a world.
1.18			Experimental Snapshot 1				All previous changes to ore distribution from the prototype data pack have been implemented into the base game.
							Expanded the generation vertical range. The highest iron generation range: previously Y = 128 to 384, now Y = 112 to 384. The middle iron generation range: previously Y = -64 to 64, now Y = -64 to 72.
			experimental snapshot 4				Normal-sized blob now generates more frequently.
			21w40a				Decreased minimum generation height of the upper range of Iron Ore from Y=112 to Y=80, and increased the number of blobs.
26.2			snap1				Added sulfur cubes, which have the ability to absorb iron ore, providing the medicine ball/slow flat effect to the mob.

Bedrock Edition

Pocket Edition Alpha
v0.1.0							Added iron ore.
v0.3.0							Iron ore is now obtainable in Survival mode.
v0.3.2							Iron ore is now available in the Creative inventory.
							With the addition of furnaces, iron ore is able to be smelted into iron ingots.
v0.12.1			build 1				Iron ore now gives experience when smelted.
Bedrock Edition
1.10.0			beta 1.10.0.3				The texture of iron ore has been changed.
1.16.220 Experiment Caves and Cliffs			beta 1.16.220.50				The texture of iron ore has been changed.
							In the Caves and Cliffs experimental gameplay, additional blobs of iron ore now generate in new mountain biomes between Y=129 and Y=256.
1.17.0 Experiment Caves and Cliffs			beta 1.16.230.52				Added deepslate iron ore behind the Caves and Cliffs experimental gameplay.
			beta 1.16.230.54				Iron ore texture was updated.
			beta 1.16.230.56				In the Caves and Cliffs experimental gameplay, iron ore now attempts to generate four times: the first as a triangle spread peaking at an altitude of Y=256, generating above Y=129; the second as a triangle spread peaking at Y=16 and generating with a minimum height of Y=-23 and a maximum height of Y=55; the third generating in smaller blobs evenly from Y=-64 to Y=-32; and the fourth as extra blobs introduced in beta 1.16.220.50, generating in new mountain biomes.
			beta 1.17.0.50				It now drops raw iron when broken without Silk Touch, instead of itself.
1.17.0			beta 1.17.0.52				Now deepslate iron ore generates without the Caves and Cliffs experimental gameplay.
1.17.30 Experiment Caves and Cliffs			beta 1.17.20.21				In the Caves and Cliffs experimental gameplay, extended the vertical range of the smaller blobs of iron ore, and slightly reduced the amount of normal-sized iron ore blobs.
1.17.40 Experiment Caves and Cliffs			beta 1.17.40.20				In the Caves and Cliffs experimental gameplay, expanded the generation vertical range. And normal-sized blob now generates more frequently.
1.18.0			beta 1.18.0.20				Removed “Caves and Cliffs” experimental toggle. New iron ore generation are now available through normal gameplay.
							Iron ore generation height has been tweaked.
							Increased the spawn size of normal-sized iron ore blobs from 9 to 10.
			beta 1.18.0.21				Decreased minimum generation height of the upper range of Iron Ore from Y=113 to Y=81, and increased the number of blobs.
			beta 1.18.0.22				Iron ore generation height has been tweaked to be in parity with Java Edition.
			beta 1.18.0.24				Removed extra blobs generating in mountain biomes.
1.20.30			Preview 1.20.20.21				Increased the blast resistance of deepslate iron ore from 1.8 to 3.
26.20 Experiment Drop 2 of 2026			Preview 26.20.23				Added sulfur cubes, which have the ability to absorb iron ore, providing the medicine ball/slow flat effect to the mob.
26.30			Preview 26.30.20				Implemented all features from the "Drop 2 of 2026" experiment in vanilla gameplay.

Legacy Console Edition

Legacy Console Edition
Xbox 360	Xbox One	PS3	PS4	PS Vita	Wii U	Switch
TU1	CU1	1.00	1.00	1.00	Patch 1	1.0.1	Added iron ore.
TU7							Smelting iron ore now gives experience.
			1.90				The texture of iron ore has been changed.

New Nintendo 3DS Edition

New Nintendo 3DS Edition
0.1.0							Added iron ore.

Data history

Issues

Issues relating to "Iron Ore" or "Deepslate Iron Ore" are maintained on the bug tracker. Issues should be reported and viewed there.

Gallery

Screenshots

• 
  A total of 20 iron ore blocks were obtained from this blob, which was likely composed of two smaller blobs.
• 
  Iron ore blob
• 
  Ravine with multiple ores, water and lava falls, and stronghold bridge over it
• 
  Vein of deepslate iron ore with some raw iron blocks
• 
  Iron ore in a cave

In other media

• 
  Iron ore as it appeared in Minecraft Earth
• 
  Iron ore as it appears in Minecraft Legends

References

External links

• Block of the Week: Iron Ore – Minecraft.net on June 30, 2017