Diamond ore is a rare ore that generates deep underground, and is the most abundant and reliable source of diamonds.
Deepslate diamond ore is a variant of diamond ore that can generate in deepslate and tuff blobs.
Obtaining
Natural generation

Diamond ore generates in the Overworld in the form of blobs. Diamond ore is more common as the y-level decreases, and ore blobs also have a chance to not be generated if they are exposed to air; however, they can be found next to water or lava. Blob generation occurs in three batches:
- 7 blobs of 1-4 ores per chunk, from Y=14 to Y=-63. There is a 50% chance to not generate a blob if it is next to air.
- 1 blob of 1-12 ores every 1⁄9 chunks, from Y=14 to Y=-63. There is a 70% chance to not generate a blob if it is next to air.
- 4 blobs of 1-8 ores per chunk. These blobs will not generate if they are next to air.
Diamond ore can replace stone, granite, diorite, andesite, tuff, and deepslate. Diamond ore that replaces tuff or deepslate will become deepslate diamond ore. Diamond ore generating under Y=0 or in a deepslate blob will also be replaced by its deepslate variant.
Breaking
The diamond ore block itself (rather than its diamond drops) can be obtained by mining it with an iron, diamond or netherite pickaxe with the Silk Touch enchantment. When mined without Silk Touch, diamond ore drops a single diamond. The maximum amount of diamonds dropped can be increased with Fortune. Fortune I gives a 1⁄3 chance for 2 diamonds, averaging 1.33 diamonds, Fortune II gives a 25% chance (each) to give 2 or 3 diamonds, averaging 1.75 diamonds, and Fortune III gives a 20% chance (each) to give 2, 3, or 4 diamonds, averaging 2.2 diamonds.
Block | Diamond Ore | Deepslate Diamond Ore | |
---|---|---|---|
Hardness | 3 | 4.5 | |
Tool | |||
Breaking time[A] | |||
Default | 15 | 22.5 | |
Wooden | 7.5 | 11.25 | |
Stone | 3.75 | 5.65 | |
Iron | 0.75 | 1.15 | |
Diamond | 0.6 | 0.85 | |
Netherite | 0.5 | 0.75 | |
Golden | 1.25 | 1.9 |
- ↑ Times are for unenchanted tools as wielded by players with no status effects, measured in seconds. For more information, see Breaking § Speed.
Usage
Smelting ingredient
Name | Ingredients | Smelting recipe |
---|---|---|
Diamond | Diamond Ore or Deepslate Diamond Ore + Any fuel |
Note Blocks
Diamond ore can be placed under note blocks to produce "bass drum" sounds.
Sounds
Diamond ore
Sound | Subtitles | Source | Description | Resource location | 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 | 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 | |
None[sound 1] | Entity-Dependent | Falling on the block with fall damage | block.stone.fall | None[sound 1] | 0.5 | 0.75 | 16 | |
Footsteps | Entity-Dependent | Walking on the block | block.stone.step | subtitles.block.generic.footsteps | 0.15 | 1.0 | 16 |
Sound | Source | Description | Resource location | Volume | Pitch |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Blocks | Once the block has broken | dig.stone | 1.0 | 0.8-1.0 | |
Blocks | When the block is placed | dig.stone | 1.0 | 0.8-1.0 | |
Blocks | While the block is in the process of being broken | hit.stone | 0.37 | 0.5 | |
Players | Falling on the block with fall damage | fall.stone | 0.4 | 1.0 | |
Players | Walking on the block | step.stone | 0.3 | 1.0 | |
Players | Jumping from the block | jump.stone | 0.12 | 1.0 | |
Players | Falling on the block without fall damage | land.stone | 0.22 | 1.0 |
Deepslate diamond ore
Sound | Subtitles | Source | Description | Resource location | 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 | 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 | |
None[sound 1] | Entity-Dependent | Falling on the block with fall damage | block.deepslate.fall | None[sound 1] | 0.5 | 0.75 | 16 | |
Footsteps | Entity-Dependent | Walking on the block | block.deepslate.step | subtitles.block.generic.footsteps | 0.15 | 1.0 | 16 |
Sound | Source | Description | Resource location | 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
Name | Identifier | Form | Block tags (JE) | Translation key |
---|---|---|---|---|
Diamond Ore | diamond_ore | Block & Item | diamond_ores mineable/pickaxe needs_iron_tool | block.minecraft.diamond_ore |
Deepslate Diamond Ore | deepslate_diamond_ore | Block & Item | diamond_ores mineable/pickaxe needs_iron_tool | block.minecraft.deepslate_diamond_ore |
Name | Identifier | Numeric ID | Form | Translation key |
---|---|---|---|---|
Diamond Ore | diamond_ore | 56 | Block & Giveable Item[i 1] | tile.diamond_ore.name |
Deepslate Diamond Ore | deepslate_diamond_ore | 660 | Block & Giveable Item[i 1] | tile.deepslate_diamond_ore.name |
History
Java Edition Indev | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
0.31 | 20100128 | ![]() | |||
20100130 | Emerald ore from the previous version is now referred to as diamond ore. | ||||
20100201-2 | The drop rate of diamonds has been reduced to 1 per ore mined (down from 1-3). | ||||
Java Edition Infdev | |||||
20100227-1 | Diamond ore no longer generates. | ||||
20100320 | Diamond ore blobs now generate, but differently. | ||||
20100325 | Ore blobs now appear more like they do today. | ||||
20100327 | Diamond ore now regenerates after the world is reloaded, assuming that the positions of the ore blocks were replaced by stone. | ||||
20100330 | Diamond ore no longer regenerates. | ||||
Java Edition Beta | |||||
1.6 | Test Build 3 | Before this update, diamond was about 50% rarer in the north-east quadrant of the point (0,0) compared to the quadrant to the south-west. In this update, clay blocks are now more rare than diamond due to a glitch. | |||
1.8 | Pre-release | Diamond ore has now become about 25% rarer. | |||
Java Edition | |||||
1.0.0 | Beta 1.9 Prerelease 4 | Diamond ore can now be collected with Silk Touch, dropping the block itself. | |||
Diamond ore now drops extra diamonds with the Fortune enchantment. | |||||
1.3.1 | 12w22a | Mining diamond ore now drops experience orbs. | |||
1.13 | 17w47a | Prior to The Flattening, this block's numeral ID was 56. | |||
Texture Update | January 4, 2018 | ![]() | |||
1.14 | 18w43a | ![]() | |||
19w08a | ![]() | ||||
1.17 | 21w07a | ![]() | |||
Diamond ore now generates as a spread, generating below Y=16 and peaking at Y=-64. | |||||
February 17, 2021 | ![]() | ||||
February 18, 2021 | ![]() | ||||
February 22, 2021 | ![]() | ||||
21w08a | ![]() | ||||
Added diamond_ores block tag. | |||||
If a diamond ore blob is exposed to air, it has a 50% chance of not generating. | |||||
March 2, 2021 | ![]() | ||||
March 4, 2021 | ![]() | ||||
21w10a | ![]() ![]() | ||||
Deepslate diamond ore now generates instead of coal ore on fossils that generate below Y=0. | |||||
Diamond ore blobs are now smaller but slightly more frequent, making diamond ore overall less common. | |||||
21w13a | Larger diamond ore blobs sometimes form. | ||||
21w15a | All the changes to diamond ore generation in the previous 1.17 snapshots have been reverted, but they can be re-enabled with the Caves & Cliffs Prototype Data Pack. | ||||
1.18 | Experimental Snapshot 1 | Diamond ore once again generates the way it did in the 1.17 snapshots without the use of a data pack. | |||
21w40a | Increased the amount of unexposed diamond ore. | ||||
Pocket Edition Alpha | |||||
v0.1.0 | ![]() | ||||
v0.3.2 | Diamond ore is now obtainable. | ||||
v0.12.1 | build 1 | Mining diamond ore now drops experience orbs. | |||
Diamond ore can now be collected with Silk Touch, dropping the block itself. | |||||
Diamond ore now drop extra diamonds with the Fortune enchantment. | |||||
Bedrock Edition | |||||
1.10.0 | beta 1.10.0.3 | ![]() | |||
1.11.0 | beta 1.11.0.5 | ![]() | |||
1.16.220 | beta 1.16.220.50 | ![]() | |||
1.17.0 | beta 1.16.230.52 | ![]() | |||
beta 1.16.230.54 | ![]() | ||||
? | Diamond ore generation was unintentionally made twice as rare.[1] | ||||
1.17.2 | Diamond ore once again generates in the expected amounts. | ||||
Legacy Console Edition | |||||
TU1 | CU1 | 1.0 | Patch 1 | 1.0.1 | ![]() |
1.90 | ![]() | ||||
New Nintendo 3DS Edition | |||||
0.1.0 | ![]() |
Issues
Issues relating to "Diamond Ore" are maintained on the bug tracker. Report issues there.
Trivia
- In some blob formations, ores connect diagonally.
- After the Caves & Cliffs update, diamond ore is the only type of Overworld ore that largely keeps the classic ore texture, with only some minor tweaks to coloration.
Gallery
Naturally generated diamond ore, Redstone Ore and Lapis Lazuli Ore found in a Canyon.
Miscellaneous
See also
References
External Links
- Block of the Week: Diamond Ore – Minecraft.net on October 20, 2017