Short answer: mine at Y -58 to -54. Diamonds generate everywhere below Y 16 and get more common the deeper you go, peaking at the bottom of the world. The bedrock layers at the very bottom get in the way, so the sweet spot is a few blocks above them.
The rest of this page explains why, which method finds the most diamonds per hour, and the one generation rule that makes caves less useful than they look.
RateMost common near Y -64
XP level3 to 7 XP per ore
Build time10 minutes to set up a strip mine
DifficultyBeginner
Where diamonds generate
Since the 1.18 cave update, diamond ore uses a triangle distribution: none above Y 16, then steadily more the lower you go, peaking at the bottom of the world around Y -64.
Below Y 0 almost all of it is deepslate diamond ore. It drops the same diamond as normal diamond ore; it just takes a little longer to break.
Why not dig at Y -64 itself? Bedrock fills Y -64 and appears randomly up to Y -60, so the bottom five layers are full of unbreakable blocks that break up your tunnels and hide ore behind them. A tunnel at Y -58 sits just above the bedrock mess while still being in the richest part of the curve.
Check your height with F3. On Java, press F3 and read the Y value under XYZ. Dig down to Y -58, then tunnel sideways from there.
Image: SyntaxMine, made from Minecraft's own textures.
Why caves hide fewer diamonds than you expect
Most diamond ore is reduced or removed where it would touch air:
- The largest batch of diamond blobs never generates next to air at all.
- Most of the rest has a 50% chance to skip any block that would be exposed.
That means cave walls, ravines and big open caverns show you only a fraction of the diamonds the stone around them holds. The diamonds are inside the rock, not on the surface of caves. This is why strip mining beats caving for diamonds, even though caving feels faster.
The best method: branch mining at Y -58
- Dig down to Y -58 with a staircase (never straight down).
- Dig a main tunnel two blocks high in one direction.
- Every third block, dig a side branch about 20 to 30 blocks long, one block wide, two high. Leaving two solid blocks between branches means every ore block is either visible from a tunnel or right next to one.
- Look at the walls, floor and ceiling as you go. Diamonds often come in small clusters, so when you find one, mine around it.
Bring torches, a water bucket (for lava, which is common at this depth), food, and at least two iron or diamond pickaxes. Only an iron pickaxe or better can mine diamond ore.
| Method |
Diamonds per hour |
Risk |
Notes |
| Branch mining at Y -58 |
High and steady |
Low |
Finds the ore hidden inside rock |
| Caving |
Varies a lot |
Medium to high |
Exposed ore is reduced, mobs everywhere |
| TNT or bed mining |
High burst |
Medium |
Fast, costs TNT and breaks some drops |
Fortune III: how much more you get
A pickaxe with Fortune III turns each diamond ore into 2.2 diamonds on average: a 40% chance of 1, and a 20% chance each of 2, 3 or 4. That is more than double the yield of a normal pickaxe.
The usual routine: mine diamonds with Fortune, but carry a Silk Touch pickaxe too. Silk Touch picks up the ore block itself, so you can carry it home and break it later with Fortune if you get your Fortune pickaxe after the trip.
Fortune and Silk Touch cannot be on the same pickaxe. Both come from the enchanting table or a librarian.
Other places diamonds show up
- Loot chests: buried treasure, shipwrecks, desert and jungle temples, villages, ruined portals and End cities can all contain diamonds.
- Villagers: armorers, toolsmiths and weaponsmiths sell diamond gear, which is often cheaper than crafting it from scratch.
- Ice caves in 26.4: ore in the new ice caves is placed inside pockets of stone and deepslate, diamonds included, so the same depths apply there. See 26.4 Snapshot 3.
Once you have diamonds, the next step is netherite: the netherite guide covers ancient debris and its own best Y level.
Frequently asked questions
What is the best Y level for diamonds in Minecraft 26.3?
Y -58 to -54. Diamonds become more common the deeper you go and peak at the bottom of the world, but bedrock gets in the way below about Y -59.
What is the highest Y level diamonds can generate at?
Y 16. Above that there is no diamond ore at all.
Why can't I find diamonds in caves?
Most diamond ore is reduced or removed where it would touch air, so cave walls show far fewer diamonds than solid rock holds. Branch mining finds more.
How many diamonds does Fortune III give?
2.2 diamonds per ore on average, more than double a normal pickaxe.
What pickaxe do you need to mine diamonds?
Iron or better. A stone or wooden pickaxe breaks the ore and drops nothing.
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