The 1.18 update of the game saw a massive rework to how ores were generated in your Minecraft world. The same has remained consistent for version 1.19 of the game.
Gone are the days when you could find and stack a ton of diamonds by simply split mining at Y level 12.
The newer updates introduced the possibility of negative Y levels in the Overworld and thus, significantly changed the generation mechanics of ores.
While the 1.18 update entirely revamped Ore Distribution, some mild changes occurred in versions 1.19 as well with the addition of the new Deep Dark biome.
These changes are especially visible for Diamonds, and it’s become very noticeable how the resource has become increasingly scarce.
Below you’ll find an in-depth guide regarding the Ore Distribution system in 1.19 of the game, along with Ore details.
Minecraft 1.19 Ore Distribution
Minecraft 1.19 distributes Ores in a triangular geometry. Each Ore has a distribution level connected to it, which is a range of levels between a minimum and maximum number.
Ores’ generation probabilities increase/decrease as you move between this number range.
The best area to find an Ore is the midpoint between this minimum and maximum distribution.
To understand this better, the minimum value in this range is the first level of the Overworld, where the resource can generate.
On the other hand, the maximum value is the last level where this Ore can be found.
Beyond these two levels, you will never find the resource.
Additionally, both of these extremes have the slightest % chance of containing this Ore.
As you move between these two levels, however, the odds of this Ore generating start to increase.
This chance becomes the greatest once you reach the middle point between these two extremes.
For example, if a resource has the distribution range 10-30 associated with it, this means that the midpoint – 20 – will be the most probable level containing that Ore.
Now that you have a better understanding of how the Distribution system works, let’s move on to the specifics.
Best Ore Levels Minecraft 1.19
The following table gives a detailed analysis of the distribution information regarding all Ores in Minecraft version 1.19.
| Ore | Generation Range | Best Level |
|---|---|---|
| Coal | Y 256 to 136 / 192 to 0 | Y 96 |
| Redstone | Y 15 to -63 / -32 to -63 | Y -59 |
| Iron | Y 54 to -24 / 64 to -63 / 80 to 319 | Y 15 |
| Lapis Lazuli | Y 64 to -64 / 32 to -32 | Y -1 |
| Copper | Y 112 to -16 | Y 48 |
| Gold | Y 32 to -64 / -48 to -64 / 256 to 32 | Y -16 |
| Diamond | Y 14 to -63 | Y -59 |
| Emerald | Y 320 to -16 | Y 236 |
Also read: 20 Minecraft Quiz Questions for Ultimate Fans
Coal Distribution
Coal is most abundant on Y level 96 in Minecraft 1.19. This Ore has the greatest distribution range in the entire game.
Coal can generate anywhere between Y levels 256 to 0.
The level range from 80 to 100 has the highest chance of containing this Ore, with level 92 being its optimal location. Split Mining here is an efficient option.
Coal actually has two distribution possibilities, as seen in the chart. It first generates in mountain tops starting from Y level 256 and ending on 136.
This distribution does not follow the triangular pattern and instead has a constant rate of generation throughout.
Thus, your chances of finding Coal between these levels with respect to the first distribution range will remain the same throughout.
In the second distribution possibility, however, Coal follows the same triangular pattern as other ores.
It starts to generate at Y level 192 and goes all the way down to Y level 0.
In this range, Coal is most commonly found on Y levels 96 and 95.
Alternatively, you can also try mining at Y level 136, where both of these distribution values overlap, giving you a good chance of coming across this Ore.
Redstone Distribution
In Minecraft 1.19, the best area to look for Redstone is Y level -59.
Redstone is found between Y levels 15 to -64, and generation chances increase as you move deeper underground.
To efficiently mine Redstone while avoiding Bedrocks, Y level -59 is the most optimal choice.
Similar to Coal, Redstone also has 2 distribution systems.
Firstly, Redstone starts appearing at Y level 15 and goes down to level -63. In this range, it has an even probability of generation among all the levels.
In the second scenario, Redstone generates in a triangular shape from Y level -32 to -63. The generation probability consistently increases the further you go down.
This means that Y level -63, which is the last possible level, technically has the highest probability for Redstone to appear.
However, this still isn’t the best level to look for this Ore because it’s completely riddled with Bedrocks.
Bedrocks are unbreakable and will make your mining expedition highly inefficient.
Due to that, to avoid Bedrocks and still have a good chance of obtaining Redstone, you should mine at Y level -59.
Iron Distribution
Iron is most commonly found on Y level 15 in Minecraft 1.19. It is generated in three different capacities, and each of them features Iron Ore at different levels.
Y level 232 also has a significant probability of containing Iron, but its high value means that this will only occur in huge mountains and mountaintops.
As the chart indicates, Iron is distributed in three different systems. It is found evenly spread out from Y level 64 to -63.
In the second case, it follows the triangular spread starting from Y level 54 and ending at -24.
Here, 15 is the level that’s most probable for it to generate and also the most efficient one in finding Iron among all three distributions.
In the last spread, Iron is contained within Y levels 80 to 319. This also follows the triangle geometry, with Y level 232 being the optimal location for finding this Ore.
This level, however, is exceptionally high. That means that you’ll only find Iron here if you come across huge mountain tops and peaks.
These aren’t the most common thing to locate, and for that reason, Y level 15 turns out to be the best level to farm Iron Ore efficiently.
Additionally, large veins of Iron are produced anywhere below Y level 0 – these can also be an excellent source for finding this Ore.
Lapis Lazuli
The best location to find Lapis Lazuli in Minecraft 1.19 is Y level -1. Lapis Lazuli is generated in both a triangular and even shape.
Both of these overlap with one another on the same levels. Taking that into account, the highest probability for it to generate occurs at Y level -1.
Similar to Coal and Redstone, Lapis Lazuli is generated in two streams – triangular and even.
It is evenly distributed between the Y levels 64 to -64. On the other hand, it follows the triangle pattern from levels 32 to -32.
Both of these distributions overlap with one another, which is highly convenient.
What this essentially means is that the probabilities of both these systems generating Lapis Lazuli will be combined if you search for this Ore in their level ranges.
For the even system, you don’t have to search on a specific level since all probabilities are equal.
In the second system, the peak of the triangle comes at Y level -1.
This means that Y level -1 has the highest probability from the triangle system, combined with the probability of the even system to generate Lapis Lazuli inside of it – making it your go-to area for finding this Ore.
Copper Distribution
The most optimal location for finding Copper Ore in Minecraft 1.19 is the Y level 48. Copper Ore has a significantly greater generation rate in Dripstone Caves.
As such, Dripstone Caves occurring at Y level 48 have the highest probability of containing Copper Ore.
It can also be found in Copper veins generated below Y level 0.
Unlike the previously mentioned Ores, Copper only has 1 system according to which it generates.
It first starts to appear at Y level 112 and is last generated at level -16. It also follows the triangular shape of probability and peaks out at level 48.
This makes Y level 48 the best place to look for Copper Ore.
Like Iron, a large quantity of Copper can be found in veins that generate below Y level 0. These are usually quite huge in size and contain tons of this resource!
Lastly, for some reason, Copper Ore is very common in Dripstone Caves. These caves significantly increase the generation rate of this Ore.
Combining all of this together, the most efficient method of farming Copper Ore is to search in Dripstone Caves in Y level 48.
(Although these Caves can be rare to find so, locating one shouldn’t be your top priority).
Gold Distribution
Gold generates in 3 different batches spread across various levels. Overall, Gold is most efficiently found on the Y level -16 under ordinary conditions.
It’s even more abundant in Y levels 256 to 32; however, this is only limited to the Badlands biome.
Similar to Iron, Gold Ore has three distribution systems associated with it. Two of these are even distribution ones, whereas one is a triangular pattern.
In the case of the triangular pattern, Gold is found between Y levels 32 to -64.
The midpoint here comes out to be -16. Thus, this level has the highest probability of generating Gold Ore.
However, Gold has one more generation condition in this range which is that it only spawns in areas with reduced air exposure.
This means that it’ll only be found in constricted areas and will be rare to see in massive hollow caves.
In the case of the even systems, the first one spreads Gold out from Y levels -48 to -64.
It has a moderate chance of containing Gold Ore and should be least prioritized among all three distributions.
The second even system has the highest probability of containing Gold Ore. It generates the resource between Y levels 256 to 32.
The only problem here is that this is only applicable to the Badlands biome and does not generate in any other terrains.
Without this condition, this system would have been the best one to search for Gold.
Keeping all this in view, Y level -16 comes out to be the most reliable source of Gold Ore, even though the second even distribution has a much higher probability of containing the resource.
Diamond Distribution
The best area to mine for Diamonds in Minecraft 1.19 is Y level -59. Diamond is one of the rarest resources in the game, and it exclusively spawns in one distribution.
As such, there are no other level ranges except -14 to -63 for mining Diamonds. The highest probability of generation in the range is seen on Y level -59.
Diamonds tend to follow the triangular pattern of distribution. They’re first found at Y level -14 and are last seen on level -63.
Like Redstone, Diamond Ore’s generation probability increases the deeper you go underground.
Technically the highest chance of finding this Ore occurs at the bottom-most layer. However, the same logic applies in this case as it did with Redstone. (The Bedrocks there make mining difficult)
Among this range, the best possible level to find Diamonds comes out to be -59.
Even then, Diamonds are extremely rare, and unless you follow the right strategies, you might never find them!
Emerald Distribution
The optimal location to mine for Emeralds in Minecraft 1.19 is Y level 236. Emerald is the rarest naturally occurring resource in the game.
It generates between Y levels 320 and -16 and has the highest probability of being generated on Y level 236.
Due to these peculiar circumstances, Emeralds can be very difficult to find. They only have a real chance of generating in large mountains.
Note that this is only true for naturally generated ones. You can find a fair bit of them through other means such as trading with Villagers.