Diamond Ore

Diamond Ore

• Diamond Ore
• Deepslate Diamond Ore

Renewable	No
Stackable	Yes (64)
Tool
Blast resistance	3
Hardness	Diamond Ore: 3 Deepslate Diamond Ore: 4.5
Luminous	No
Transparent	No
Flammable	No
Catches fire from lava	No
Map color (Java)	11 STONE

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            "field": "No",
            "label": "(link to Flammable article, displayed as Flammable)"
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Diamond ore is a rare ore that generates deep underground, and drops diamonds when mined.

Deepslate diamond ore is a variant of diamond ore that can generate in deepslate and tuff blobs, and is more common than its regular variant.

Obtaining

Breaking

The diamond ore block itself (rather than its diamond drops) can be obtained by mining it with an iron pickaxe or better, with the Silk Touch enchantment. When mined without Silk Touch, diamond ore drops a single diamond. The maximum number of diamonds dropped from a diamond ore block 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 (sec)
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
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

Ore feature of diamond ore.

Diamond ore generates in the Overworld in the form of ore features, and is more common as the altitude decreases. Diamond ore blocks have a chance to not generate if they are exposed to air; however, they do not have a reduced chance to generate if exposed to water or lava, making them appear more commonly on the walls of aquifers.

Diamond ore generation occurs in four batches:

• 7 blobs of 1-5 ores per chunk, from Y=14 to Y=-63. There is a 50% chance to not generate an ore block if it is next to air.
• 1 blob of 1-23 ores every ¹⁄₉ chunks, from Y=14 to Y=-63. There is a 70% chance to not generate an ore block if it is next to air.
• 4 blobs of 1-10 ores per chunk, from Y=14 to Y=-63. Ore blocks do not generate if they are next to air.
• 2 blobs of 1-10 ores per chunk, from Y=-4 to Y=-63. There is a 50% chance to not generate an ore block if it is next to air.

Diamond ore can replace stone, andesite, diorite, granite, tuff, and deepslate. Diamond ore that replaces tuff or deepslate becomes deepslate diamond ore, which is more common than its regular variant because diamond ore is more likely to generate at lower altitudes.

Deepslate diamond ore also generates as part of fossils that generate below Y=0, replacing some of the bone blocks.

Usage

The primary usage of diamond ore is to mine it for diamonds.

Smelting ingredient

Name	Ingredients	[hide]Smelting recipe
Diamond	Diamond Ore or Deepslate Diamond Ore + Any fuel	1

Note blocks

Diamond ore can be placed under note blocks to produce "bass drum" sounds.

Sounds

Diamond ore

Java Edition:

[hide] v t e stone sound type
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
	​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:

[hide] v t e stone sound type
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
	Blocks	Jumping from the block	jump.stone	0.12	1.0
	Blocks	Falling on the block without fall damage	land.stone	0.22	1.0

Deepslate diamond ore

Java Edition:

[hide] v t e deepslate sound type
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
	​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:

[hide] v t e deepslate sound type
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

Java Edition:

Name	Identifier	Form	Block tags	[hide]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

Bedrock Edition:

Name	Identifier	Numeric ID	Form	Item ID	[hide]Translation key
Diamond Ore	diamond_ore	56	Block & Giveable Item	Identical	tile.diamond_ore.name
Deepslate Diamond Ore	deepslate_diamond_ore	660	Block & Giveable Item	Identical	tile.deepslate_diamond_ore.name

History

[hide]Java Edition Indev
0.31			20100128-2200				Added diamond ore. Initially, it was referred to as "emerald ore".
			20100130				Emerald ore from the previous version is now referred to as diamond ore.
			20100201-2227				The drop rate of diamonds has been reduced to 1 per ore mined (down from 1-3).
[hide]Java Edition Infdev
20100227-1414							Diamond ore no longer generates.
20100320							Diamond ore blobs now generate, but differently.
20100325-1545							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.
[hide]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.
[hide]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.
Texture Update			January 4, 2018				A new texture for diamond ore has been proposed.
1.14			18w43a				The texture of diamond ore has been changed.
			19w08a				The texture of diamond ore has been changed, once again.
1.17			21w06a				The height limit was expanded down to Y=-64. Diamond ores are temporary generating from Y=-64 instead of Y=0.
			21w07a				The texture of diamond ore has been changed.
							Diamond ore now generates as a triangle spread, generating below Y=16 and peaking at Y=-64.
			February 17, 2021				Henrik Kniberg shows a grimstone variant of diamond ore, its texture made by JAPPA.
			February 18, 2021				JAPPA shows a new texture for the grimstone variant of diamond ore.
			February 22, 2021				JAPPA shows updated grimstone variant of diamond ore.
			21w08a				Added the deepslate diamond ore, which take place of diamond ores that generate in deepslate.
							Added diamond_ores block tag.
							If a diamond ore in a blob is exposed to air, it has a 50% chance of not generating.
			March 2, 2021				JAPPA shows updated diamond ore texture.
			March 4, 2021				JAPPA shows updated deepslate variant of diamond ore texture.
			21w10a				Tweaked the diamond ore textures.
							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.
			21w11a				Slightly increased the frequency of diamond ore blobs.
			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.
1.17.1			Pre-release 2				Now diamond ore generates at the correct Y-levels.
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.
							Slightly increased the frequency of diamond ore blobs.
			21w40a				Increased the amount of unexposed diamond ore.
1.20.2			23w31a				Diamond ore now generates more frequently in deepslate layers.
[hide]Pocket Edition Alpha
v0.1.0							Added diamond ore.
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.
[hide]Bedrock Edition
1.10.0			beta 1.10.0.3				The texture of diamond ore has been changed.
1.11.0			beta 1.11.0.5				The texture of diamond ore has been changed, once again.
1.16.220 Experiment Caves and Cliffs			beta 1.16.220.50				The texture of diamond ore has been changed.
1.17.0 Experiment Caves and Cliffs			beta 1.16.230.52				Added deepslate diamond ore behind the Caves & Cliffs Experimental Gameplay toggle.
			beta 1.16.230.54				Diamond ore texture was updated.
			beta 1.16.230.56				In the Caves & Cliffs Experimental Gameplay, diamond ore blob now generates as a triangle spread generating below Y=15 and peaking at Y=-64, and are now smaller. Larger diamond ore blobs now sometimes form.
1.17.0			beta 1.17.0.52				Deepslate diamond ore now generates without the Caves & Cliffs Experimental Gameplay.
							Diamond ore blob was unintentionally made twice as smaller.
1.17.2							Diamond ore once again generates in the expected amounts when not using the Caves & Cliffs Experimental Gameplay.
1.17.2 Experiment Caves and Cliffs							In the Caves & Cliffs Experimental Gameplay, diamond ore blob was unintentionally made twice as big.
1.17.40			beta 1.17.40.20				Slightly increased the frequency of diamond ore blobs.
1.18.0			beta 1.18.0.20				Removed the "Caves & Cliffs" experimental toggle. New diamond ore generation is now available through normal gameplay.
							Diamond ore generation has now been tweaked to be in parity with Java Edition.
							The size of diamond ore blob is expected to be decreased to match Java Edition. However, it now generates in wrong size.
			beta 1.18.0.21				Increased the amount of unexposed diamond ore.
			beta 1.18.0.22				Diamond ore generation height has now been tweaked to be in parity with Java Edition.
			beta 1.18.0.24				Increased the amount of unexposed diamond ore again to be in parity with Java Edition.
1.18.1							Diamond ore blob now generates in correct size.
1.18.10			beta 1.18.10.21				Deepslate diamond ore now generates instead of coal ore on fossils that generate below Y=0.
1.20.30			Preview 1.20.20.21				Increased the blast resistance of deepslate diamond ore from 1.8 to 3.
			Preview 1.20.30.20				Diamond ore now generates more frequently in deepslate layers.
[hide]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 diamond ore.
TU7							Mining diamond ore now drops experience orbs.
			1.90				The texture of diamond ore has been changed.
[hide]New Nintendo 3DS Edition
0.1.0							Added diamond ore.

• 

  Image by Mojang Studios of a diamond ore concealed behind lava.

• 

  Some diamond ores above lava.

• 

  Alex mining for diamonds.

Data history

[hide]Java Edition
1.13			17w47a				Prior to The Flattening, this block's numeral ID was 56.

Issues

Issues relating to "Diamond Ore" are maintained on the bug tracker. Issues should be reported and viewed 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.
• The Minecraft mechanic that diamond ore replaces coal ore in fossils that generate in deepslate layers, is in accordance with the common misconception in real life that diamonds form from highly compressed coal.
  • In fact, diamonds mostly form from carbon that comes from carbonate rocks, and are completely unrelated to coal which form from dead plants.

Gallery

Screenshots

• 

  An exposed blob containing 8 diamond ores.

• 

  An exposed blob containing 10 diamond ores.

• 

  Naturally generated diamond and redstone ores in a cave.

• 

  Multiple ores, found in the new big cave.

• 

  Naturally generated diamond ore, redstone ore and lapis lazuli ore found in a canyon.

In other media

• 

  A "satisfying" gif of diamond ores falling into place endlessly.

• 

  A parody of a popular meme, depicting Steve giving up inches away from a large blob of diamond ore while Ari presumably obtains them instead.

• 

  Diamond ore as it appeared in Minecraft Earth.

• 

  Diamond ore as it appears in Minecraft Legends.

• 

  A group of diamond ores.

• 

  A diamond ore bath bomb, from the Minecraft x LUSH collection.

• 

  Steve mining diamonds whilst being hunted by a warden.

• 

  Steve and Henry mining diamonds.

See also

• Block of Diamond
• Diamond
• Tutorials/Diamonds

External links

• Block of the Week: Diamond Ore – Minecraft.net on October 20, 2017