Iron ore in Minecraft: the complete guide
Iron is a resource you need from the first day to the last. An iron pickaxe opens up diamonds. Iron armor protects you from most threats. Rails, hoppers, pistons, anvils, chains: the list of items that need iron is among the longest of any resource in the game. In this guide you will learn where to dig iron ore, how to smelt it, and how to build an endless source of iron with an iron golem farm.
Where to mine iron ore
Iron ore generates in two ranges on the Y axis:
| Range | Peak | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Y=-24 to Y=56 | Y=15 | The main range: this is where you find the most |
| Y=80 to Y=320 | Y=232 | The mountain range: found in mountain biomes |
The most efficient level to dig at is Y=15, where the concentration of iron is highest. Iron is not reduced when it touches air (unlike diamonds), so caves are full of it too.
In mountain biomes (Stony Peaks, Jagged Peaks), iron generates at very high altitudes. If you come across mountains, you can mine near the surface and get plenty of iron without going underground.
Raw iron
Since version 1.17, mining iron ore without Silk Touch gives raw iron instead of the ore block. That is an important change:
- Fortune works on raw iron: Fortune III gives an average of 2.2 raw iron from one ore block (the same as with diamonds).
- Raw iron can be compacted: 9 raw iron = 1 block of raw iron. That saves inventory space during long mining sessions.
- Silk Touch still gives an iron ore block, which you can smelt into 1 ingot. With Fortune you get more, so Fortune pays off better.
Smelting iron
You smelt raw iron (or an ore block, if you have Silk Touch) in:
- Furnace: 1 raw iron = 1 iron ingot. Time: 10 seconds. Gives 0.7 XP.
- Blast furnace: 1 raw iron = 1 iron ingot. Time: 5 seconds (2x faster). The same XP. You craft a blast furnace from 5 iron ingots + 3 smooth stone + 1 furnace.
For efficiency, set up a row of blast furnaces with hoppers feeding raw iron in from the top and collecting ingots from the bottom. A system of 8 blast furnaces smelts a stack (64) of raw iron in 40 seconds.
Uses of iron
Iron is needed for a huge number of items. The most important ones:
Tools and weapons
- Iron pickaxe: 3 ingots. Mines diamonds. Durability 250.
- Iron sword: 2 ingots. 6 damage.
- Axe: 3 ingots. Hoe: 2 ingots.
- Shield: 1 ingot + 6 planks.
Armor
- Helmet (5), chestplate (8), leggings (7), boots (4): 24 ingots for a full set.
- Iron armor gives 15 armor points. That is enough to fight most mobs.
Blocks and mechanisms
- Anvil: 31 ingots (3 blocks + 4 ingots). Repairs items and combines enchantments.
- Hopper: 5 ingots + a chest. The foundation of automation: it moves items between containers.
- Rails: 6 ingots = 16 rails. Rail systems need hundreds of ingots.
- Iron bars: 6 ingots = 16 bars. Decoration and fences.
- Chains: 1 ingot + 2 nuggets = 1 chain. For hanging lanterns and for decoration.
- Iron door: 6 ingots. A door that opens only with redstone or a button.
Iron golem farm
The most efficient source of iron in the game is an iron golem farm. An iron golem drops 3-5 iron ingots when it dies. The farm spawns and kills golems automatically.
How it works
- Villagers spawn an iron golem when they have enough beds and get frightened by a zombie.
- You need: 3 villagers with beds + 1 zombie locked up within their line of sight.
- The golem spawns on a platform, falls into a water channel, and is carried to a lava chamber where it dies.
- Hoppers collect the iron into a chest.
Output
A simple farm with one module (3 villagers) gives about 40 iron ingots per hour. An expanded farm with several modules (for example 4) gives 160+ ingots per hour. Farms on technical servers (SciCraft) produce thousands of ingots per hour.
An iron golem farm is a project worth building as early as possible: iron never goes to waste, and an automatic source removes the need to mine.
Deepslate iron ore
Below Y=0, iron ore turns into deepslate iron ore. It drops the same raw iron and reacts to Fortune exactly like the regular variant. The only difference: it takes longer to mine (deepslate is harder than stone). At Y=15 (the optimal level) you mostly dig regular iron ore, because deepslate starts lower.
Practical tips
- When mining with Fortune III, bring a crafting table and compress raw iron into blocks as you go (9:1) so your inventory does not fill up.
- Early in the game, look for caves at Y=15. Iron ore stands out clearly against the plain stone walls.
- Armorer villagers buy iron ingots for emeralds. If you have a golem farm, it is a good source of emeralds.