How to Find Diamonds in Minecraft [1.21]

Finding diamonds in Minecraft 1.21 is different from older versions. The 1.18 world generation overhaul completely changed where ores spawn, and many outdated guides still recommend the wrong Y levels. This guide covers the current ore distribution, the best mining strategies, and how to maximize your diamond yield with Fortune enchantments.

Best Y Level for Diamonds in 1.21

The Short Answer

Mine at Y -59 for the highest diamond density. This is one block above bedrock.

The Detailed Explanation

Since the 1.18 Caves and Cliffs update (which carries through to 1.21), diamond ore uses a triangular distribution pattern. Diamonds spawn between Y -64 and Y 16, but the density increases as you go deeper. The absolute peak is at Y -59.

Here is how diamond density changes with depth:

Y Level	Relative Diamond Density
Y 16	Extremely rare
Y 0	Very low
Y -20	Low
Y -40	Moderate
Y -50	High
Y -54	Very high
Y -59	Maximum density
Y -60 to -64	Reduced (bedrock replaces ore)

The reason Y -59 beats Y -64 is that bedrock blocks replace potential ore positions at the very bottom. At Y -59, you get peak ore generation without bedrock interference.

Air Exposure Reduction

In 1.18 and later, diamond ore has reduced air exposure. This means diamond ore veins that would be exposed to air (in caves) have a chance to be removed. The practical effect is that cave mining finds fewer diamonds than it used to. Strip mining at low Y levels, where caves are less common, is more effective than in older versions.

This is a major change from pre-1.18, where spelunking was a competitive diamond-finding strategy. Now, systematic mining at Y -59 outperforms cave exploration for diamonds specifically.

How to Check Your Y Level

Press F3 on Java Edition to open the debug screen. Your Y coordinate is displayed on the left side of the screen. On Bedrock Edition, enable “Show Coordinates” in world settings, and your position displays at the top left of the screen.

The Y coordinate represents the position of your feet. When mining at Y -59, your feet should be on the block at Y -59, and you are mining the blocks at Y -59 and Y -58 (eye level).

For more details on how the coordinate system works, see our Minecraft coordinates guide.

Mining Methods Compared

Strip Mining (Best for Diamonds)

Strip mining means digging a long, straight tunnel at the target Y level. You mine two blocks high (one at foot level, one at head level) and walk forward in a straight line.

How to strip mine at Y -59:

1. Dig a staircase or ladder shaft down to Y -59
2. Start mining forward in a straight line, 2 blocks high
3. Place torches every 12 blocks for light and navigation
4. Mine for 200-300 blocks before turning around or branching

Pros: Simple, predictable, thorough coverage of the best Y level. Cons: Slow, uses more pickaxe durability, generates lots of cobblestone.

Efficiency tip: Mine a 1x2 tunnel. You expose 4 new blocks per block mined (2 on each side, as you see both walls). This gives you the best blocks-revealed-per-block-mined ratio.

Branch Mining (Most Efficient)

Branch mining adds side tunnels to a main corridor, covering more area with less redundant mining.

Standard branch mining layout:

1. Dig a main corridor at Y -59 (2 blocks high, 1 block wide)
2. Every 3 blocks along the main corridor, dig a side branch perpendicular to the main tunnel
3. Each branch extends 20-50 blocks
4. The 3-block spacing ensures you reveal every block between branches

Why 3-block spacing works: Diamond veins are at least 2 blocks wide. With branches spaced 3 blocks apart, every possible vein position is visible from at least one branch. Spacing of 2 blocks gives 100% coverage but wastes effort. Spacing of 4 blocks can miss single-block veins (rare but possible).

Pros: More area covered per block mined than strip mining. Cons: Requires more organization, easy to get lost without good torching.

TNT Mining (Fastest but Expensive)

Using TNT to blast open large areas reveals many blocks instantly. In 1.21, TNT does not destroy diamond ore when it explodes (the ore drops as an item). This makes TNT mining viable.

Method:

1. Dig to Y -59
2. Place TNT in a line, spacing them 4-5 blocks apart
3. Light the chain and retreat
4. Collect dropped diamonds and ores from the blast zone
5. Repeat

Pros: Reveals massive areas quickly, diamonds drop as items. Cons: Requires large amounts of gunpowder (Creeper farm needed), dangerous without blast protection.

Bed Mining (Nether Technique in Overworld)

Beds explode in the Nether and End. In the Overworld, they do not explode. However, some players use this technique at the very bottom of the world for blast mining. Note that this only works in the Nether and End dimensions for actual mining. In the Overworld, use TNT instead.

Cave Exploration (Least Efficient for Diamonds Post-1.18)

Due to the reduced air exposure mechanic, diamonds are specifically penalized in caves. While you will occasionally find exposed diamond ore in deep caves, the rate is significantly lower than pre-1.18. Cave exploration is still great for iron, copper, and lapis but should not be your primary diamond strategy.

That said, the massive deep dark caves at Y -40 to -60 can occasionally reveal diamond ore that survived the air exposure check. If you are exploring anyway, keep your eyes open.

Fortune III: The Diamond Multiplier

Fortune is the most impactful enchantment for diamond mining. Check our best enchantments guide for how it ranks among all enchantments.

Fortune Drop Rates

Enchantment	Drops per Ore Block	Average
No Fortune	1 diamond	1.0
Fortune I	1-2 diamonds (33% chance of 2)	1.33
Fortune II	1-3 diamonds (25% each for 2 or 3)	1.75
Fortune III	1-4 diamonds (20% each for 2, 3, or 4)	2.2

The Math

Fortune III more than doubles your diamond yield. If you find 10 diamond ore blocks during a mining session:

• Without Fortune: 10 diamonds
• With Fortune III: 22 diamonds on average (range: 10-40)

Over hundreds of ore blocks, the average converges reliably to 2.2x. This means Fortune III effectively doubles the value of every mining trip.

Fortune vs Silk Touch Strategy

The optimal strategy is to carry a Silk Touch pickaxe and a Fortune III pickaxe:

1. Mine diamond ore blocks with Silk Touch to collect them as ore blocks
2. Store the ore blocks in a chest at your base
3. When you have your Fortune III pickaxe ready, break all stored ore blocks with Fortune III

This prevents losing any diamonds to not having Fortune. Early game, if you find diamonds before getting Fortune III, mine only what you need (enough for an enchanting table and a pickaxe) and mark the rest with torches to return later with Fortune.

Use the XP level calculator to plan how much XP you need to enchant a pickaxe with Fortune III (requires level 30 enchanting from 15 bookshelves).

How Many Diamonds You Need

Planning your diamond usage helps you set mining goals:

Item	Diamonds Required
Diamond Pickaxe	3
Diamond Sword	2
Diamond Axe	3
Diamond Shovel	1
Diamond Hoe	2
Diamond Helmet	5
Diamond Chestplate	8
Diamond Leggings	7
Diamond Boots	4
Enchanting Table	2
Jukebox	1
Netherite Smithing Template (duplicate)	7

Full diamond armor + tools set: 35 diamonds Full diamond armor + tools + enchanting table: 37 diamonds Two sets (backup): 72 diamonds

With Fortune III, you need to find roughly 17 ore blocks for a full set (37 / 2.2 = 16.8).

Improving Your Mining Speed

Efficiency V + Haste II

An Efficiency V diamond or Netherite pickaxe with a Haste II beacon achieves instant mining on stone. This means every block breaks in one tick (0.05 seconds) as you walk forward. This is the fastest possible manual mining speed.

To set up instant mining:

1. Enchant a diamond/Netherite pickaxe with Efficiency V
2. Build a beacon with a 4-layer pyramid (164 mineral blocks)
3. Set the beacon to Haste II
4. Mine within the beacon range (50 blocks for a single beacon)

Without a beacon, Efficiency V on a Netherite pickaxe still breaks stone very quickly (about 0.15 seconds per block) and is sufficient for productive mining.

Food and Saturation

Mining requires constant sprinting. High-saturation foods like golden carrots, steak, or cooked porkchops keep your hunger bar full longer, reducing how often you stop to eat. Golden carrots provide the highest saturation in the game and can be purchased from farmer villagers.

Inventory Management

Bring a crafting table and sticks. Craft stone pickaxes from mined cobblestone when your iron pickaxe breaks (early game). Mid game, bring multiple pickaxes. Late game with Mending, your single pickaxe repairs itself from XP orbs dropped by mining coal and redstone at depth.

Empty your inventory of non-essentials before a mining trip. You need space for cobblestone, ores, and the occasional surprise find. Bring a water bucket (lava protection), torches, and food. Leave everything else at base.

Diamond Ore Veins in 1.21

Diamond ore generates in veins of 1 to 12 blocks in Minecraft 1.21. The average vein size is approximately 4 blocks. Veins can generate across chunk boundaries, and two veins can occasionally overlap to create larger clusters.

At Y -59, you can expect roughly 1 diamond ore vein per chunk (16x16 block area). Since each chunk is 16 blocks wide and your tunnel reveals blocks 1 deep on each side, you see about 2 blocks of width per chunk. This means you need to mine through approximately 8 chunks (128 blocks) to statistically encounter one vein on average.

In practice, you will find some veins closer together and some gaps longer than expected. A 300-block mining tunnel typically yields 3-6 diamond ore veins, giving you 12-26 diamonds with Fortune III.

Deepslate Diamond Ore

Below Y 0, diamond ore generates as deepslate diamond ore instead of regular diamond ore. Deepslate variants take approximately 1.5x longer to mine than stone variants. Efficiency enchantments are especially valuable at these depths because every block is deepslate.

Deepslate diamond ore drops the same diamonds as regular diamond ore. The only difference is mining speed. Fortune and Silk Touch work identically on both variants.

Tips for New Players

Do Not Mine Diamonds Without Iron

Diamond ore requires an iron pickaxe or better to drop diamonds. Mining it with a stone or wooden pickaxe destroys the block and drops nothing. Always upgrade to iron before going deep.

Mark Diamond Locations

If you find diamonds but do not have Fortune III yet, place torches around the vein and note the coordinates. Come back later with Fortune III for 2.2x the diamonds. The ore is not going anywhere.

Lava Safety

Y -59 is close to large lava lakes that can generate underground. Always carry a water bucket. If you mine into lava, quickly place water to create a cobblestone wall. Never mine the block directly below your feet at these depths.

Bring Enough Torches

A 300-block mining tunnel needs roughly 25 torches (one every 12 blocks). Craft extras from coal found during mining. Proper lighting prevents mob spawns in your tunnels and helps you find your way back.

Use a Bed

Set your spawn point near your mine entrance with a bed. If you die to lava, falling, or mobs, you respawn close to your mine instead of at world spawn potentially thousands of blocks away.