Where to Find Diamonds in Minecraft: Best Y Level and How to Mine Them

Diamond ore can appear anywhere from Y 16 down to the bottom of the world at Y -64, but it gets more common the deeper you go. The best layers are Y -58 and -59. Bedrock fills the space from about Y -60 downward, so -59 is the lowest level where you can dig a clean tunnel.

To see your height, press F3 in Java Edition and read the Y value. In Bedrock, turn on Show Coordinates in the world settings. Stand with your feet on Y -59 and your tunnel covers both of the best layers at once.

It feels natural to look for diamonds in big open caves, since you can see a lot of wall at once. The catch is that the game often skips diamond ore blocks that would touch air. Depending on the vein, there is a 50 to 100 percent chance that a diamond block next to an open space is simply not placed.

So the diamonds are still there, they are just hidden inside the rock. Caves are still worth a look, especially the deep ones, but a tunnel through solid stone often finds more. One exception: ore next to water or lava is not affected, which is why you will often spot diamonds on the walls of underground lakes.

Get down to Y -59 with a staircase, never by digging straight down. Then dig a long main tunnel two blocks high. Every few blocks, dig a side tunnel off it in both directions. Players argue about the perfect gap between side tunnels. Two blocks of stone between tunnels checks almost every block, while three or four covers ground faster and misses a few small veins. Pick one and stick with it.

Place a torch every eight or so blocks so mobs do not spawn behind you. Bring a stack of food, a water bucket and a few spare pickaxes, because deepslate, the dark stone at this depth, takes about twice as long to break as normal stone and wears tools down quickly.

Deep underground, below about Y -54, the pools inside caves are mostly lava rather than water. That is why some players mine one layer higher, at Y -53, and accept a few fewer diamonds for a safer trip.

Two habits keep you alive at either height. Never break the block under your feet without checking it, and never break a block above your head while lava might be behind it. If you hear the bubbling sound of lava, slow down and break blocks one at a time. The water bucket you brought can turn a lava source into obsidian in a second.

You need an iron pickaxe or better. Breaking diamond ore with a stone or wooden pickaxe destroys it and drops nothing, which is a painful way to learn the rule.

If you can, save some diamond ore for later. A pickaxe with the Fortune enchantment can drop up to four diamonds from a single ore block with Fortune III, and averages a bit over two. Many players mark their first veins and come back once they have an enchanting table.

Some loot chests can contain diamonds too. Buried treasure chests, found with a treasure map from shipwrecks and ocean ruins, have a good chance of them. Village blacksmith chests, shipwrecks, strongholds, bastions and End cities can also hold a few. Villagers will not sell raw diamonds, but some will sell diamond tools and armour once they level up.

Treasure hunting is a fun break from tunnels, but for a steady supply, an hour at Y -59 with a good plan still beats it.