Iron Ore

Iron ore is a mineral block found underground. It is smelted into iron ingots, which are used to make tools and armor. Deepslate iron ore is a variant found in the deepslate layer of the world, below y=0.

Breaking
Iron ore must be mined with a stone pickaxe or higher, or else it drops nothing. Unlike most ores, iron ore always drops itself, regardless of whether the player used Silk Touch.

Natural generation
Iron ore can generate in the Overworld in the form of mineral veins. Iron ore attempts to generate 20 times per chunk in veins of size 1-14, from levels 0 to 63, in all biomes. As of Java Edition 1.16.4, on average they generate 112 ores per chunk.

Caves & Cliffs generation
In and Bedrock Edition 1.17.0, iron ore generation will be changed. Iron ore will now generate twice, one in the mountains and another underground.

Usage
The primary usage of iron ore is to obtain iron ingots.

Note Blocks
Iron ore can be placed under note blocks to produce "bass drum" sound.

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