Altitude

Chart lining up Y-coordinate values (left) to block layers (right) (not to scale).‌^{[until JE 1.18 & BE 1.18.0]}

Altitude is a measurement of vertical distance, or distance along the Y-axis.

Definition

Altitude is defined as "the height of anything above a given planetary reference plane, especially above sea level on earth."

In Minecraft, altitude is often expressed as the bottom face of a block layer, where the lowest block that can be placed is at layer 0 and has a Y-coordinate of 0 (in Java Edition 1.18‌^[upcoming] and Bedrock Edition 1.18.0‌^[upcoming], this Y-coordinate is −64). For instance, sea level is at layer 62, while clouds appear at layer 127 (in Java Edition 1.18‌^[upcoming] and Bedrock Edition 1.18.0‌^[upcoming], clouds appear at layer 191).

This is not to be confused with altitude when otherwise expressed as the top face of a block layer, where the lowest block that can be placed is at layer 1 and has a Y-coordinate of 1. For example, sea level is at layer 63, while clouds appear at layer 128. This is akin to calling the ground level story the "first floor" (top face of a block layer), rather than the "ground floor" (bottom face of a block layer). The player can press F3 to see the Y-coordinate of the top face of a block they are on top of.

Altitude expressed as the bottom face of a block layer is most useful for identifying the position of blocks, such as when using /fill to replace block(s). Expressing altitude as the top face of a block layer is more useful for identifying the position of entities, such as when using /tp to teleport or /summon to spawn an entity/entities. For instance, the topmost block of water in an ocean biome has a Y-coordinate of 62; in a frozen ocean biome, ice replaces water at sea level, and the lowest height where terrestrial mobs will spawn is at layer 63.

Features and effects by height

Y-coordinate	Feature or effect
21024	Largest height Minecraft can distinguish from infinity, Java's Double.MAX_VALUE.
36,028,797,018,963,968	Above this height, players cannot move vertically except using NBT editors.
4,503,599,627,370,496	Maximum height reachable by flying, the point where the Double datatype stops growing in steps of 0.5.
2,147,483,647	In Bedrock Edition, the game crashes beyond this point.
30,000,000	In Java Edition, players above this height are kicked with an "invalid move player packet received" error, but this can be fixed through external programs. This is the maximum height the player can teleport to.
	In Bedrock Edition, this is the maximum height the player can teleport to.
2,032	Top face of the highest block that can be placed in a Custom world generated with the maximum build height.
511	Maximum height the player can travel to in Legacy Console Edition.
320	Top face of the highest block that can be placed in Java Edition 1.18‌[upcoming] and Bedrock Edition 1.18.0‌[upcoming].
256	Top face of the highest block that can be placed in Java Edition and Bedrock Edition‌[until JE 1.18 & BE 1.18.0].
	Bottom face of the highest block that can be placed in Legacy Console Edition.
255	Highest layer where dirt and gravel can generate, replacing stone, granite, diorite and andesite.
191–195	Range of cloud layers in Java Edition 1.18‌[upcoming] and Bedrock Edition 1.18.0‌[upcoming].
127–135	Range of cloud layers‌[until JE 1.18 & BE 1.18.0].
127	Full bedrock layer in the Nether.
	Highest layer where coal ore‌[until JE 1.18] can generate, replacing stone, granite, diorite and andesite.
	Highest layer where nether quartz ore, nether gold ore and ancient debris can generate, replacing netherrack, basalt, and blackstone.
	In Bedrock Edition, this is the bottom face of the highest block that can be placed in the Nether.
123–126	Range of partial bedrock layers in the Nether.
79	Highest layer where gold ore within badlands biomes, granite, diorite and andesite can generate, replacing stone, granite, diorite and andesite.
50–70	Range of layers where slimes are able to spawn in swamps.
63	Highest layer where infested stone within mountains biomes, iron ore, and lapis lazuli ore can generate, replacing stone, granite, diorite and andesite.
62	Sea level.
	Phantoms only spawn if players are above this level.
40	Highest layer where slimes are able to spawn within "slime chunks" outside of swamps.
36	Highest layer where gravel and blackstone can generate, replacing netherrack, basalt, and blackstone.
31	Highest layer where gold ore outside of badlands biomes can generate, replacing stone, granite, diorite and andesite; lowest layer where emerald ore within mountains biomes can generate
15	Highest layer where redstone ore and diamond ore can generate, replacing stone, granite, diorite and andesite.
11	Lava replaces air below this layer.‌[until JE 1.18 & BE 1.18.0]
1–4	Partial layers of bedrock in the Overworld‌[until JE 1.18] and the Nether.
0	Full bedrock layer in the Overworld‌[until JE 1.18] and the Nether.
	Top face of the Void‌[until JE 1.18]; bottom face of the lowest block that can be placed.
	Liquids do not flow below this layer.‌[until JE 1.18]
	In Bedrock Edition, entities and players not in Creative mode begin to take damage below this layer. ‌[until BE 1.18]
−7–0	Partial layers of deepslate in the Overworld in Java Edition 1.18‌[upcoming] and Bedrock Edition 1.18.0‌[upcoming].
−8	Deepslate replaces stone below this layer in Java Edition 1.18‌[upcoming] and Bedrock Edition 1.18.0‌[upcoming].
−40	In Bedrock Edition, an invisible border prevents players from falling. This can be bypassed by using /tp, unless the player teleports within the Stripe Lands.
-54	Lava replaces air below this layer.‌[upcoming: JE 1.18 & BE 1.18.0]
−64	In Java Edition, players below this height take void damage (4 per 1⁄2 second), even in Creative mode‌[until JE 1.18]. This damage cannot be prevented or mitigated, but commands can provide enough regeneration to survive it. Non-player entities falling below this height despawn instantly.
	Bottom face of the lowest block that can be placed in Java Edition 1.18‌[upcoming] and Bedrock Edition 1.18.0‌[upcoming].
−104	An invisible border prevents players from falling in Bedrock Edition 1.18.0‌[upcoming].
−128	Players below this height take void damage in Java Edition 1.18‌[upcoming].
−2,032	Bottom face of the lowest block that can be generated in a Custom world with the maximum build height‌[upcoming].
−65,536	Upper limit of the bottom face of the lowest temporary (isn't saved) block that can be placed in a Custom world (the lower it is, the slower the game runs). However, it can only be accessed through external programs.
−16,777,216	In Bedrock Edition, the player cannot fly below this layer. Every second block is invalid; because players are 2 blocks tall, it is impossible to enter. If bypassed via commands, the player experiences extreme jitter and camera movement.
−30,000,000	In Java Edition, the player is kicked from the world below. This is the minimum height the player can teleport to.

Natural resources and altitude

Features in the landscape of the Overworld are found at different altitudes, as shown in the graph below.

Note that these charts utilize the logarithmic scale, which means a slight difference in the Y-coordinate represents a large change in the relative frequency of a block type.

Some observations:

• Looking at water, the amount at layer 62 (sea level) is obvious. Moving down, the amount quickly decreases at layers 56 and 48, the usual depth of river and ocean biomes respectively.
  • There are corresponding peaks in the amount of clay beneath them.
• Between layers 33 and 12, most water is falling down sub-ocean ravines, spreading out on the lava-filled bottom at layer 10 and producing most of the naturally-occurring obsidian.
• Ores and gravel (not shown) usually occur as a fixed percentage of the amount of stone (also not shown), tapering off at the ends of their allowed generation range.
  • This is why coal and iron follow parallel tracks between layers 5 and 60.
  • The one exception is lapis lazuli ore, which has a linear progression up to a peak at Y = 15.

The following table offers a more in-depth summary of the same block distribution as shown in the graph above.

Landscape feature	Number of blocks	Complete layer range	Most common layers
Air	9,695,541,021	4–255	106–216
Stone	2,005,619,824	1–132	12–49
Water	489,396,205	2–124	41–60
Bedrock	153,795,905	0–4	0–3
Andesite	123,405,229	1–80	13–47
Diorite	118,804,737	1–81	12–48
Granite	114,088,233	1–80	13–48
Dirt	106,908,460	1–131	30–73
Cave Air	96,917,830	2–117	17–46
Gravel	53,206,507	1–129	19–51
Coal Ore	32,570,378	1–127	12–48
Grass Block	20,188,180	6–131	62–77
Iron Ore	18,880,016	1–63	12–44
Lava	17,869,007	2–106	2–13
Sand	16,938,294	8–93	48–66
Kelp Plant	7,686,309	11–61	38–53
Oak Leaves	7,637,712	29–126	67–82
Sandstone	5,907,831	43–90	55–65
Redstone Ore	5,873,349	1–15	5–12
Snow	5,407,768	22–133	61–82
Birch Leaves	4,329,143	32–108	68–81
Tall Seagrass	3,661,703	11–67	33–49
Spruce Leaves	2,316,379	63–132	67–82
Gold Ore	2,074,791	1–31	8–24
Seagrass	2,041,853	11–70	33–54
Dark Oak Leaves	1,629,042	66–93	70–78
Grass	1,537,211	32–130	63–74
Kelp	1,421,849	12–62	40–56
Ice	839,291	43–95	61–63
Lapis Ore	838,155	1–30	8–20
Packed Ice	829,420	35–139	56–75
Oak Planks	772,373	3–76	20–39
Bubble Column	765,952	11–62	11–40
Diamond Ore	715,733	1–15	5–12
Obsidian	671,686	4–77	7–13
Oak Log	653,095	38–125	66–81
Dark Oak Log	629,481	28–91	67–76
Oak Fence	512,104	3–72	19–38
Birch Log	508,969	29–107	66–80
Infested Stone	310,624	1–63	15–50
Vine	299,559	62–112	63–74
Spruce Log	283,922	31–130	66–81
Clay	256,360	12–78	54–62
Snow Block	190,865	62–109	63–76
Rail	185,200	3–49	19–37
Cobblestone	169,242	2–101	17–52
Cobweb	169,142	5–95	20–39
Magma Block	153,900	10–77	10–19
Acacia Leaves	140,712	64–103	68–84
Tall Grass	133,068	11–97	62–74
Stone Bricks	77,924	9–77	19–40
Netherrack	72,388	10–78	32–60
Mossy Cobblestone	67,721	2–80	16–46
Red Mushroom Block	65,350	64–87	67–76
Poppy	55,740	11–120	62–78
Mossy Stone Bricks	52,848	9–72	21–43
Large Fern	42,075	11–95	64–77
Jungle Leaves	39,616	64–112	72–90
Grass Path	38,001	55–91	61–76
Dandelion	35,139	11–127	61–77
Spruce Planks	34,388	26–94	45–72
Emerald Ore	32,420	4–31	9–25
Cracked Stone Bricks	31,817	9–80	20–42
Lily Pad	27,893	62–69	63
Fern	25,667	61–95	64–75
Brown Mushroom Block	18,309	67–85	69–77
Acacia Log	16,653	63–102	65–83
Spruce Stairs	13,179	26–93	40–61
Prismarine Bricks	12,220	18–60	36–48
Dark Oak Planks	11,535	26–88	37–75
Jungle Log	11,101	47–106	68–85
Prismarine	10,728	11–60	38–47
Mushroom Stem	10,174	62–86	66–74
Rose Bush	10,029	16–93	61–77
Blue Ice	9,619	36–67	50–61
Sunflower	9,601	24–80	64–72
Azure Bluet	9,546	11–90	61–76
Oxeye Daisy	9,419	15–96	62–75
Oak Stairs	9,090	34–76	43–66
Lilac	8,888	13–90	62–77
Sugar Cane	8,420	62–79	63–65
Peony	8,324	14–92	63–78
Infested Stone Bricks	6,868	9–51	19–38
Jungle Planks	6,785	32–66	42–58
Cornflower	6,302	20–91	64–73
Bone Block	5,842	33–55	39–51
Stripped Spruce Wood	5,680	63–93	64–78
Smooth Sandstone	5,411	62–85	66–80
Lily of the Valley	5,231	18–95	63–76
Stripped Spruce Log	5,187	63–80	65–71
Wall Torch	5,058	7–92	20–57
Spruce Slab	4,543	26–94	54–79
Pink Tulip	4,532	19–95	61–79
Red Tulip	4,520	24–91	61–78
Dark Oak Stairs	4,416	27–80	36–55
Orange Tulip	4,268	24–91	61–78
White Tulip	4,012	16–91	61–79
Birch Planks	3,837	35–81	55–81
Spruce Fence	3,800	28–93	50–72
Dead Bush	3,650	61–82	65–71
Chest	3,461	3–91	21–54
Allium	3,133	26–90	62–79
Spawner	3,067	3–80	17–41
Cut Sandstone	3,027	33–87	42–79
Jungle Stairs	2,855	32–66	44–59
Farmland	2,833	62–90	64–83
Chiseled Stone Bricks	2,801	11–77	30–52
Bookshelf	2,640	10–72	17–43
Iron Bars	2,458	10–84	17–43
Spruce Trapdoor	2,093	33–84	50–75
Brown Mushroom	1,938	11–94	33–74
Wheat	1,885	63–91	67–87
Cactus	1,885	60–83	65–71
Sweet Berry Bush	1,782	63–97	64–76
Stone Brick Stairs	1,750	19–80	37–60
Dark Oak Slab	1,409	30–80	42–69
Cobblestone Stairs	1,304	16–81	33–77
Dark Oak Fence	1,295	31–82	43–76
Polished Granite	1,232	12–61	29–50
Blue Orchid	1,203	61–84	62–70
Acacia Stairs	1,135	87–95	91–94
Smooth Stone Slab	1,090	10–88	18–42
Acacia Planks	983	62–94	76–94
Glass Pane	969	64–91	66–76
Cobblestone Wall	961	63–95	68–79
Spruce Door	956	31–91	59–76
Jungle Fence	909	32–64	40–55
Fire	849	5–46	13–34
Pumpkin	820	63–85	66–74
Lantern	733	64–92	64–75
Mossy Stone Brick Slab	615	19–73	34–58
Stone Brick Slab	572	16–76	26–61
Iron Door	536	10–41	20–37
Torch	534	16–86	54–82
Potatoes	519	64–76	66–72
Dark Prismarine	499	40–52	42–49
Red Mushroom	499	11–84	18–55
Oak Trapdoor	496	37–70	42–59
Oak Door	484	10–72	22–58
Ladder	466	10–80	32–64
Oak Slab	458	38–74	49–64
Smooth Sandstone Slab	452	75–85	77–85
Jungle Slab	392	34–65	41–54
Stone Button	391	11–41	21–38
Mossy Stone Brick Stairs	386	30–72	37–57
Melon Stem	386	30–72	37–57
Acacia Wood	370	87–93	90–93
Acacia Slab	365	70–95	70–91
Bee Nest	354	63–96	65–79
Smooth Sandstone Stairs	328	69–84	71–82
Sea Lantern	321	15–59	34–51
Sandstone Wall	312	72–84	73–81
Crying Obsidian	299	21–76	40–64
Acacia Fence	297	68–91	68–85
Terracotta	294	64–84	71–82
White Bed	288	63–71	54–68
Hay Block	272	65–89	65–76
Dark Oak Trapdoor	269	30–56	38–53
Blue Bed	256	63–90	64–76
Stripped Oak Log	240	63–70	65–69
Sandstone Slab	224	65–85	68–85
Cocoa	223	63–86	66–77
Yellow Terracotta	195	88–92	89–91
Birch Stairs	191	37–55	40–53
Bricks	189	32–70	32–49
Orange Terracotta	188	64–92	66–87
Birch Fence	184	37–55	43–55
Light Gray Wool	180	63–65	63–65
Bamboo	164	63–94	70–85
Furnace	161	63–90	63–77
White Carpet	157	63–88	63–70
Chiseled Sandstone	144	33–70	36–64
Gold Block	142	29–76	38–64
Sandstone Stairs	128	33–74	33–60
Stone Slab	126	30–76	42–62
Melon	113	64–84	65–75
Carrots	94	64–72	65–71
Brown Wall Banner	85	89–91	90–91
White Wall Banner	80	79–81	79–81
Jungle Door	78	47–84	54–80
Purple Bed	78	67–75	69–75
End Portal Frame	69	24–42	24–42
Pumpkin Stem	66	72–76	72–74
Crafting Table	64	63–91	63–79
Stone Brick Wall	64	31–68	36–64
Composter	58	64–80	66–74
Red Carpet	57	27–68	39–68
Purple Glazed Terracotta	56	11–45	11–40
Stripped Acacia Log	55	86	86
Grindstone	52	69–87	70–81
Potted Cactus	52	28–83	49–82
Red Bed	52	63–69	63–68
Diorite Stairs	50	65–72	66–71
Orange Bed	50	88–91	88–91
White Stained Glass Pane	50	67–78	67–74
Yellow Stained Glass Pane	50	66–77	66–73
Blast Furnace	48	64–88	64–77
Light Gray Carpet	48	63–66	63–66
Cobblestone Slab	47	69–75	70–73
White Terracotta	47	71–75	71–74
Jungle Trapdoor	44	49–62	49–60
Smooth Stone	44	66–89	66–75
Brown Stained Glass Pane	40	88–92	89–92
Bell	39	65–89	65–84
Mossy Stone Brick Wall	36	42–52	45–52
Purple Carpet	36	71	71
Diorite Wall	35	68–74	68–72
Campfire	32	63–77	65–76
White Glazed Terracotta	32	72	72
Wet Sponge	31	49–50	49–50
Beetroots	29	70–71	70–71
Cauldron	28	27–70	39–70
Brewing Stand	27	28–71	39–71
Cyan Bed	24	75–81	76–81
Infested Chiseled Stone Bricks	24	26–51	29–49
Lime Bed	24	64–83	64–79
Potted Dead Bush	20	72–73	72–73
TNT	18	51	51
Yellow Bed	18	66–71	66–69
Cartography Table	17	63–68	64–68
Redstone Torch	16	63–66	63–66
Barrel	15	73–74	73–74
Blue Carpet	15	66	66
Smithing Table	15	69–71	69–71
Spruce Fence Gate	15	63–71	64–70
Dark Oak Door	14	28–51	34–51
Birch Slab	12	53–54	53–54
Infested Mossy Stone Bricks	12	27–48	28–48
Jack o'Lantern	12	77	77
Jungle Button	12	85	85
Oak Wall Sign	12	28–49	29–49
Polished Andesite	12	26–47	27–47
Oak Fence Gate	11	63–69	64–69
Stripped Oak Wood	11	66–73	65–70
Oak Pressure Plate	10	69	69
Smoker	9	67–89	67–88
Green Bed	8	69	69
Jungle Fence Gate	8	81	81
Yellow Carpet	8	68	68
Mossy Cobblestone Stairs	7	76–80	76–80
Carved Pumpkin	6	75	75
Lectern	6	68	68
Light Blue Terracotta	6	40–41	40–41
Potted Red Mushroom	6	66	66
Stonecutter	6	66–71	66–69
Acacia Fence Gate	5	69	69
Acacia Pressure Plate	5	90	90
Orange Glazed Terracotta	5	89	89
Potted Dandelion	5	92	92
Mossy Cobblestone Slab	3	71	71
Mossy Cobblestone Wall	3	80	80
Blue Terracotta	2	64	64
Stone Pressure Plate	2	53	53

The Nether

A similar graph, showing the distribution of blocks unique to the Nether (Java Edition 1.16.4):

The following table offers a more in-depth summary of the same block distribution as shown in the graph above.

Landscape feature	Number of blocks	Complete layer range	Most common layers
Netherrack	6,389,674,422	1–126	24–103
Air	3,646,833,651	27–120	48–92
Basalt	908,363,376	1–126	19–96
Lava	473,266,054	2–121	19–35
Cave Air	363,420,522	32–120	63–110
Bedrock (Floor)	307,186,881	0–4	0–3
Bedrock (Ceiling)	307,179,625	123–127	124–127
Blackstone	257,454,928	1–126	10–88
Soul Sand	88,480,644	1–126	23–93
Soul Soil	74,103,394	15–126	31–99
Magma Block	69,690,543	19–119	24–38
Gravel	56,892,603	1–43	9–30
Nether Quartz Ore	49,613,731	7–117	26–95
Nether Wart Block	22,111,167	31–120	51–93
Nether Gold Ore	17,131,498	31–120	51–93
Nether Bricks	16,744,615	2–96	39–66
Crimson Nylium	15,406,185	31–111	44–87
Warped Wart Block	11,939,612	31–120	51–92
Warped Nylium	8,605,056	31–111	44–87
Crimson Stem	4,218,780	32–120	49–91
Polished Blackstone Bricks	3,672,437	28–111	43–75
Warped Stem	2,284,097	32–120	49–91
Crimson Roots	1,950,542	32–113	46–89
Weeping Vines Plant	1,830,374	33–120	50–95
Cracked Polished Blackstone Bricks	1,735,861	22–112	41–70
Glowstone	1,289,252	32–120	55–109
Shroomlight	1,081,920	35–120	52–93
Warped Roots	870,716	32–112	45–88
Weeping Vines	776,810	32–120	48–92
Nether Sprouts	683,211	32–112	45–88
Ancient Debris	646,696	6–120	6–57
Nether Brick Fence	398,182	49–95	56–72
Twisting Vines Plant	382,075	32–119	48–90
Fire	257,638	32–120	48–95
Crimson Fungus	256,049	32–112	46–89
Warped Fungus	155,753	32–112	45–88
Twisting Vines	125,760	32–120	49–91
Bone Block	112,435	33–112	44–84
Brown Mushroom	73,480	32–120	46–92
Red Mushroom	63,294	32–120	45–91
Polished Blackstone Brick Stairs	43,523	28–112	39–78
Gilded Blackstone	38,931	29–95	35–57
Soul Fire	38,487	32–112	46–88
Nether Brick Stairs	27,598	50–82	55–67
Blackstone Slab	15,789	32–75	32–52
Polished Basalt	10,199	34–92	54–77
Nether Wart	8,779	34–75	52–67
Lantern	7,639	34–87	38–65
Obsidian	6,885	27–109	31–77
Chiseled Polished Blackstone	5,937	28–109	34–61
Gold Block	5,725	28–103	34–72
Polished Blackstone Brick Slab	5,086	28–112	33–78
Blackstone Wall	5,074	33–70	33–54
Blackstone Stairs	4,061	35–72	40–58
Chain	3,949	28–111	38–71
Chest	3,784	28–103	43–75
Polished Blackstone Slab	1,708	28–113	33–74
Crying Obsidian	1,193	28–106	33–79
Spawner	549	39–89	55–76
Polished Blackstone	413	28–95	32–74
Quartz Block	292	66	66
Polished Blackstone Brick Wall	238	32–105	40–84
Smooth Quartz	146	66	66
Smooth Quartz Slab	146	70	70

The End

A similar graph, showing the distribution of blocks unique to the End (Java Edition 1.16.4):

The following table offers a more in-depth summary of the same block distribution as shown in the graph above.

Landscape feature	Number of blocks	Complete layer range	Most common layers
Air	24,938,396,547	0–255	59–205
End Stone	1,272,484,293	9–70	26–51
Chorus Plant	2,664,891	17–86	63–72
Chorus Flower	333,822	25–87	67–76
Purpur Block	220,606	60–170	83–132
Purpur Stairs	83,400	60–168	85–134
Purpur Pillar	71,860	61–169	87–131
End Stone Bricks	64,371	61–167	77–130
Obsidian	41,812	0–149	19–78
Magenta Stained Glass	13,946	62–167	77–130
Purpur Slab	13,124	61–167	85–132
End Rod	6,737	65–165	86–134
Ladder	1,332	69–168	89–137
Magenta Wall Banner	1,254	84–164	100–146
Bedrock	1,225	55–103	63–72
Chest	317	85–161	101–135
Iron Bars	146	79–85	80–84
Ender Chest	104	85–145	94–135
End Gateway	98	57–73	64–71
Dragon Wall Head	51	100–155	107–135
Brewing Stand	50	99–154	106–134
Fire	10	77–104	81–100
Wall Torch	4	65	65

History

A screenshot shown by Notch of an experimental 512-block-high world.

Java Edition Classic
?					The altitude of the map was 64 blocks total. Players could build 32 blocks up or down from sea level.
Java Edition Infdev
20100227-1					Height limit was raised to 128.
					During the development of this version, it was raised to 256.
Java Edition Beta
1.6		Test Build 3			Solid blocks can no longer be placed on layer 127. However, beds, signs, torches and other non-solid blocks can be placed on layer 127.
					Entities are no longer invisible when above the build limit; instead, they turn black.
July 19, 2011					Notch, on his Twitter feed before the Adventure Update, posted a picture showing his experimentation with height limits and terrain generation up to 512, featuring a mountain much higher than normal mountains.
1.8		Pre-release			Added altitude-based void fog.
					Previously, the sea level was at layer 63. Now, it is at layer 62. Worlds created before this update generate one-block-high "waterfalls" at the boundary between previously-generated terrain and new, post-Beta 1.8 terrain.
Java Edition
1.2.1		12w07a			The height limit was doubled from 127 to 255, although structures did not yet generate above this layer.
					The change in height was introduced along with the switch from the Region file format to the new Anvil file format.
1.7.2		13w36a			Amplified world type added (attempts to use the full 255 height).
1.8.2		pre7			Raised the build limit from 255 to 256 and prevented non-solid blocks from being placed one block higher.
1.11		16w32a			The height limit message now appears on top of the hotbar, the place where the message "Press LSHIFT to dismount" also appears when riding a mob.
1.14		18w43a			Light is no longer observable above 2,048 blocks.
1.17		20w49a			The height limit can now be increased in the custom worlds settings. Because of errors, it can be increased only up to 512 and down to −256 below bedrock.
		?			Fixed those above errors.
		21w06a			The world has been extended 64 blocks in both (vertical) directions, making it possible to build from layer −64 to layer 319 in the Overworld. This effectively increases the world to 383 buildable layers.
		21w15a			The world height changes have been reverted.
Upcoming Java Edition
1.18		Experimental Snapshot 1			Re-introduced previous changes to world height, which were only available through certain snapshots and the preview data pack prior to this experimental snapshot.
Pocket Edition Alpha
v0.1.0					The altitude of the map was 127 blocks total. Players could build 64 blocks up or down from sea level.
v0.9.0		build 1			Previously, the sea level was at layer 63. Now, it is at layer 62. Worlds created before this update generate one-block-high "waterfalls" at the boundary between previously-generated terrain and new, post-0.9.0 terrain.
Pocket Edition
1.0.0		alpha 0.17.0.1			The height limit was doubled from 127 to 255, with the exception of the Nether and Old world types. However, terrain (excluding structures) generates only up to the old height limit.
Bedrock Edition
Caves & Cliffs (experimental)		beta 1.16.220.50			Increased height limit from 255 to 319 blocks behind Experimental Gameplay.
		beta 1.16.220.52			The world has been extended 64 blocks downwards from layer 0 to layer -64. This effectively increases the world to 383 buildable layers.

Issues

Issues relating to "Altitude" are maintained on the bug tracker. Report issues there.

Trivia

• The highest possible altitude the player can legitimately climb to is Y = 320, although explosions, elytra launchers, piston slime block bounces, and Riptide tridents can all propel the player far beyond this limit.
• In Java Edition, mushrooms can appear on the Nether's bedrock ceiling.
• Block generation and player construction below and above the build limits can be achieved only through modifying the dimension properties, or mods, such as the Cubic Chunks mod.
• The reasoning behind Custom worlds having height limits of ±2032 rather than ±2048 (a binary number notated as 2¹¹) is because the lighting system still applies 16 blocks above and below the world, but the Y-coordinates of blocks (which are also used in the lighting calculation) are stored internally using only 12 bits. Therefore, having limits of ±2048 would prevent the lighting system from functioning correctly.

Gallery

• 

  Bedrock floor generating as low as Y = −2048 in a Custom world with decreased min_y.

• 

  Lowest placeable temporary block in a Custom world, at which point the game was unplayable.

See also

• Chunk
• Void
• Amplified

References

Environment

View at: Template:Environment/content [edit]