Diamond Ore

Diamond Ore is an ore for a rare gem, diamond, which is the most valuable resource for tools and armor found in Minecraft.

Overview

Immediately after mining the block, a player acquires a Diamond, rather than the ore itself. Diamonds can be used to make very strong tools and durable armor. However, diamonds are quite hard to find and are usually located from 0 to 15 layer above the Bedrock level. To mine diamond ore, a player will need an iron or diamond pickaxe. To obtain the diamond ore block, it must be mined with an iron pickaxe or higher with the Silk Touch enchantment on it.

Often, a player will encounter underground dungeons while digging and can loot chests within to find diamonds and other ores.

Mining

Diamond ores appear at layers below layer 16, but the highest concentration of diamond ore can be found between layers 5 through 12. There are many popular and efficient ways to find diamonds. One way is to randomly dig around layer 10, and depending on luck, they will get 16-34 diamonds with 8-10 iron pickaxes being used and destroyed. It is also a good idea to enchant the pickaxe with Unbreaking or Efficiency before a player starts to dig.

Mining a diamond ore itself requires the silk touch enchantment. The ore can later be excavated with a Pickaxe with a Fortune I, II, or III enchantment for a chance to get more diamonds.

Diamond Ore requires an iron pickaxe or better to harvest, otherwise it will drop nothing.

Tool
Hardness	3
Breaking time[note 1]
Default	15
Wood	7.5
Stone	3.75
Iron	0.75
Diamond	0.6
Netherite	0.5
Gold	1.25

1. ↑ Times are for unenchanted tools in seconds.

Trivia

• Diamond, like other ores, is easier to find in caves and empty lava pools, as this gives more surface area.
• Like other ores, diamonds were about 50% more common in the quadrant south-west of the point (0,0) compared to the north-east quadrant. However, this was fixed in Beta 1.6.
• In some vein formations, ores connect diagonally. Therefore, it is recommended to mine around diamond ore. This also permits checking for lava.
• Diamond ore, along with other ores, appears in the background on the achievement page.
• Diamonds are the third-rarest item in the game, the second being ancient debris and the first being emerald ore, which comes in smaller veins than diamond, usually only 1 or 2 ore blocks.
• Diamond ore is the most praised and used ore on Bedrock, Java, and Console Editions since the ore provides stronger armor, tools, and weapons. Diamonds can also be used to make netherite armor and tools.
• Like coal ore, Lapis Lazuli Ore, Redstone Ore, and Emerald Ore, diamond ore doesn't need to be smelted.
• Diamond ore is technically not an ore as it is a precious stone, rather than a malleable material or metal.
• Diamond ore can have as many as 10 ores congruent, whereas gold ore only goes up to 9. This, however, is a rarity and is not always found.
• Diamond ore is most popular at layer 12 around lava or ravines.
  • This is because Diamond Ore is more open and easier to find around these areas.
• If a player is having trouble finding diamonds, make a strip mine at level 10, and it will cover layers 9 through 12.
• Notch has many times considered changing the diamond ore to look the same as emerald ore, but change its color to cyan instead of green.
  • This is sometimes common around lava pools.
• Oddly, Diamond Ore has less blast resistance than Stone or Cobblestone, even if it's used to make really powerful tools.

Gallery

Blocks
Natural	Air • Stone • Granite • Andesite • Diorite • Bedrock • Clay ( Terracotta) • Cobblestone ( Moss) • Cobweb • Dirt • Gravel • Coarse Dirt • Bone • Ice ( Packed • Blue) • Spawner • Sand ( Red) • Sandstone ( Red) • Obsidian • Snow • Sponge • Wet Sponge • Stone Bricks ( Cracked • Mossy • Chiseled) • Prismarine ( Dark • Brick) • Sea Lantern • Pumpkin • Bee Nest • Grass Path • Infested Block • Snowier Snow
Manufactured	Bookshelf • Bricks • Wool ( Carpet) • Concrete( Powder) • Conduit • Dried Kelp Block • Fence • Glass ( Pane) • Stained Glass ( Pane) • Glazed Terracotta • Hay Bale • Iron Bars • Jack o' Lantern • Ladder • Painting • Scaffolding • Slab • Smooth Stone • Cut Sandstone • Smooth Quartz • Smooth Red Sandstone • Slime • Snow • Stairs • Walls • Wood Planks • Wood • Beehive • Honey Block • Honeycomb Block • Polished Diorite • Polished Granite • Polished Andesite • Red Nether Brick
Ore	Coal Ore • Diamond Ore • Emerald Ore • Gold Ore ( Nether) • Iron Ore • Lapis Lazuli Ore • Redstone Ore • Ruby Ore • Nether Quartz Ore • Ancient Debris
Mineral Blocks	Block of Diamond • Block of Emerald • Block of Gold • Block of Iron • Lapis Lazuli Block • Block of Quartz • Block of Redstone • Block of Coal • Block of Netherite • Block of Ruby
Utility	Bed • Brewing Stand • Cake • Cauldron • Chest • Shulker Box • Crafting Table • Enchantment Table • Furnace • Jukebox • TNT • Anvil • Blast Furnace • Barrel • Bell • Campfire • Cartography Table • Composter • Fletching Table • Grindstone • Lantern • Lectern • Loom • Smithing Table • Smoker • Stonecutter • Target • Respawn Anchor • Lodestone
Trading/Bartering only	Crying Obsidian
Redstone/Travel	Button • Dispenser • Redstone Lamp • Door • Fence Gate • Lever • Note • Piston ( Sticky) • Pressure Plate • Rail ( Powered • Detector • Activator) • Redstone ( Wire • Torch • Repeater • Comparator) • Trapdoor ( Iron Trapdoor) • Trapped Chest • Hopper • Dropper • Daylight Detector • Tripwire Hook • Observer • Redstone Ore • Block of Redstone
Plants	Cactus • Dead Bush • Chorus Plant • Flowers • Wither Rose • Grass( Grass • Fern) • Leaves • Lily Pad • Melon • Mushrooms( Huge)  • Mycelium • Podzol • Nylium • Pumpkin • Saplings • Sugar Cane • Vines • Cocoa Pods • Wheat • Log • Corals • Kelp • Sweet Berry Bush • Nether Roots • Fungus • Weeping Vines • Twisting Vines
Liquids	Lava • Water
Non-Solid	Fire ( Soul Fire) • Sign • Torch ( Soul Fire) • Banner
The Nether	Glowstone • Shroomlight • Netherrack • Nylium • Nether Brick ( Fence) • Nether Quartz • Nether Gold • Ancient Debris • Nether Wart • Nether Roots • Weeping Vines • Twisting Vines • Fungus • Soul Sand • Soul Soil • Basalt • Magma Block
The End	Dragon Egg • End Stone • Purpur( Purpur Pillar) • Endstone Brick • End Rod • Dragon Head • Ender Crystal
Creative only	Barrier • Structure Block • Jigsaw • Command Block ( Repeating • Chain)
Bedrock Edition only	Stonecutter (old) • Nether Reactor • Light Block • Glowing Obsidian
Technical	Piston Arm • Block 36 • Burning Furnace • Glowing Redstone Ore • Off-state Redstone Torch • Active Redstone Repeater • Flowing Water • Flowing Lava • Farmland • Pumpkin Stem • Melon Stem • Block 97 • Portal • End Portal Frame • End Portal • End Gateway (block) • Missing Texture Block
Unused	Locked Chest
Removed	Cog • Dirt Slab • Cyan Flower • Camera(BE) • Wax Block
Unimplemented	Crying Obsidian (old) • Wax Block
Education Edition only	Element Constructor • Material Reducer • Compound Creator • Hardened Glass • Border • Underwater TNT