Iron Ore

For a list of iron-related objects in Minecraft, see Iron (Disambiguation).

Iron ore is a common ore found almost everywhere in a Minecraft world.

Mechanics

Iron ore generates around and below sea-level in the Overworld. It is a crucial material to gather during the early stages of the game since it can be made into a pickaxe, capable of mining all types of ores (including diamond ore). Every iron ore block contains enough iron to make one iron ingot when it is smelted.

Appearance

Iron ore is a gray-coloured block with beige spots.

Obtaining

Iron can only be mined with a stone pickaxe or better; using a wooden or gold pickaxe will not yield any ore. Once it is mined, the user will gain an ore block that they can place, but they will not be able to make any items using the ore. They must smelt it down into iron ingots using a (blast) furnace, and then create what they want. This makes iron ore one of three ores that require smelting, one being gold ore, the last one being ancient debris (netherite).

Uses

Iron is used to make weapons and armor with higher durability than those made with stone, leather, wood, or gold. Iron can also be used to make minecarts, rails, compasses, anvils, cauldrons and buckets. Iron tools can be used up to 250 times before they break. Iron can also be used to craft iron blocks; 4 blocks of iron combined with a pumpkin head is the spawning recipe of the iron golem.

Mining

Iron Ore requires a stone pickaxe or better to harvest. Otherwise, it will drop nothing.

Tool
Hardness	3
Breaking time[note 1]
Default	15
Wood	7.5
Stone	1.15
Iron	0.75
Diamond	0.6
Netherite	0.5
Gold	1.25

1. ↑ Times are for unenchanted tools in seconds.

Trivia

• In Survival Test, iron ore gave a player 3 iron blocks, which didn't require any smelting, as well as yielding twenty-seven times as many iron ingots.
• Nether Quartz is as common as iron (45%), though the former is found in less blocky terrain, so they're easier to be seen in plain sight.
• One player found a vein that had 19 blocks of iron ore.

Gallery

Video

Iron - Minecraft Micro Guide

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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 • Quartz Bricks • Polished Blackstone
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
Bartering with piglins 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 ( Cracked • Chiseled • Fence) • Nether Quartz • Nether Gold • Ancient Debris • Nether Wart • Nether Roots • Weeping Vines • Twisting Vines • Fungus • Soul Sand • Soul Soil • Basalt • Magma Block • Blackstone
The End	Dragon Egg • End Stone • 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