Renewable Resources are resources that can be recreated indefinitely (as opposed to nonrenewable resources). While running out of resources isn't likely to be a factor due to theoretically infinite (and still quite vast in practice) map generation, this is a list of resources that can produced over and over without having to explore for more.
The listed Fully Renewable Products are items which can be crafted or smelted using only renewable resources. Note that TNT and arrows are created from a combination of renewable and non-renewable resources (being Sand and Flint, respectively).
Fully renewable resources
These resources do not require any nonrenewable items in order to be collected.
| Resource | Fully Renewable Products | Method |
|---|---|---|
| Saplings and Trees SaplingSapling SpruceSapling Birch |
WoodWood (Pine)Wood (Birch)Wooden PlankLaddersFenceFence GateWooden DoorTrapdoorSignWooden StairsWooden Pressure PlateCharcoal (Item)BedGold SwordGold PickaxeGold ShovelGold AxeGold Hoe | Trees can be grown from Saplings placed on lit Dirt; breaking trees' Leaves drops saplings. See tree farming. Charcoal can be produced by smelting any kind of log. |
| Wool |
Bed | Obtained by shearing/killing sheep, or by crafting 4 strings dropped by spiders. Six of the shown colors (white, light gray, gray, black, brown and pink) occur naturally in sheep; green, lime, red, orange and yellow wool require renewable dyes to produce. |
| Cobblestone |
ButtonStone BrickStone Brick Slabs | Let flowing Lava meet Water. (One should take care not to let the water come into contact with the lava source block, which will extinguish the lava to make obsidian.) |
| Crops |
Harvesting Crops may produce Seeds, which may be used to produce more Crops. May also be harvested from Tall Grass. | |
| Sugar Canes |
Will grow to 3 blocks high and can be trimmed or replanted. Must first be found in the world. | |
| Cacti |
Will grow to 3 blocks high and can be trimmed or replanted. Must first be found in the world. | |
| Pumpkin Seeds Pumpkin seeds |
Jack-O-Lantern | Pumpkin Seeds are found in Abandoned Mine Shafts. You can also get seeds from putting a pumpkin in a crafting table or by breaking Pumpkin Stems |
| Melon Seeds Melon seeds |
Melon Seeds are found in Abandoned Mine Shafts. You can also get seeds from putting a melon slice in a crafting table or by breaking Melon Stems | |
| Fish |
Obtained by fishing using a Fishing Rod. | |
| Pork |
Dropped by killed pigs. | |
| Beef |
Dropped by killed cows. | |
| Leather |
Dropped by killed cows. | |
| Raw Chicken |
Dropped by killed chickens. | |
| Feathers |
— | Dropped by killed chickens. |
| Eggs |
— | Dropped roughly every 7 minutes by living chickens. |
| Gunpowder |
— | Dropped by killed creepers and ghasts. |
| Ink Sacs |
Dropped by killed squid. | |
| Arrows |
— | Dropped by killed skeletons. |
| Bones |
Dropped by killed skeletons. | |
| String |
Bed | Dropped by killed spiders. |
| Spider Eye |
Dropped by killed spiders. | |
| Slimeballs |
Dropped by killed slimes. | |
| Gold Nuggets |
Gold (Ingot)Gold SwordGold PickaxeGold ShovelGold AxeGold HoeGold (Block)Gold HelmetGold ChestplateGold LeggingsGold Boots | Dropped by killed Zombie Pigmen. |
| Ghast Tears |
— | Dropped by killed ghasts. |
| Blaze Rods |
Dropped by killed blazes. | |
| Ender Pearls Enderpearl |
Dropped by killed endermen. | |
| Rotten Flesh |
Dropped by killed zombies and Zombie Pigmen. | |
| Mushrooms MushroomsMushrooms |
Using Bone Meal on normal Mushrooms will grow them into Huge Mushrooms, if there is enough space, and can then be broken to get more of the normal mushroom. Normal mushrooms also spread slowly on their own. | |
| Flowers FlowersFlowers |
Can occasionally spawn when Bone Meal is used to generate patches of Tall Grass. | |
| Nether Wart Nether Wart Seeds |
— | Harvesting fully grown nether wart. |
| Music Discs Music DiscsMusic Discs |
— | Get a skeleton to kill a creeper with its arrows. |
| Snowball |
Snow (Block) | Snow is replaced whenever it snows, and is also produced by Snow Golems. |
Renewable, but require nonrenewable resources
These resources require a one-time craft of a nonrenewable item in order to be collected. The resource then can be collected infinite times.
| Resource | Fully Renewable Products | Method |
|---|---|---|
| Water |
Two water spring blocks in the appropriate pattern produce a third; see Water for details.
However, harvesting it requires a Bucket, which can be used unlimited times, but is made of non-renewable Iron. | |
| Milk |
Obtained by milking Cows using a Bucket.
However, harvesting Milk for a cake requires 3 Buckets, which can be used unlimited times, but are made of non-renewable Iron. |
Renewable at the expense of nonrenewable resources
While these resources can be created infinitely, collecting these requires gradual consumption of non-renewable tools.
| Resource | Renewable Products | Method |
|---|---|---|
| Obsidian |
— | Entering a Nether Portal for which there is no matching exit will generate 14 free blocks of Obsidian (and 4 more "ledge" block if the portal is formed in mid-air). Only mining the corners (and "ledges") will keep the portal active.
However, harvesting it requires a diamond pickaxe made from non-renewable Diamond. |
| Leaves Leaves |
— | Harvesting Leaf blocks from grown Trees using Shears will produce leaf blocks instead of saplings.
However, harvesting it requires Shears, made from non-renewable Iron. |
| Vines |
— | Vines can be found hanging from leaves in Swamp biomes. They grow downwards.
However, harvesting them also requires Shears, made from non-renewable Iron. |
| Tall Grass |
— | Tall grass can be made by using Bone Meal on grass.
However, harvesting it also requires Shears, made from non-renewable Iron. |
Renewable, but cannot be harvested
These "resources" can be made infinitely, but cannot be harvested and carried.
| Resource | Fully Renewable Products | Method |
|---|---|---|
| Mushrooms MushroomsMushrooms |
Huge MushroomsHuge MushroomsHuge Mushrooms | Using Bone Meal on normal Mushrooms will grow them into Huge Mushrooms (if there is enough space), and can then be broken to get more of the normal mushroom for making more Huge Mushrooms. Like Ice blocks, Mushroom blocks can be moved to a desired spot by using pistons.
However, you cannot collect Huge Mushrooms, and they can only be used for decorative or sheltering purposes. |
| Snow |
— | Snow is replaced whenever it snows in snow biomes, and is also produced by Snow Golems.
However, you cannot collect Snow, and it can only be used for decorative purposes. |
| Ice |
— | Ice is created in snow biomes when a water block is exposed to the sky while the non-sunlight level is 10 or lower. Ice cannot be picked up, but it can be moved by pistons. |
Non-renewable Resources
These resources can not be recreated indefinitely on the limited area (as opposed to renewable resources). The only way to get more resources is to open a new lands. While running out of resources isn't likely to be a factor due to theoretically infinite (and still quite vast in practice) map generation, this is a list of resources that can not produced over and over without having to explore for more.
They are listed in order of rarity(from the rarest to least rare)
| Nonrenewable Resource | Non-renewable Products | Method |
|---|---|---|
| Diamond (Ore) Diamond (Ore) |
Diamond (Gem)Diamond (Block) | Can be found ... |
| Redstone (Ore) Redstone (Ore) |
Redstone (Dust)Redstone (Torch)Redstone (Repeater) | Can be found ... |
| Lapis Lazuli (Ore) Lapis Lazuli (Ore) |
Lapis Lazuli (Block)Lapis Lazuli (Dye) | Can be found ... |
| Moss Stone |
-- | Found in dungeons. |
| Clay Clay (Block) |
Clay (Item)Clay (Brick)Brick (Block) | Can be found mostly underwater near sand, and most frequently in swamp biomes. |
| Iron (Ore) Iron (Ore) |
Iron (Ingot)Iron (Block)Flint_and_SteelStorage_MinecartPowered_MinecartRailsMap (Item) | Can be found ... |
| Coal (Ore) Coal (Ore) |
Coal (Item) | Can be found ... |
| Gravel |
Can be found randomly underground and sometimes on coasts, and also in The Nether | |
| Lava |
Can be found ... also in The Nether | |
| Sand |
Can be found mostly in deserts and on coasts. | |
| Sandstone |
-- | Can be found under naturally generated sand. |
| Mycelium |
Can be found in mushroom biomes. Also can be converted from Dirt. | |
| Grass |
Can be found mostly anywhere on the surface(except the desert). Also can be converted from Dirt. | |
| Dirt |
Can be found mostly anywhere underneath a grass block on the surface and often is underground | |
| Glowstone (Block) Glowstone (Block) |
Glowstone (Dust) | Can be found only in The Nether |
| Soul Sand |
-- | Can be found only in The Nether |
| Netherrack |
-- | Can be found only in The Nether |