Minecraft Wiki
Advertisement

A renewable resource is a resource that can be recreated indefinitely in survival without exploiting glitches (as opposed to a non-renewable resource). 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 be produced over and over without having to explore for more. However, running out of resources can be a bigger issue on Superflat worlds, where resources are less plentiful, or in PvP maps, where one would like to obtain resources without having to conquer more land.

The listed fully renewable products are items which can be crafted, smelted, or brewed using only renewable resources. For example, Cookies are renewable as they only require Wheat and Cocoa Beans that can be regrown infinitely, while TNT isn't because it requires Sand, which is not renewable.

Anything that is dropped by a monster or animal (besides the Dragon Egg dropped by the Ender Dragon and the Nether Star dropped by the Wither) is renewable because all mobs (besides the Ender Dragon (one per world) and Wither (requires Soul Sand)) can respawn and be killed again for more loot.

Renewable Resources

Resource Renewable products Renewable method
Arrows
Arrows are dropped by Skeletons and can be traded by Villager farmers.
Blaze Rods
Blaze rods are dropped by Blazes.
Bones
Bones are dropped by Skeletons, and can be fished.
Cactus
Cactus can be found in desert biomes and can be grown on sand. While sand is non-renewable, it is not consumed by the growth of cactus.
Carrots
Carrots can be grown on tilled soil. They can be found on some village fields or as a rare drop of zombies.
Coal/Charcoal
Coal is dropped by killed Wither Skeletons. Charcoal is produced by smelting logs. Coal and Charcoal do not stack together, but serve the same purpose. As of snapshot 13w19a they are no longer visually identical, and Charcoal cannot be used to craft Blocks of Coal.
Cobblestone and Stone
Stone BrickStone Bricks SlabButton Created by letting non-renewable lava flow over or against water. One must not let water flow into the lava source, otherwise the lava will irreversibly convert into obsidian.
Cocoa Beans
Cocoa pods (found on jungle trees) drop up to 3 beans, which can be replanted on jungle logs to produce more cocoa.
Eggs
Chickens will lay eggs roughly every 5 – 10 minutes.
Ender Pearls
Enderpearl
Dropped by killed Endermen.
Experience Orb
File:XP orb animation.gif
See enchanting Dropped by any mob killed by the player except for Villagers, Golems, Bats, or baby animals. Also may be obtained through fishing, smelting, and breeding.
Feathers
Dropped by killed chickens.
Ferns
- Obtained by using bonemeal on ferns and then breaking them with shears
Flowers
Flowers


Short flowers can spawn when bone meal is used in the appropriate biomes to generate patches of tall grass. This requires non-renewable Grass Blocks, (although it is very plentiful in a normal Overworld outside of a Mushroom Island, and they are not consumed to generate tall grass). Tall flowers drop coppies of themselves when bonemeal is used on them. Poppies are also sometimes dropped by killed Iron Golems.
Ghast Tears
Dropped by killed Ghasts.
Glass Bottle
Dropped by killed Witches.
Glowstone Dust
Glowstone Block Dropped by killed Witches or obtained by trading with villager priests. Also dropped by Blazes in the Xbox version.
Gunpowder
Dropped by killed creepers, Ghasts, and Witches.
Huge Mushroom
Huge MushroomsHuge MushroomsHuge Mushrooms
MushroomsMushrooms Using bone meal on normal mushrooms will grow them into huge mushrooms (if there is enough space), which can then be broken to get more of the normal mushroom. With the Silk Touch enchantment though (obtainable by trading with villager priests), the huge mushroom blocks themselves can be collected.
Ice
Water source blocks in an Ice Plains or Taiga biomes will turn into ice over time. Attempting to collect ice will break it into water if there is a block under it, outright destroying the broken block otherwise. With the Silk Touch enchantment though (obtainable by trading with Villager priests), the ice blocks can be successfully collected.
Ink Sacs
Dropped by killed Squid.
Leather
Dropped by killed Cows, Mooshrooms and Horses.
Magma Cream
Dropped by killed Magma Cubes. Also crafted from Slimeballs and blaze powder
Melon Seeds
Melon (Block) Melon Seeds are found in Abandoned Mine Shafts. And can be crafted from melon slices, which can either be traded by villager farmers, or crafted from melon blocks found in Jungle biome. Seeds can be renewed once grown by breaking a melon stem, or crafting them from melon slices.
Milk
Obtained by milking Cows or Mooshrooms with a bucket.
Mushrooms
MushroomsMushrooms
Huge MushroomsHuge MushroomsHuge Mushrooms Using Bone Meal on normal mushrooms will grow them into Huge Mushrooms, if there is enough space, which can then be broken to get more of the normal mushroom. Normal mushrooms also spread slowly on their own. Also, Mooshrooms can be sheared for red mushrooms or milked for Mushroom Stew, which can also be crafted with a bowl and both mushrooms.
Nether Wart
Nether Wart Seeds
Harvested from fully grown Nether wart. Must be planted on non-renewable Soul Sand, but it doesn't consume the block.
Obsidian
  • Entering a nether portal for which there is no matching exit will generate 14 free blocks of obsidian (and 4 more "ledge" blocks if the portal is formed in mid-air). Only mining the corners (and "ledges") will keep the portal active if desired. More on here
  • Each time entering an end portal will generate a 5x5 platform of obsidian at the same position in the end. In other words, the obsidian can be mined and will be "refilled" next time you re-enter the end (note that, to leave the end, you will have first to defeat the Enderdragon).

Diamond pickaxes, required to mine obsidian, can be obtained by trading with villager blacksmiths.

Potatoes
Potatoes are a rare drop of zombies and can be harvested on some village fields, but once obtained, the player can grow them on tilled soil. Poisonous Potatoes are occasionally dropped by mature potato plants.
Pumpkin Seeds
Pumpkin seeds
Jack 'o' Lantern Pumpkin seeds are found in abandoned mine shafts, while pumpkins themselves are found "wild" in certain biomes. You can also get seeds from putting a pumpkin in a crafting slot or by breaking pumpkin stems. The seeds, of course, can be planted in farmland to generate more pumpkins.
Raw Beef
Raw Beef is dropped by Cows and Mooshrooms. Steaks can also be traded by Villager butchers.
Raw Chicken
Dropped by killed chickens. Cooked chickens can also be traded by villager farmers.
Raw Fish
Obtained by fishing using a fishing rod.
Raw Porkchop
Dropped by killed Pigs. Cooked porkchops can also be traded by Villager butchers.
Redstone
Obtained by killing a Witch or by trading with villager priests.
Rotten Flesh
Dropped by killed Zombies and Zombie Pigmen.
Saplings and Trees
Wooden Pressure PlateJack 'o' LanternTrapdoorFenceFence GateWooden DoorSignBedWooden ButtonGold SwordGold PickaxeGold ShovelGold AxeGold Hoe Trees can be grown from saplings placed on lit dirt; When broken a leaf block has a 5% chance of dropping a sapling. See tree farming. Charcoal can be produced by smelting any kind of log. Leaves can be obtained by harvesting with shears. Sticks are also dropped by killed Witches.
Seeds
Seeds can be planted on farmland. Harvesting the resulting crops may produce more Seeds. Seeds can also be harvested from tall grass.
Slimeballs
Dropped by killed Slimes.
Snowballs
Snow (cover) In cold biomes, snow is replaced whenever it snowfalls. It is also produced by Snow Golems wherever they walk over.
Spider Eye
Dropped by killed Spiders, Cave Spiders, and Witches.
String
Bed Dropped by killed Spiders or Cave Spiders.
Sugar Cane
Will grow to 3 blocks high and can be trimmed or replanted. Must first be found in the world, and can only be planted on dirt/sand bordering water. Can be sometimes found 4 blocks high in the world. Sugar is also dropped by killed Witches.
Tall Grass
Bonemeal being used on grass blocks plants tall grass on the ground. To harvest tall grass, one must also use shears made from iron.
Vines
Found on swamp trees, jungle trees, and on terrain and caves in jungles. When attached (hanging), they grow naturally if there is open space below. To harvest vines, one must also use shears made from iron. They also generate as part of player-made jungle trees.
Water Bucket
Two water spring blocks in the appropriate pattern produce a third; see water for details. If placed in a snowy biome, it will create ice.
Wool
Bed Obtained by killing or shearing sheep, crafting 4 strings dropped by Spiders or Cave Spiders, by breeding two sheep which will result in a child with the same color of wool as the parents, or by using shears on sheep. 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.

Renewable resources from fishing

Resource Renewable resources Renewable method


Jack 'o' LanternFenceFence GateSignGold SwordGold PickaxeGold ShovelGold AxeGold HoeBed Obtained via fishing

Rare drops

These items are only occasionally dropped by monsters, so getting them quickly or in quantity is normally done by mining, then smelting/crafting non-renewable resources (mob farms being an option).

Resource Renewable Products Renewable Method
Bows
Bows are rarely dropped by skeletons, and can be enchanted with Power I and with an even more rare chance a Power II Bow followed by secondary enchantments. Usually, one would rather craft a bow with renewable sticks and strings.
Chainmail Armor
Chain Armor HelmetChain Armor ChestplateChain Armor LeggingsChain Armor Boots
Can very rarely be found equipped to Zombies, Zombie Pigmen, and Skeletons. Can also be found being sold by Villagers.
Diamond Armor
Can very, very rarely be found equipped to Zombies, Zombie Pigmen, and Skeletons. More commonly, they can be obtained by trading with villager blacksmiths.
Gold Nuggets and Gold Ingots
Gold SwordGold PickaxeGold ShovelGold AxeGold HoeGold HelmetGold ChestplateGold LeggingsGold BootsWeighted Pressure Plate (Light) Nuggets are dropped by killed zombie pigmen, ingots as a rare drop.
Gold Swords and Gold Armor
Gold SwordGold HelmetGold ChestplateGold LeggingsGold Boots
Sword is a rare drop of killed zombie pigmen. These swords can be enchanted with any level I and some level II or III sword enchantments. Armor can very rarely be found equipped to Zombies, Zombie Pigmen, and Skeletons.
Iron Ingots
Weighted Pressure Plate (Heavy) Dropped by killed iron golems and rarely dropped by killed zombies.
Iron Swords, Iron Shovels, and Iron Armor
Armor can very rarely be found equipped to Zombies, Zombie Pigmen, and Skeletons.Can be worn/held by zombies, zombie pigmen, and skeletons. Swords and shovels are equipped only to Zombies.
Leather Armor
Can very rarely be found equipped to Zombies, Zombie Pigmen, and Skeletons.Can be worn/held by zombies, zombie pigmen, and skeletons. Also Farmed through Cows .
Music Discs
Music DiscsMusic DiscsMusic DiscsMusic DiscsMusic DiscsMusic DiscsMusic DiscsMusic DiscsMusic DiscsMusic DiscsMusic DiscsMusic Discs
Dropped only when a skeleton kills a creeper. It doesn't matter who dealt most of the damage, as long as the final blow is dealt by the arrow of the skeleton.
Wither Skeleton Skulls
Wither Skeleton Skulls are a rare drop of Wither Skeletons. The other heads are currently creative only.

Tradable

Resources that in normal circumstances would be non-renewable, except that they can be obtained through trading with villagers.

Resource Renewable Products Renewable Method
Emerald
Main articles: Trading and Villager

Obtained by trading renewable items to villagers, such as raw chicken. These can be used to buy other things from villagers, including resources that are otherwise non-renewable, like glass. Villagers never run out of stock (but their selling offers may vary), and they can be "bred", making villagers themselves renewable.

Bottle o' Enchanting
File:XP orb animation.gif Obtained by trading with villager priests.
Chainmail Armor
Chain Armor HelmetChain Armor ChestplateChain Armor LeggingsChain Armor Boots
Obtained by trading with villager blacksmiths.
Diamond Armor
Obtained by trading with villager blacksmiths.
Diamond Tools
Obtained by trading with villager blacksmiths.
Enchanted Books
Enchanted items Sold by villager librarians. Enchanted Books can also be caught when fishing.
Enchanted diamond or iron swords, pickaxes, axes, and chestplates
Up to level 19
Obtained by trading with villager priests.
Flint and Steel
Obtained by trading with villager farmers.
Glass



Obtained by trading with villager librarians. Glass bottles can be utilized to make potions. With redstone and glowstone bought from priests, extended potions and level II potions can also be brewed renewably. Glass bottles are also dropped by killed Witches.
Glowstone
Obtained by trading with villager priests. Dust is also dropped by killed Witches.
Iron Armor
Obtained by trading with villager blacksmiths. Iron armor can also be dropped by a zombie if it is wearing iron armor.
Iron Tools
Obtained by trading with villager blacksmiths. Swords and shovels also rare drop of zombies.
Saddles
Obtained by trading with villager butchers. Saddles can also be caught when fishing.
Redstone
Obtained by trading with villager priests or by killing a Witch.

Renewable, but require non-renewable resources

These resources can be made infinitely, but require one use of a non-renewable items/resources.

Resource Renewable products Renewable method
Wool - Blue, Cyan, and Purple
Bed Sheep will regrow their wool by eating Grass from Dirt blocks, and can thus be shorn multiple times. Indeed, by breeding two sheep of a color one can create an infinite number of re-shearable sheep. However, a single unit of the respective dye, containing non-renewable Lapis Lazuli, is required to color the initial sheep.
Advertisement