Ore distribution by height (Y)
Pick ores and a dimension — the tool works out which Y level has the densest generation for each one, and charts every selected ore.
How we calculate
The game doesn't scatter ore across a ready-made density map — each ore generates through separate placements: how many tries per chunk, over what Y range, in what shape (flat/uniform, or a triangle peaking at the middle of the range), and with what vein size. These parameters are public and identical in every new world.
The chart here isn't a count of real blocks in a built world — it's a model: for every Y, it sums (tries per chunk) × (vein size) × (a share of the distribution shape, normalized so each placement totals exactly 1 across its own Y range) across all of the selected ore's placements. That's a relative figure for comparing heights against each other, not a prediction of how many blocks you'll actually mine.
The air-exposure discard chance (an ore block gets skipped if it would touch air when placed) is not folded into the chart: it depends on the surrounding terrain at that exact spot, which the model has no data on. It's shown separately for each placement instead of being hidden.
Sources
checked 17 September 2026
Questions and answers
Is this a real ore count or a model?
A model. The chart sums (tries per chunk) × (vein size) × (normalized distribution shape) for every generation placement of an ore — a relative figure for comparing heights, not a count of blocks in a built world.
Why does diamond have several generation placements at once?
The game generates one ore through several independent "layers" with different vein sizes and shapes — diamond, for instance, has four separate placements across Y −64…16, and the chart sums them all.
Why do the "Generation-density peak" and the "Empirically observed peak" show different numbers?
The first is a pure model of generation-attempt counts, with no knowledge of caves, terrain or the air-exposure discard chance. The second is a separate, empirical wiki statistic drawn from real generated worlds, which already reflects those effects. Iron is the clearest example: the model peaks at Y=232 (where its largest placement is configured), while the real-world statistic peaks at Y=14 — at Y=232 there simply isn't much stone for a vein to spawn into in the first place.
Is the "discarded if exposed to air" chance factored in?
Not in the chart itself, deliberately: it depends on the nearby caves and terrain at a specific spot, not just height, which the model has no data on. It's shown separately per placement; separately again, the "Empirically observed peak" from the wiki already reflects that effect.
Why does gold in the Badlands show a Y range instead of one number?
In the Badlands, gold generates at almost the same density across the whole Y 32…256 band — a flat plateau rather than a sharp peak, so showing the full range is more honest than inventing one arbitrary number.
Unofficial tool. Not affiliated with the developers or publishers of Minecraft.