Diamonds are a must-have mineral in Minecraft. They’re used to create the highest tier tools and armor, as well as an enchanting table so that you can begin to put enchantments on your weapons and armor.
If you plan to venture into the Nether, you will need a Diamond picaxe to mine the 10 Obsidian required to create a Nether Portal. All you require to mine Diamonds is an Iron Pickaxe and patience.
Below, you can read some tips and guides for finding Diamonds, including the best level to find them. For more Minecraft Guides and best-of content including seeds and resource packs, check out our dedicated section here!
Best Level for Finding Diamonds in Minecraft
Diamond Ore generates deep underground, right next to Bedrock. To find Diamond Ore, it would be best to mine at around Level 8-10. This is right in the middle of all levels where Diamonds spawn, which is between Level 0-16 in every biome.
When you do find Diamonds, they will spawn in clusters, with each vein having up to 8 Diamond Ores which you can mine. It’s important to note that Diamonds will only spawn once per chunk, with a chunk being a 16×16 block radius. So once you do find them, you’ll need to move away a bit. Keep reading to see how you can check your currently mining level.
How to Check Your Current Mining Level
If you are playing on PC, you can check your coordinates at any time by pressing F3. This will bring up the debug screen. Look in the top left corner for the ‘XYZ’ area (indicated with a red outline). The middle coordinate is your height, and should be around 10 for finding diamonds.
The debug screen is only available on PC. If you are playing Bedrock Edition, PS4 or Xbox, you will need to use other methods. If you are playing on one of the devices that has a map, you should be able to see coordinates there. Otherwise, dig all the way down to Bedrock, then go up again around 5-8 blocks, this is the level where Diamond Ore spawns.
Best Methods for Mining Diamonds
The best method for finding Diamond Ore in Minecraft is by strip mining. This is where you dig in lines, in a block layout. What I do, is dig a 1 block wide, 2 high tunnel for around 16 blocks, that way you cover the length of an entire chunk.
Then turn 2 blocks, and dig back the way you came so that you have multiple tunnels running parallel to eachother. See the screenshot below for details.
The screenshot shows a central corridor, then 1 block wide tunnels coming off of it at every 2 spaces. By leaving a gap of 2 spaces, you will maximise your efficiency and chances of finding Diamonds. Most people will dig with a space of 1, but that means you’re seeing the same wall that you saw the previous time.
Best Pickaxe Enchantments for mining Diamonds
There are some enchantments you can add to your pickaxe to make not only finding Diamond Ore quicker, but also get more Diamonds per ore mined. You should always use a Diamond Pickaxe too for maximum speed and durability. Focus your Pickaxe Enchantments in this order:
- Fortune (III): Fortune increases the amount of item drops when mining or digging. Having it on your pickaxe means you’ll receive more Diamonds. Having Fortune I gives a 33% chance of dropping 2 Diamonds, Fortune II will give a 25% chance of getting 2 or 3 Diamonds, and Fortune III will give a 20% chance to finding 2, 3 or 4 Diamonds.
- Efficiency (V): By adding the Efficiency enchantment to your pickaxe, you will massively increase the speed of which you mine. You will be able to dig out tunnels and corridors much faster.
- Unbreaking (III): Add Unbreaking to your pickaxe, and it will last much longer in the mines. It doesn’t increase the health of your pickaxe, but the chances of it not losing any durability when it’s used. It works well with Mending.
- Mending (I): This Enchantment can’t be rewarded at an Enchanting Table. Instead, you have to find it by searching chests, fishing or trading. How it works is whenever you collect experience orbs, the orbs will go towards repairing a tool that has the Mending enchantment instead of your experience bar. Meaning your Picaxe will practically be invincible as mining resources such as Coal gives experience.
