On this page
How does ore lie in the ground?
- Cave veins: small pockets close together, 2 to 48 m under the ground, on half of the 6 m cells: about one in three is coal, one in three iron, then copper and bauxite. A vein shows every 25 m or so along a cave gallery.
- Deep veins: strings of ore on a 12 m grid down to 200 m, full ore at their core, mixed with rock at the edge. Below 48 m most cells hold one: digging deeper pays.
- Geodes: hollow spheres 4 to 9 m wide, 20 to 160 m down. A calcite shell and a carpet of crystal, quartz and a few gem ores.
- Giant lodes: a body of ore 40 to 120 m wide, pure ore at its core, a few per world. See further down.
- Raisonite: rare violet pockets of 1 to 3 cubes, 35 to 110 m deep, for the first alloy. An iron pickaxe or better cuts it.
How deep is each ore?
Depths are metres under the ground above you. Coal, iron and copper are the commonest veins; some ores are commoner under some land.
| Ore | Depth under the ground | Commoner under | Gives |
|---|---|---|---|
| Coal | 3 to 70 m | - | Fuel, the Furnace's reducer, steel |
| Copper ore | 8 to 90 m | Highlands | Copper: wire, cables, electricity |
| Iron ore | 10 to 140 m | - | Iron: tools, armour, every machine |
| Bauxite | 3 to 30 m | Jungles and savannas (×3) | Aluminium, on a powered Furnace |
| Lithium ore | 20 to 120 m | Highlands | Lithium: batteries |
| Gold ore | 70 to 200 m | - | Gold: circuit boards, mirrors, the Raisonite alloy |
| Titanium ore | 90 to 200 m | Volcanic land (×3) | Titanium: the best tools and armour, rockets |
| Gem ore | 100 to 200 m | Mountains | The diamond, an ore and a gem |
| Uranium ore | 120 to 200 m | - | Uranium |
| Saltpetre | 3 to 40 m | Hot deserts (×3) | Gunpowder |
| Sulphur | 5 to 80 m | Volcanic land (×3) | Gunpowder |
| Flint | 3 to 60 m (nodules) | - | Arrows, the flint sword; also from gravel |
Is there ore near where I start?
Yes. Every world places its giant lodes once, around the place where it starts, then over the whole planet. The first coal, iron, copper and bauxite lodes lie between 250 and 700 m from your start; the others within 1.5 km.
| Giant lode | Near your start | More over the planet | Where it lies | Body, under the ground |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Coal | 2 | 10 | Plains and gentle land | 4 to 22 m |
| Iron ore | 2 | 10 | Far inland | 6 to 26 m |
| Copper ore | 2 | 8 | Under the mountain ranges | 8 to 28 m |
| Bauxite | 1 | 6 | Hot and wet land (jungle, savanna) | 2 to 12 m |
| Gold ore | 1 | 6 | Foot of the ranges | 18 to 34 m |
| Titanium ore | 1 | 6 | Along the coasts | 16 to 34 m |
| Lithium ore | 1 | 6 | Hot, dry, flat land | 2 to 14 m |
| Saltpetre | 1 | 5 | Deserts | 2 to 10 m |
| Uranium ore | 1 | 5 | Far inland | 24 to 40 m |
| Gem ore | 1 | 5 | Under the mountain ranges | 24 to 40 m |
| Oil | 1 | 8 | Plains and gentle land | 30 to 42 m (see how to find oil) |
How do I spot a lode?
- 1
Go to the right ground
Coal lies in the plains, iron far inland, copper under the mountain chains, gold at their foot, titanium on the coasts. A lode lies only 2 to 40 m under the ground at its centre: never far from the surface.
- 2
Look for boulders of ore
Boulders of ore 2 to 4 m high stand on the ground above the core of a lode: you see them from afar.
- 3
Dig the core
The core is pure ore, then lumps thin out toward the rim. Bring a pickaxe: it takes the 1 m cube of ore you aim at, and a Raisonite pickaxe takes a whole vein.
Questions
Where is the best place to find my first iron?
In a cave. Small coal and iron pockets, 2 to 48 m under the ground, show on almost every cave wall. Failing that, look for the boulders of a giant iron lode, or dig the iron veins 10 to 140 m down.
Is iron ore always near the start?
Yes: two giant iron lodes lie within reach of the place where the world starts (the first between 250 and 700 m), and ten more over the planet.
What do I do with the ore?
Coal burns as fuel. Iron ore and coal go into the Furnace and come out as iron ingots. See smelting.
Where are tin, silver and lead?
They were removed in the October update: new land no longer holds them, and their ingots in old saves turned into iron or gold. Blocks already mined stay building blocks.
Do gems grow in geodes only?
No. Gem ore also lies in veins 100 to 200 m down and in giant lodes under the mountain ranges. It gives the diamond, which is an ore and a gem, not a tool.
Updated