Overview
Lapis lazuli is the odd one out among the ores because it does not get denser the deeper you go. Its main band runs from Y -32 to Y 32 and peaks right around Y 0, which is sea level's depth rather than bedrock's, so the fastest way to gather it is a branch mine at Y 0 rather than a trip to the bottom of the world. There is also a second, buried distribution from about Y -64 to Y 64 that only generates in positions with no air exposure, which is why lapis is so rarely visible from a cave wall and so much more common when you tunnel. One block drops 4 to 9 lapis before Fortune and gives 2 to 5 experience, and it needs a stone pickaxe. Lapis has exactly two jobs and both are important: every enchantment at an enchanting table costs 1 to 3 lapis on top of the levels, and lapis is the blue dye for wool, concrete, banners, beds and candles. A player who enchants regularly will always want more lapis than they have, which is why an experienced player mines a level at Y 0 deliberately.
Paying for enchantments at an enchanting table, at 1 to 3 lapis per enchant, and providing blue dye for wool, concrete, terracotta, banners, beds and candles.
Minecraft classifies Lapis Lazuli Ore as a stone-family block. There is no way to craft it; you have to find it and mine it. Its hardness of 3 makes it a normal, unhurried block to mine.
Anything below a stone pickaxe breaks it without leaving a drop. Breaking it produces Lapis Lazuli. It stacks to 64.
It goes into exactly one recipe: Lapis Lazuli.
How to get it
Mine it with a stone pickaxe or better. It peaks at Y 0, not at bedrock, and 1 block drops 4 to 9 lapis before Fortune — a branch mine at sea-level depth is the efficient approach.
Tips
- Branch mine at Y 0 rather than going deep — lapis peaks there and gets rarer below Y -32.
- The buried distribution never touches air, so tunnelling finds far more lapis than exploring open caves does.
- Fortune III multiplies the 4-to-9 drop, so a single enchanted trip covers dozens of enchantments.
- Keep at least 3 lapis in the table's slot at all times or the enchantment options will not appear.
How long it takes to break
Lapis Lazuli Ore has a hardness of 3. By hand that is 15 seconds per block; with the correct tool at netherite tier it is 0.5 seconds.
An iron tool takes 0.75 seconds and a diamond one 0.6, so the jump that actually matters for this block is the one to iron.
Below stone the block breaks and simply vanishes. Bring the right tier or leave it in the ground.
Efficiency contributes its level squared plus one to tool speed, which makes Efficiency V roughly 3.3 times faster than the plain tool.
| Tool | No enchantment | Efficiency III | Efficiency V |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hand * | 15 s | 15 s | 15 s |
| Wooden * | 7.5 s | 1.3 s | 0.55 s |
| Stone | 1.2 s | 0.35 s | 0.15 s |
| Iron | 0.75 s | 0.3 s | 0.15 s |
| Diamond | 0.6 s | 0.25 s | 0.15 s |
| Netherite | 0.5 s | 0.25 s | 0.15 s |
| Golden * | 1.3 s | 0.7 s | 0.4 s |
Properties
Blast resistance on Lapis Lazuli Ore is 3, so an explosion nearby will usually take it out. It stops light entirely and gives off no light. 64 fit in a slot — a full stack. The fastest tool for it is a pickaxe; any other kind of tool mines it no faster than a bare hand does, because the speed bonus only applies to the tool class the block is tagged for. Broken normally it drops Lapis Lazuli rather than itself; Silk Touch is what returns the block, and Fortune raises the ordinary drop instead.
- Transparent
- No
- Required tool
- Stone Pickaxe
Where it generates
Lapis is unusual in peaking right around sea level rather than at the bottom of the world, so the fastest way to gather it is a branch mine at Y=0 rather than a trip to bedrock. Every enchantment on an enchanting table costs one to three lapis, and it is also the blue dye for banners and concrete, so a player who enchants often will always want more of it than they have.
A second "buried" distribution generates from about Y=-64 to Y=64 but only in positions with no air exposure, so those veins are never visible from a cave wall and are only found by digging.
- Generation range
- Y -32 … Y 32
- Best Y level
- Y 0
- Densest at
- Y 0
- Dimension
- Overworld
- Experience dropped
- 2–5
Drops
Lapis Lazuli Ore drops Lapis Lazuli.
Used to craft
Lapis Lazuli Ore is an ingredient in 1 recipes, producing Lapis Lazuli.
Guides and tools that cover this
Frequently asked questions
How do you get Lapis Lazuli Ore in Minecraft?
Lapis Lazuli Ore generates naturally in the world; breaking it yields Lapis Lazuli.
What tool do you need to break Lapis Lazuli Ore?
Stone Pickaxe or better is required; anything weaker destroys the block without dropping it.
Is Lapis Lazuli Ore blast resistant?
Lapis Lazuli Ore has a blast resistance of 3, so an explosion nearby will destroy it.
How many Lapis Lazuli Ore fit in one stack?
Lapis Lazuli Ore stacks to 64, which puts 3,456 of them in a double chest.
How long does Lapis Lazuli Ore take to break?
The correct netherite tool clears it in 0.5 seconds. Bare hands take 15.
