How to make Emerald Ore in Minecraft

This Minecraft tutorial explains how to craft emerald ore with screenshots and step-by-step instructions.

In Minecraft, emerald ore is an item that you can not make with a crafting table or furnace. Instead, you need to find and gather this item in the game.

emerald ore

Let's explore how to add emerald ore to your inventory.

Supported Platforms

Emerald ore is available in the following versions of Minecraft:

PlatformSupported (Version*)
Java Edition (PC/Mac) Java Edition (PC/Mac)Yes (1.3.1)
Pocket Edition (PE) Pocket Edition (PE)Yes
Xbox 360 Xbox 360Yes (TU14)
Xbox One Xbox OneYes
PS3 PS3Yes (1.04)
PS4 PS4Yes
Wii U Wii UYes
Nintendo Switch Nintendo SwitchYes
Windows 10 Edition Windows 10 EditionYes
Education Edition Education EditionYes

* The version that it was added or removed, if applicable.
NOTE: Pocket Edition (PE), Xbox One, PS4, Nintendo Switch, and Windows 10 Edition are now called Bedrock Edition. We will continue to show them individually for version history.

Where to find Emerald Ore in Creative Mode

How to get Emerald Ore in Survival Mode

You can add an emerald ore to your inventory in Survival mode by mining emerald ore with a diamond pickaxe, iron pickaxe, or netherite pickaxe that is enchanted with Silk Touch. So let's get started!

1. Find a Block of Emerald Ore

First, you need to find a block of emerald ore in your Minecraft world. The best place to find emerald ore is in the Mountains biome.

mountains biome

In Minecraft, emerald ore is very hard to find and is found in small deposits in the Mountains biome. You can usually find emerald ore between 13 and 31 blocks below the ground and close to lava.

So if you see a pool of lava in the Mountains biome, that is a great place to start mining downward.

emerald ore location

In this example, we are going to dig into a mountain to find emerald ore.

This is what a block of emerald ore looks like:

emerald ore and pickaxe

2. Hold a Diamond, Iron or Netherite Pickaxe with Silk Touch

To mine for emerald ore, you need to dig up the emerald ore with a diamond pickaxe, iron pickaxe, or netherite pickaxe that has been enchanted with Silk Touch.

Other tools will not dig up the emerald ore and let you add it to your inventory.

In this example, we are going to use a diamond pickaxe with Silk Touch to dig up the emerald ore.

3. Mine the Emerald Ore

The game control to mine the emerald ore depends on the version of Minecraft:

  • For Java Edition (PC/Mac), left click and hold on the block of emerald ore.
  • For Pocket Edition (PE), you tap and hold on the block of emerald ore.
  • For Xbox 360 and Xbox One, press and hold the RT button on the Xbox controller.
  • For PS3 and PS4, press and hold the R2 button on the PS controller.
  • For Wii U, press and hold the ZR button on the gamepad.
  • For Nintendo Switch, press and hold the ZR button on the controller.
  • For Windows 10 Edition, left click and hold on the block of emerald ore.
  • For Education Edition, left click and hold on the block of emerald ore.

emerald ore dropped

You will need to continue to mine until the block breaks and a smaller block of emerald ore finally appears. The emerald ore will float on the ground.

TIP: Normally when you mine emerald ore, you get an emerald as the drop. However, when you mine the emerald ore using a tool enchanted with Silk Touch, you will get the emerald ore itself as the drop.

4. Pick up the Emerald Ore

Make sure you pick up the emerald ore before it disappears.

emerald gathered

Once you pick up the emerald ore, it will appear in your hotbar.

emerald ore

Emerald ore is a very useful item and should be kept in your inventory to be used later.

Item ID and Name

Give Command for Emerald Ore

Things to Make with Emerald Ore

You can use emerald ore to make items in Minecraft such as:

Things to Do with Emerald Ore

Here are some activities that you can do with emerald ore in Minecraft: