Netherite does not generate as an ore of its own in Minecraft. You get it from ancient debris, a rare block found only in the Nether and most common around Y 15, which you mine with a diamond or netherite pickaxe and smelt into netherite scrap. Below we cover the exact depths on Java and Bedrock, the mining methods that find debris fastest, the bastion chests that can hand you netherite outright, and every step from scrap to a finished netherite tool.
This guide is current for Minecraft Java Edition 26.3 and Bedrock Edition 26.50 on PC, PlayStation, Xbox and Switch. Netherite arrived in the Nether Update (1.16), and the smithing template step was added later in Trails and Tales (1.20).
Where Ancient Debris Generates
Ancient debris spawns in all five Nether biomes: Nether wastes, soul sand valleys, crimson forests, warped forests and basalt deltas. Mojang’s Nether Update changelog sums up the source in one line: “Mine ancient debris in the lower depths of the Nether.”
Two rules decide where you should dig:
- It never generates touching air. The Java 26.3 world generation data discards any debris that would be exposed to open space, so you will not spot it on cave walls. You have to dig into solid netherrack, basalt or blackstone to find it. The community wiki notes one exception: debris can sit under lava, where you can see it with Fire Resistance.
- It clusters low. On Java, each chunk gets one vein of up to three blocks between Y 8 and Y 24, weighted toward the middle of that band, plus a smaller vein of up to two blocks anywhere from Y 8 to about Y 119. Per the community wiki, Bedrock is more generous, with up to five veins per chunk: two larger ones between Y 8 and Y 23 and three smaller ones across the same wider range.
The community wiki puts the peak at Y 16, so mining a two-block-tall tunnel with your feet at Y 15 covers the richest layer on both editions. You need to see your height to stay there: our guide to showing coordinates covers the F3 screen on Java and the Show Coordinates setting on Bedrock. The Nether’s lava sea sits well above this depth, but lava pockets are common down there, so dig carefully.
How to Mine Ancient Debris
Bring the right pickaxe first. Ancient debris needs a diamond or netherite pickaxe; anything weaker breaks it and drops nothing. If you are still short on diamonds, our guide to finding diamonds covers the best depth for those. Fortune does not help, because debris always drops exactly one block, but Efficiency makes netherrack break almost instantly. Our best enchantments guide covers what else to put on a mining pickaxe.
Three methods work, and most players mix them:
- Branch mining. Dig a long tunnel at Y 15 and cut side tunnels off it every few blocks. It is cheap, but you only see the blocks right beside you.
- Bed mining. Beds cannot be slept in outside the Overworld, and in the Nether they explode when you try. The community wiki says ancient debris has a blast resistance of 1,200, so it survives blasts that clear away netherrack around it. Dig a short side pocket, place a bed at the end, step back several blocks and use it, then look for debris in the exposed walls. Stick to regular wool beds: per Mojang’s 26.3 notes, the new straw beds are simply destroyed if you try to sleep in them there, so they will not clear any rock.
- TNT mining. TNT works the same way and is easier to set off from a distance.
Once you find one block, mine out everything around it, because veins spread loosely. The community wiki also calls chunk-border mining a myth: digging along chunk edges does not raise your odds.
Carry Fire Resistance potions and blocks to plug lava, and note your portal coordinates before you start. If you still need a way in, our guide covers how much obsidian a Nether portal needs.
Netherite From Bastion Remnants
Bastion remnants, the blackstone castles full of piglins, are the other source. Mojang’s help center says they appear in every Nether biome except basalt deltas. Their chests are where the Netherite Upgrade smithing template comes from, and several can hold netherite materials directly. Per the loot tables in the Java 26.3 game files:
- Treasure room chests can roll netherite ingots, netherite scrap and ancient debris, and every treasure room chest also contains a Netherite Upgrade smithing template.
- Hoglin stable chests and the general chests found around every bastion can hold ancient debris and netherite scrap, plus a 1 in 10 chance of a template.
- Bridge chests carry the same 1 in 10 template chance but no netherite materials.
Piglin brutes guard the treasure, so go in with good armor. You need one template for every item you upgrade, but you can duplicate them: a crafting table turns one template, one netherrack and seven diamonds into two templates.
How to Turn Ancient Debris Into Netherite Gear
- Smelt the debris. Put ancient debris in a furnace or blast furnace to get one netherite scrap per block.
- Craft an ingot. Combine four netherite scrap and four gold ingots in a crafting grid for one netherite ingot.
- Upgrade at a smithing table. Place the Netherite Upgrade template, a diamond item, and a netherite ingot in the smithing table’s three slots, then take the netherite version.
Mojang’s own item spotlight on the netherite ingot says enchantments and custom names carry over when you upgrade, so enchant your diamond gear first. A full set of netherite armor takes four ingots, which means 16 ancient debris and 16 gold ingots, plus four templates. As a bonus, Mojang’s changelog notes that netherite items float in lava instead of burning.
There is more for the rest of your journey in every Minecraft guide on the site.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the best Y level for netherite? Y 15. A two-block-tall tunnel there covers Y 15 and 16, the layer where the community wiki says ancient debris is most common on both editions.
Can you mine ancient debris with an iron pickaxe? No. It needs a diamond or netherite pickaxe. Any other tool breaks the block and drops nothing.
Does Fortune work on ancient debris? No. Ancient debris always drops one block of itself, so Fortune has no effect. Efficiency is the enchantment that helps.
How much ancient debris do you need for full netherite armor? Sixteen. Each netherite ingot takes four scrap, each piece of armor takes one ingot, and each piece also needs its own Netherite Upgrade template.
Where do you get a Netherite Upgrade smithing template? Only from bastion remnant chests. After you have one, you can duplicate it with seven diamonds and a block of netherrack.