How to Find Redstone in Minecraft: Best Y Level and Drops

Redstone ore is found deep underground, from the bottom of the world up to Y 15, and it’s most common in the lowest layers. Dig around Y -59, the same level as diamonds, and you’ll find plenty. You need an iron pickaxe or better; each ore block drops 4 or 5 redstone dust.

That overlap with diamonds is convenient. A diamond branch mine at Y -59 turns up redstone constantly, so most players never go looking for it separately. If you follow how to find diamonds, you’ll come home with stacks of both.

How to spot it

Redstone ore is stone (or deepslate) with red specks. When you touch it, walk on it or hit it, it lights up and gives off red particles for a moment. In a dark tunnel, that glow is easy to catch out of the corner of your eye.

Deepslate redstone ore takes longer to mine but drops the same amount.

What drops

• Without enchantments: 4 or 5 redstone dust per block.
• With Fortune: one extra dust per level. Fortune III gives 4 to 8.
• With Silk Touch: the ore block itself. Useful only if you want to carry it home for Fortune later or as a decorative block.

Mining redstone ore also gives a bit of experience.

Other sources

• Witches. They often drop redstone dust when killed. A witch hut farm in a swamp is a steady source if you need a lot.
• Cleric villagers. Novice clerics sell redstone dust for emeralds.
• Chests. Stronghold, mineshaft and woodland mansion chests can all have some.

How much do you need?

For a start, very little. A redstone repeater uses 3 dust, a piston 1, an observer 2, a compass 1 and a clock 1. A few ore blocks cover your first contraptions.

Bigger builds eat it faster: long wires, piston doors and farm clocks add up. Store spare dust as blocks of redstone (9 dust each). They take up less room and are a power source on their own.

If you’re new to redstone, redstone basics explains signal strength, power sources and the simple circuits you’ll build first.