Renewable resource

A renewable resource is a resource that can be recreated indefinitely in survival without exploiting glitches (as opposed to a non-renewable resource). While running out of resources isn't likely to be a factor due to theoretically infinite (and still quite vast in practice) map generation, this is a list of resources that can be produced over and over without having to explore for more. However, running out of resources can be a bigger issue on Superflat worlds, where resources are less plentiful, or in PvP maps, where one would like to obtain resources without having to conquer more land.

The listed fully renewable craftable items are items which can be crafted, smelted, or brewed using only renewable resources. For example, Cookies are renewable as they only require Wheat and Cocoa Beans that can be regrown infinitely, while TNT isn't because it requires Sand, which is not renewable. Anything that is dropped by a monster or animal, is renewable because all mobs can respawn and be killed again for more loot. This is not the case for the Ender Dragon, which spawns only once per world, nor the Wither, which requires nonrenewable Soul Sand to spawn, nor the Elder Guardian, which spawns only three times per ocean monument.

Brief introduction to methods

There are some main methods to get renewable resources and some item-specific methods. Item-specific methods vary from building a cobblestone generator to harvesting obsidian from portals, so it's very important sometimes to choose non-renewable, but easier and/or safer ways to get them. The methods are listed in increasing difficulty order:

• Farming - grow it on the dirt or farmland block, breed using renewable resources etc.
• Craft it using only renewable resource(s)
• Buy it from villagers
• Get it as a guaranteed or very probable drop after monster's death
• Get it as a rare drop after monsters death
• Find it while fishing

The first three methods are the easiest. They are especially worth using when you want to avoid risk, such as while playing in hardcore mode. The fourth method is normally used to get something that is only possible to get by killing monsters, such as blaze rods, arrows or bones. The last two methods are worth using only when there is no other practical choice, as you will really spend a lot of time executing the method before getting what you need.

Renewable Resources

Resource	Renewable products	Renewable method
Arrows	—	Dropped upon any kind of death of skeletons. Traded with fletcher villagers.
Banners	—	Crafted with wool and sticks, then modified with renewable dyes, Oxeye Daisies and mob heads. Brick pattern banners are renewable by copying, but initially consume one brick block.
Blaze Rods		Dropped upon death of blazes, if registered as killed by a player.
Bones		Dropped upon any kind of death of skeletons. By fishing.
Cactus		Grown on sand to produce more. They generate in desert biomes.
Carrots		Rarely dropped upon death of zombies, if registered as a player kill. Grown on farmland (tilled dirt) to produce more. They also generate in some village farm-fields.
Coal/Charcoal		Coal is dropped upon any kind of death of wither skeletons. Charcoal is obtained by smelting wooden logs.
Cobblestone and Stone	Stone Bricks SlabButton	Created (in block form, but is mined with renewable pickaxes) by letting lava flow against or over water.
Cocoa Beans		Grown on jungle wood to produce more.
Eggs		Dropped (laid) by adult chickens every 5 to 20 minutes.
Ender Pearls		Dropped upon any kind of death of endermen.
Experience Orb File:XP orb animation.gif	See enchanting	Dropped upon death of any mob, if registered as killed by a player, except for villagers, golems, bats, or baby animals. After taking the item that is created after smelting. After breeding animals. After successful fishing. After successful trading.
Feathers		Dropped upon any kind of death of adult chickens. Before beta 1.8 was dropped upon any kind of death of zombies.
Ferns	-	Using bone meal on ferns and then breaking them with shears.
Flowers		Short flowers can be created when bone meal is used on grass blocks in the appropriate places in biomes. Tall flowers drop when bonemeal is used on them. Poppies are dropped upon any kind of death of iron golems.
Ghast Tears		Dropped upon any kind of death of ghasts.
Glass Bottle		Dropped upon any kind of death of witches. Crafted using glass.
Glowstone Dust	Glowstone Block	Dropped upon any kind of death of witches Trading for glowstone with priest villagers, and then breaking them. Dropped upon any kind of death of blazes, if registered as killed by the player in the Xbox version.
Gunpowder		Dropped upon any kind of death of creepers, ghasts, and witches.
Huge Brown Mushroom Huge Brown MushroomHuge Mushroom Stem		Created by using bone meal on normal mushrooms to grow huge mushrooms (if there is enough space), then broken with a tool that has a silk touch enchantment on it.
Huge Red Mushroom Huge Red MushroomHuge Mushroom Stem		Created by using bone meal on normal mushrooms to grow huge mushrooms (if there is enough space), then broken with a tool that has a silk touch enchantment on it.
Ice		Created by letting water source blocks in cold biomes that turn into ice over time (when there is no block above them), then broken with a tool that has a silk touch enchantment on it.
Ink Sacs		Dropped upon any kind of death of squids.
Leather		Dropped upon any kind of death of cows, mooshrooms and horses. By fishing.
Magma Cream		Dropped upon death of magma cubes. Crafted from slimeballs and blaze powder.
Melon Seeds	Melon (Block)	Crafted from melon (slices). Breaking a fully grown melon stem. Found in abandoned mineshafts, or manufactured from melon blocks found in jungle biomes.
Milk		Right-clicking (milking) cows or mooshrooms with an empty bucket.
Brown Mushrooms	Huge Brown MushroomHuge Mushroom Stem	Waiting for normal mushrooms to spread. Using bone meal on normal mushrooms to grow them into huge mushrooms (if there is enough space), then broken with anything.
Red Mushrooms	Huge Red MushroomHuge Mushroom Stem	Waiting for normal mushrooms to spread. Using bone meal on normal mushrooms to grow them into huge mushrooms (if there is enough space), then broken with anything. Shearing mooshrooms for red mushrooms.
Nether Wart		Grown on soul sand.
Obsidian		Entering a Nether Portal for which there is no matching exit will generate 14 free blocks of Obsidian, and 4 more "ledge" blocks if the portal is formed in mid-air. Mining only the corners and "ledges" will keep the portal active if desired. More here Entering an End Portal will always generate a 5x5 platform of Obsidian at the same position in the End. In other words, the Obsidian can be mined and the platform will be regenerated next time you enter the End (Note: To leave the End without dying, you will have to defeat the Ender Dragon).
Potatoes		Rarely dropped upon death of zombies, if registered as a player kill. Grown on farmland (tilled dirt) to produce more. Sometimes, when breaking fully grown potato crops, poisonous potatoes will drop. They also generate in some village farm-fields.
Prismarine Shards		Dropped upon any kind of death of Guardians.
Prismarine Crystals		Dropped upon any kind of death of Guardians.
Pumpkin Seeds	Jack 'o' Lantern	Grown on tilled dirt to produce more. Found in abandoned mineshafts, while pumpkins themselves are found in certain biomes. You can also get seeds from putting a pumpkin in a crafting grid or by breaking pumpkin stems.
Rabbit Hide		Dropped upon any kind of death of a rabbit
Raw Beef		Dropped upon any kind of death of cows and mooshrooms.
Raw Chicken		Dropped upon any kind of death of chickens. Cooked chicken is traded with butcher villagers.
Raw Mutton		Dropped upon any kind of death of a sheep
Raw Porkchop		Dropped upon any kind of death of pigs. Cooked porkchop is traded with butcher villager.
Raw Rabbit		Dropped upon any kind of death of a rabbit
Redstone		Dropped upon any death of witches. Trading with priest villagers.
Rotten Flesh	—	Dropped upon any kind of death of zombies and zombie pigmen.
Saplings and Trees	Wooden Pressure PlateJack 'o' LanternTrapdoorFenceFence GateWooden DoorSignWooden ButtonBedGold SwordGold PickaxeGold ShovelGold AxeGold Hoe	Trees are grown from saplings placed on lit dirt. When broken a leaf block has a 5% chance of dropping a sapling. See tree farming. Charcoal can be obtained by smelting any kind of log in a furnace. Leaves can be obtained by breaking them with shears. Sticks are also dropped upon any kind of death of witches.
Seeds		Dropped by breaking tall grass. Grown on farmland (tilled dirt) to produce more. They also generate in some village farm-fields.
Slimeballs		Dropped upon any kind of death of slimes.
Snowballs	Snow	Snow (cover) is created above Y90 in cold biomes, or in ice plains/spikes, when it snows. It can then be broken with any shovel to produce snowballs. Snow cover is created by snow golems in certain biomes, when they walk on a block where it can legitimately be placed. It can then be broken with any shovel to produce snowballs. Dropped upon any kind of death of snow golems, but they drop less snowballs than are used to create them.
Spider Eye		Dropped upon death of spiders and cave spiders, if registered as a player kill, and upon any death of witches.
String	Bed	Dropped upon any kind of death of spiders or cave spiders.
Sugar Cane		Grown on sand or dirt adjacent to water. Sugar is also dropped upon death of witches.
Tall Grass		Created by using bonemeal on grass blocks, then broken with shears. Using bone meal on tall grass and then breaking them with shears.
Vines		Grown on the side of blocks, then broken with shears. Spawns on the sides of 2x2 Jungle Trees grown from saplings.
Water Bucket		Created by having 2 water sources in the appropriate spots, then right-clicking (picking it up) with an empty bucket.
Wool	Bed	Dropped upon any kind of death of, or by shearing sheep. Crafted with 4 string. White, light gray, gray, black, brown, and pink colors can be found on wildly spawned sheep. Green, lime, red, orange, yellow, blue, light blue, cyan, purple, and magenta wool require renewable dyes to produce.

Renewable resources from fishing

Resource	Renewable resources	Renewable method
	Jack 'o' LanternFenceFence GateSignGold SwordGold PickaxeGold ShovelGold AxeGold HoeBed	Obtained via fishing

Rare drops

These items are only occasionally dropped by monsters, so getting them quickly or in quantity is normally done by mining, then smelting/crafting non-renewable resources (mob farms being an option).

Resource	Renewable Products	Renewable Method
Bows		Bows are rarely dropped by skeletons, and can be enchanted with Power I and with an even more rare chance a Power II Bow followed by secondary enchantments. Usually, one would rather craft a bow with renewable sticks and string.
Chainmail Armor Chain Armor HelmetChain Armor ChestplateChain Armor LeggingsChain Armor Boots	—	Can regularly be found equipped to Zombies, Zombie Pigmen, and Skeletons. Can also be found being sold by Villagers.
Diamond Armor	—	Can very, very rarely be found equipped to Zombies, Zombie Pigmen, and Skeletons. More commonly, diamond chestplates can be obtained by trading with villager blacksmiths.
Enchanted items	—	Equipped items rarely dropped by Zombies, Skeletons, or Zombie Pigmen will rarely have enchantments on them (chance increases with difficulty). Enchanted items may be traded from Villager Smiths Enchanted Books are renewable by trading with Villagers and Anvils may be made from renewable iron, and many unenchanted items are renewable. A single enchantment table can also be used indefinitely to create enchanted items from renewable items, experience, and Lapis Lazuli, but creating the table itself requires two non-renewable diamonds.
Gold Nuggets and Gold Ingots	Gold SwordGold PickaxeGold ShovelGold AxeGold HoeGold HelmetGold ChestplateGold LeggingsGold BootsWeighted Pressure Plate (Light)	Nuggets are dropped by killed zombie pigmen, ingots as a rare drop.
Gold Swords and Gold Armor Gold SwordGold HelmetGold ChestplateGold LeggingsGold Boots	—	Sword is a rare drop of killed zombie pigmen. These swords can be enchanted with any level I and some level II or III sword enchantments. Armor can often be found equipped to Zombies, Zombie Pigmen, and Skeletons.
Iron Ingots	Weighted Pressure Plate (Heavy)	Dropped by killed iron golems and rarely dropped by killed zombies.
Iron Swords, Iron Shovels, and Iron Armor	—	Armor can very rarely be found equipped to Zombies, Zombie Pigmen, and Skeletons. Can be worn/held by zombies, zombie pigmen, and skeletons. Swords and shovels are equipped only to Zombies.
Leather Armor	—	Can often be found equipped to Zombies, Zombie Pigmen, and Skeletons. Can be worn/held by zombies, zombie pigmen, and skeletons.
Music Discs 13 Disccat Discblocks Discchirp Discfar Discmall Discmellohi Discstal Discstrad Discward DiscWait Disc11 Disc	—	Dropped only when a skeleton kills a creeper. It doesn't matter who dealt most of the damage, as long as the final blow is dealt by the arrow of the skeleton.
Mob Heads		Mob heads are dropped by their respective mobs when killed by charged Creepers. Wither Skeleton Skulls are also dropped as a rare drop from Wither Skeletons.
Rabbit's Foot		Rarely dropped upon death of a rabbit, if registered as a player kill

Tradable

Resources that in normal circumstances would be non-renewable, except that they can be obtained through trading with villagers.

Resource	Renewable Products	Renewable Method
Bottle o' Enchanting	File:XP orb animation.gif	Obtained by trading with villager Priests.
Diamond Tools	—	Obtained by trading with villager Blacksmiths.
Emerald		Main articles: Trading and Villager Obtained by trading renewable items to villagers, such as raw chicken. These can be used to buy other things from villagers, including resources that are otherwise non-renewable, like glass. Villagers never run out of stock (but their selling offers may vary), and they can be "bred", making villagers themselves renewable.
Enchanted Books	Enchanted items	Obtained by trading with villager Librarians. Enchanted Books can also be caught when fishing. A single enchantment table can also be used indefinitely to create enchanted books from renewable books, experience, and Lapis Lazuli, but creating the table itself requires two non-renewable diamonds.
Enchanted Up to level 19	—	Obtained by trading with villager blacksmiths.
Glass		Obtained by trading with villager librarians. Glass bottles can be utilized to make potions. With redstone and glowstone bought from priests, extended potions and level II potions can also be brewed renewably. Glass bottles are also dropped by killed Witches.
Lapis Lazuli		Obtained by trading with a cleric villager.
Name Tags	—	Traded with librarian villagers.
Saddle	—	Obtained by trading with villager Butchers.

Video

Renewable resource/video