Non-renewable resource

A non-renewable resource (as opposed to a renewable resource) is a resource that can't be obtained in indefinite quantities in survival without exploring more terrain or using certain glitches, commands or Creative mode to create more of them. While running out of a resource isn't likely to be a factor in normal gameplay due to massive size of a Minecraft map, in principle there is a finite quantity of these resources available in each Minecraft world.

Non-renewable resources can be obtained through crafting recipes that consume other non-renewable items, found as naturally generated blocks, obtained from structure loot chests or as drops from certain enemies that don't respawn (elder guardians, shulkers, and the wither).

Some resources are non-renewable or even unobtainable if playing on peaceful difficulty, as monsters do not spawn.

The degree of impact the non-renewability of a resource has on normal gameplay generally depends on how limited the resource is, but on custom maps these relationships may be changed; for example, on Skyblock-style maps, any soul sand provided is extremely valuable, as no more can be obtained.

All status effect and enchantment-item combinations that cannot be obtained in Survival are non-renewable.

Common

While technically not renewable, these resources or their non-renewable raw materials are so common in the default world generation that they are unlikely to be used up even in relatively small areas of the map, assuming they contain the appropriate biomes. Their non-renewability may be more important in custom maps.

Resource	Non-renewable products	Sources
Gravel [until JE 1.16]		Generates in large pockets underground, as well on surface of gravelly mountains, as a layer on the bottom of rivers and normal, cold, frozen ocean and deep variants, as part of cold ocean ruins and in the Nether. Flint and steel can also be found in some Nether fortress chests. Flint and steel can be generated renewably through trading with farmers who have the trade unlocked in versions 1.3.1 through 1.7.10, and this trade can be retained when updating first to 1.13.2, trading with the villager and then updating to 1.14.4. Coarse dirt generates in the Giant Tree Taiga, Wooded Badlands Plateau, and Shattered Savanna biomes, as well as their variants. Fletching table generate in village fletcher houses.
Lava Bucket	―	Obtained by collecting lava with a bucket. Lava generates in villages, small lakes in the Overworld, in random pockets in The Nether, and in large amounts at low Y-levels in both dimensions.
Soul Sand [until JE 1.16]		Generates in large quantities in the Nether.

Uncommon

While these resources aren't rare, players may be pushed to explore further to find more, especially if multiple players are collecting them. In many cases, they aren't truly exhausted, but finding and collecting the remaining material is far harder than simply exploring for more. For example, nether quartz generates throughout netherrack, but many players harvest only those veins visible on cavern surfaces.

Resource	Non-renewable products	Sources
Cobweb	―	Can be collected with shears from strongholds, mineshafts, igloos, woodland mansions, and zombie village.
Dead Bush	―	Can be collected with shears in Badlands, desert, and giant tree taiga biomes.
Diamond Ore	"Trail" Firework Stars & Rockets	Generates in veins in the overworld, below Y=16. Diamonds can also be be found in chests of many generated structures.
Emerald Ore	―	Emerald ore generates underground in mountains biomes, usually in single-block veins.
Nether Quartz Ore	[until JE 1.16]	Generates in medium-sized veins in the Nether Andesite, Diorite, and Granite can be found in large veins in the overworld.
Ores	―	These ores generate underground in all biomes of the overworld.
Shulker Shell		Dropped by shulkers, which spawn as a part of end cities.
Tall Grass	―	Can be found in generated chests of villager houses. Tall grass can be renewably created by using bone meal on grass, but doesn't drop itself when broken.
Wet Sponge		Spawn in the sponge rooms of some ocean monuments. Dropped by elder guardians. Formed when water touches a sponge.

Rare

These resources are limited enough to force players to wander far and wide to find them in any significant quantity, especially on servers.

Resource	Non-renewable products	Sources
Dragon Egg	―	Spawns on top of the exit portal when the ender dragon is defeated for the first time. Only one is obtainable in each world, making it the rarest obtainable resource in the game.
Elytra	―	Generate in the end ship alongside end cities.
Dragon Head	―	Generates on the end ship alongside end cities.
Heart of the Sea		One can be found in every buried treasure chest, which can be found using treasure maps found in shipwrecks or ocean ruins.
(non-leather) Horse Armor	―	Can be found in generated chests of various generated structures. Leather horse armor can be crafted with leather, a renewable resource.
Enchanted Golden Apple	"Thing"	Very rarely found in the chests of dungeons, desert pyramids, mineshafts and woodland mansions.
Potion of Decay ‌[BE only]	―	Can be obtained by tapping with an empty bottle on a very rare cauldron filled with potion of decay found in a swamp hut. However, arrows of decay are renewable through trading.

Not obtainable in Survival

These resources are not obtainable as items in Survival. However, they can be encountered and some even created or manipulated in survival.

Resource	Notes
Bedrock	Bedrock can be found at the bottom 5 levels of the overworld, the top and bottom 4 levels of the nether, and as part of end crystal structures and portals in the End, but cannot be broken.
End Portal Frame	Can be found in strongholds, but cannot be broken or moved.
Farmland	Farmland may be created by tilling renewable dirt, grass or grass paths with a hoe, but always drops dirt when mined.
Frosted Ice	Frosted ice may be generated infinitely by walking on renewable water with the Frost Walker enchantment equipped, but drops nothing when mined.
Tall Seagrass	Tall seagrass can be created by applying bone meal to normal seagrass. However, breaking tall seagrass with shears drops 2 normal seagrass.
Infested Blocks	Infested blocks may be generated infinitely as silverfish infest renewable cobblestone, stone and stone bricks, but do not drop themselves when mined. They also generate naturally in strongholds, igloos, woodland mansions and in mountains.
Spawners	Spawners can be encountered in dungeons, mineshafts, strongholds, fortress, and mansions, but drop only experience if mined.
Technical Blocks	Technical blocks are blocks such as portal blocks and fire, whose main functions are strictly tied to the usage of other blocks and items. Many can be generated renewably in the world, but they cannot be acquired as items through normal survival gameplay.

Not encountered in Survival

These resources cannot be accessed without using creative mode or commands.

Resource
Barriers
Command Blocks
Debug Stick ‌[JE only]
Player Heads
Jigsaw Blocks
Knowledge Books ‌[JE only]
Minecarts with Command Blocks
Petrified Oak Slab
Unbrewable Potions ‌[JE only]
Spawn Eggs
Structure Blocks
Chemistry Equipment ‌[BE only]
All Elements and Compounds ‌[BE only]
Medicines ‌[BE only]
Chemistry Products ‌[BE only]
Light block ‌[BE only]

Bedrock Edition

These resources aren't renewable in the Bedrock Edition, even though they are in the Java Edition.

Resource	Non-renewable products	Reason for Discrepancy
Bee Nest [until BE 1.16.0]	—	Bee nests are not obtainable from trees grown via saplings.
Clay		Bedrock Edition lacks villager raid reward gift, which would make clay renewable.
Sand		Wandering Traders no longer sell regular sand from 1.12.0 onward.

Upcoming

These items are non-renewable only in development builds. They either do not exist, or are renewable in the latest official release.

Resource	Non-renewable products	Reason for Discrepancy
Basalt		Does not generate when lava flows over soul soil next to blue ice.

Java Edition

These resources aren't renewable in the Java Edition, even though they are in the Bedrock Edition.

Resource	Non-renewable products	Reason for Discrepancy
Grass Path	―	Grass paths may be created by right clicking renewable grass blocks with a shovel, but drop dirt when mined. Thus, they are obtainable only in Bedrock Edition.
Netherrack	[until JE 1.16]	When Nether portals generate in the air, they do not create netherrack like they do in Bedrock Edition.
Large Fern	―	Can be found in generated chests of villager houses. Large ferns can be renewably created by using bone meal on ferns, but don't drop themselves when broken. Wandering trader also does not sell it as in Bedrock Edition.

Upcoming

These items are non-renewable only in snapshots or prereleases. They either do not exist, or are renewable in the latest official release.

Resource	Non-renewable products	Reason for Discrepancy
Nether Gold Ore	―	Generates underground in the Nether.
Nylium		Generates in the Nether in the warped forest biome.

Upcoming

These items are non-renewable only in snapshots or prereleases. They either do not exist, or are renewable in the latest official release.

Resource	Non-renewable products	Reason for Discrepancy
Ancient Debris	‌[JE only]	Generates underground in the Nether, especially at low Y-levels.
Soul Soil		Generates in the Nether in the soul sand valley biome.
Upcoming spawn eggs	―	Creative exclusive items.

Peaceful Difficulty

These resources are not renewable while playing in peaceful difficulty as their renewable methods of obtaining require the spawning of hostile mobs. (Previously mentioned non-renewable resources are removed from the products list).

Resource	Non-renewable products	Reason for Discrepancy
Brewing fuel		Brewing requires blaze powder, which is unobtainable in peaceful difficulty. Potions of healing II and splash potions of weakness generate in end ships and igloos, respectively. All other potions (excluding water bottles and potion of invisibility, which are renewable) are unobtainable. Potions of water breathing and potions of regeneration can be found in buried treasure.‌[BE only] All potions and splash potions are still obtainable as those can generate in each swamp hut cauldron but are non-renewable.‌[BE only]
Blaze Rod		Unobtainable in peaceful difficulty. Magma blocks generate in the Nether and underwater, while end rods, and ender chests generate in end city ships. Brewing stands generate in end city ships, igloo basements and village temples.
Clay		Clay is renewable as a gift from Villagers when the player gains Hero of the Village. Clay is non-renewable in Peaceful difficulty because raids cannot be triggered.
Coal		Obtained from coal ore or generated chests.
Ghast Tear		Unobtainable in peaceful difficulty. Potions of regeneration can be found in buried treasure.‌[BE only] A random potion can be found in each swamp hut cauldron.‌[BE only]
Gold Ingot		Obtained by smelting gold ore Additionally, gold ingots, powered rails, gold nuggets and golden helmets, chestplates, swords and apples can be found in certain generated chests. Gold blocks generate in Ocean Monuments. Potions of Healing II generate in end ships. A random potion can be found in each swamp hut cauldron.‌[BE only]
Mob Heads	"Creeper" and "Skull" "Creeper" and "Skull" Charge Banners "Creeper-Shaped" Firework Stars & Rockets	Unobtainable in peaceful difficulty.
Music Disc	―	13 and Cat can be found in dungeons and woodland mansions chests. In Bedrock Edition, Mellohi and Wait can be found in buried treasure chests, while others are unobtainable in peaceful difficulty.
Ominous Banner	―	8 ominous banners generate in every pillager outpost.
Prismarine Shard and Crystals		Prismarine crystals Found in generated buried treasure chests. Prismarine crystals are obtained from sea lanterns Prismarine, prismarine bricks, and sea lanterns generate in ocean monuments, prismarine and sea lantern also generate in ocean ruins or are crafted from these blocks.
Spider Eye		Found in certain generated chests. Splash potions of weakness generate in igloos. A random potion can be found in each swamp hut cauldron.‌[BE only]
Totem of Undying	―	Dropped by evokers, which still spawn in woodland mansions in peaceful difficulty but cannot damage the player. Totems of undying are also not renewable in easy difficulty, since raids do not last long enough to spawn evokers.
Trident	―	Unobtainable in peaceful difficulty.
Wither Rose	―	Unobtainable in peaceful difficulty.

Additionally, going to the End requires the use of eye of enders (the chances of requiring none is only 1 in a trillion), which are unobtainable in peaceful difficulty, therefore the following renewable resources can also be considered unobtainable and therefore non-renewable. (Previously mentioned non-renewable resources are removed from the products list)

Resource	Non-renewable product	Reason for Discrepency
End Stone		Not obtainable if the End is inaccessible.
Chorus Flower		Not obtainable if the End is inaccessible.
Dragon's Breath	―	Not obtainable if the End is inaccessible.

Gameplay

View at: Template:Gameplay/content [edit]