Non-renewable resource

A non-renewable resource (as opposed to a renewable resource) is a resource that cannot 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 resources other than the unique dragon egg is not 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 do not respawn (elder guardians, shulkers‌^{[until JE 1.17]} and piglin brutes).

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 many Skyblock-style maps, any lava provided is extremely valuable, as no more can be obtained.

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

Generated structures

These non-renewable resources are only found as loot from Generated Structures, the blocks the structures are composed of, or as non-renewable drops from mobs which generate with the structures, and cannot be obtained in other ways unless using certain glitches, commands or Creative mode. This renders most of them unavailable in worlds with the "Generate Structures" option disabled. These resources are generally the most finite resources in the game, though some like cobwebs are relatively common.

Resource	Non-renewable products	Sources
Banner Pattern "Snout"	―	Found in Bastion Remnant chests. Like other banner patterns, it is not consumed when used.
Cobweb	―	Can be collected with shears from strongholds, mineshafts, igloos, woodland mansions, and zombie villages.
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.
Dragon Head	―	Generates on the end ship alongside end cities.
Elytra	―	Generate in the end ship alongside end cities.
Enchanted Golden Apple	"Thing"	Very rarely found in the chests of dungeons, desert pyramids, mineshafts, ruined portals, woodland mansions and bastion remnants‌[JE only].
Gilded Blackstone	―	Generates in bastion remnants.
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 dungeons, desert pyramids, end cities, jungle pyramids, nether fortresses, ruined portals, strongholds, and villages. Leather horse armor can be crafted with leather, a renewable resource.
Large Fern	―	Can be found in generated chests of villager houses. Large ferns can be renewably created by using bone meal on ferns, but do not drop themselves when broken, even with silk touch. (Can be infinite in world as blocks, but not as an item in inventory).
Music Disc "Pigstep"	―	Found in Bastion Remnant chests.
Shulker Shell‌[until 1.17]		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 do not drop themselves when broken, even with silk touch. (Can be infinite in world as blocks, but not as an item in inventory).
Wet Sponge		Spawn in the sponge rooms of some ocean monuments. Dropped by elder guardians. Formed when water touches a sponge.

Enchantments on items without prior-work anvil penalty

While all enchantments obtainable in survival are renewable, for treasure enchantments the only renewable way to get them on most items is by using an anvil to combine the item with a renewable enchanted book. Using an anvil in this way causes the item to gain prior work penalty, increasing the cost of future anvil use. Similar limitations apply to some high level enchantments, which cannot be renewably obtained on items with insufficient enchantability without using an anvil.

This renders most types of items that have at least one of these enchantments without having any prior-work penalty non-renewable. Many of these item variants are unobtainable in survival, but some of them can be found in the loot chests of various generated structures.

Enchantment	Items	Sources
Curse of Binding		Diamond armor can be found in end city and bastion remnant chests. Golden armor can be found in bastion remnant and ruined portal chests. Iron armor can be found in end city chests. Leather armor can be found in shipwreck supply chests.
Curse of Vanishing		Diamond armor, swords, pickaxes and shovels can be found in end city and bastion remnant chests. Golden armor, hoes‌[BE only] and axes‌[JE only] can be found in bastion remnant chests. Golden armor, swords and tools can be found in ruined portal chests. Iron armor, swords, pickaxes and shovels can be found in end city chests. Crossbows and iron swords‌[JE only] can be found in bastion remnant chests. Leather armor can be found in shipwreck supply chests.
Efficiency V		Diamond shovels and pickaxes can be found in end city and bastion remnant chests.
Frost Walker I-II		Diamond boots can be found in end city and bastion remnant chests. Golden boots can be found in bastion remnant and ruined portal chests. Iron boots can be found in end city chests. Leather boots can be found in shipwreck supply chests.
Mending		Diamond armor, swords, pickaxes and shovels can be found in end city and bastion remnant chests. Golden armor, hoes‌[BE only] and axes‌[JE only] can be found in bastion remnant chests. Golden armor, swords and tools can be found in ruined portal chests. Iron armor, swords, pickaxes and shovels can be found in end city chests. Crossbows and iron swords‌[JE only] can be found in bastion remnant chests. Leather armor can be found in shipwreck supply chests.
Sharpness I-V	‌[JE only]	Golden axes with sharpness can be found in ruined portal chests. On bedrock edition golden axes can renewably receive sharpness without prior-work penalty through normal enchanting.
Sharpness V		Diamond swords can be found in end city and bastion remnant chests. Iron swords can be found in end city and bastion remnant‌[JE only] chests.
Soul Speed I-III		Golden boots with Soul Speed can be found in bastion remnant chests.
Thorns I-III		Diamond armor can be found in bastion remnant chests. Golden armor can be found in bastion remnant and ruined portal chests. Leather armor can be found in shipwreck supply chests.
Thorns III		Diamond chestplates can be found in bastion remnant and rarely end city chests. Golden chestplates can be found in bastion remnant and ruined portal chests. Iron chestplates with Thorns III can very rarely be found in end city chests. Leather tunics can be found in shipwreck supply chests.

Items in bastion remnant, ruined portal and shipwreck loot chests are limited to one enchantment, while items from end city chests often have multiple.

Other

These non-renewable resources can be obtained from the world outside Generated Structures, they are generally more abundant, but some may be hidden under other blocks, making them harder to find. Since they generate outside structures, they can be found even in worlds with the generate structures option disabled.

Resource	Non-renewable products	Sources
Ancient Debris		Generates underground in the Nether, especially at low Y-levels. Found in Bastion Remnant chests.
Dead Bush	―	Can be collected with shears in Badlands, desert, and giant tree taiga biomes. They can also generate in chests and potted in some desert villages.
Diamond Ore	"Trail" Firework Stars & Rockets	Generates in veins in the overworld, below Y=16. Diamonds can also be found in chests of many generated structures. Diamond blocks also generate in "lava" and "obsidian" rooms in woodland mansions. Unlike diamonds themselves, diamond tools and armor are renewable using certain top-level villager trades.
Emerald Ore	―	Emerald ore generates underground in mountains biomes, usually in single-block veins. However, emeralds are renewable via trading and as a drop from vindicators and evokers.
Lava Bucket‌[until 1.17]	―	Obtained by collecting lava with a bucket. Lava generates in villages, small lakes in the Overworld, in random pockets in The Nether, in lava falls, and in large amounts at low Y-levels in both dimensions. They also generate in stronghold End Portal rooms, in Nether fortress lava wells, bastion remnants, and ruined portals.
Nether Ores	–	Generate in medium-sized veins in the Nether. Note that gold and quartz can be obtained renewably, without mining the ores.
Ores	―	These ores generate underground in all biomes of the overworld. Coal ore also generates in fossils. Note that the minerals themselves can be obtained renewably, without mining the ores

Not obtainable in Survival

These resources are not obtainable as items in Survival. However, they can be encountered as blocks 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 or moved in current versions. Was obtainable in some versions in survival, see Tutorials/Obtaining discontinued blocks and items for more information.
End Portal Frame	Can be found in strongholds, but cannot be broken or moved in current versions. Was obtainable in some versions in survival, see Tutorials/Obtaining discontinued blocks and items for more information.
Farmland	Farmland may be created by tilling renewable dirt, grass or grass paths with a hoe, but always drops dirt when mined.
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. Infested stone was obtainable in some versions in survival, see Tutorials/Obtaining discontinued blocks and items for more information.
Spawners	Spawners can be encountered in dungeons, mineshafts, strongholds, fortress, mansions, and bastion remnants, but drop only experience if mined in current versions. Was obtainable in some versions in survival, see Tutorials/Obtaining discontinued blocks and items for more information.
Chorus Plants	Chorus plants generate on the the outer end islands but cannot be obtained when mined even if silk touch is used.

Not encountered in Survival

These resources cannot be accessed, even as blocks, without using creative mode or commands.

Resource
Barriers
Command Blocks
Player Heads
Jigsaw Blocks
Minecarts with Command Blocks
Petrified Oak Slab
Spawn Eggs
Structure Blocks

Upcoming

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

Resource	Non-renewable products	Sources
Azalea Leaves ‌[upcoming: JE 1.17]	–	Not obtainable in survival.
Bucket of Axolotl ‌[upcoming: JE 1.17]	–	Not obtainable in survival.
Budding Amethyst ‌[upcoming: JE 1.17]	–	Not obtainable in item form in survival. Generates in block form in the innermost layer of Amethyst Geodes but doesn't drop itself when broken.
Calcite ‌[upcoming: JE 1.17]	–	Generates as the middle layer of Amethyst Geodes.
Copper Ore	–	Generates in veins underground.
Deepslate ‌[upcoming: JE 1.17]		Makes up the majority of solid blocks generated below y = 0.
Deepslate Bricks ‌[upcoming: JE 1.17]		Not obtainable in survival.
Deepslate Ores ‌[upcoming: JE 1.17]	–	Generate in veins below y = 0.
Deepslate Tiles ‌[upcoming: JE 1.17]		Not obtainable in survival.
Glow Berries ‌[upcoming: JE 1.17]	–	Not obtainable in survival.
Glow Ink Sac		Not obtainable in survival.
Hanging Roots ‌[upcoming: JE 1.17]	–	Not obtainable in survival.
Moss Block ‌[upcoming: JE 1.17]		Not obtainable in survival.
Pointed Dripstone		Generates in dripstone caves.
Rooted Dirt ‌[upcoming: JE 1.17]	–	Not obtainable in survival.
Sculk Sensor	–	Not obtainable in survival.
Spore Blossom ‌[upcoming: JE 1.17]	–	Not obtainable in survival.
Tuff ‌[upcoming: JE 1.17]	–	Generates in veins underground.

Bedrock Edition

These resources are not renewable in Bedrock Edition, even though they are in Java Edition.

Resource	Non-renewable products	Reason for discrepancy
Clay		Bedrock Edition lacks villager raid reward gift, which would make clay renewable.
Coral Fans[needs testing]		Coral fans do not generate when bonemeal is used in a warm ocean biome.

These items are non renewable in Bedrock Edition, and are not items at all in Java Edition.

Resource	Notes
Chemistry Products	Not encountered in survival
Chemistry Equipment	Not encountered in survival
All Elements and Compounds	Not encountered in survival
Frosted Ice	Frosted ice may be generated infinitely by walking on renewable water with the Frost Walker enchantment equipped, but drops nothing when mined.
Light block	Not encountered in survival
Medicines	Not encountered in survival
Potion of Decay	Can be obtained by tapping with a glass bottle on a very rare cauldron filled with potion of decay found in a swamp hut. However, arrows of decay are renewable through trading.
Tall Seagrass	Tall seagrass can be created by applying bone meal to normal seagrass. However, breaking tall seagrass with shears drops 2 normal seagrass.
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.

Java Edition

These resources are not renewable in Java Edition, even though they are in the Bedrock Edition.

Resource	Non-renewable products	Reason for discrepancy
Netherrack		When Nether portals generate in the air, they do not create netherrack like they do in Bedrock Edition.
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.

These items are non renewable in Java Edition, and are not items at all in Bedrock Edition.

Resource	Notes
Debug Stick	Not encountered in survival
Knowledge Books	Not encountered in survival
Unbrewable Potions	Not encountered in survival

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).

Piglins still spawn in peaceful difficulty. By killing piglins, the player can sometimes obtain golden swords, then smelt them into gold nuggets. This makes gold renewable, along with all items obtainable via bartering.

Resource	Non-renewable products	Remaining sources	Reason for discrepancy
Brewing fuel		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] Potions of Fire Resistance can be obtained from bartering	Brewing requires blaze powder, which is unobtainable, as blazes do not spawn in peaceful difficulty.
Blaze Rod		End rods, and ender chests generate in end city ships, while brewing stands generate in end city ships, igloo basements and village temples. However, fire charges, potion of Fire Resistance and splash potion of Fire Resistance can be bartered with piglins.	Blazes do not spawn in peaceful difficulty.
Clay		Generates at the bottom of rivers, lakes, and swamps, and inside mason houses in plains, savanna and desert villages. Clay balls generate in mason houses chests, while terracotta generate in mason houses and badlands biomes.	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		Coal can be obtained from coal ore or generated chests.	Wither Skeletons do not spawn in peaceful difficulty.
Ghast Tear		Potions of regeneration can be found in buried treasure.‌[BE only]	Ghasts do not spawn in peaceful difficulty. 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	―	These mobs do not spawn 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.	Neither Creepers nor Skeletons spawn in peaceful difficulty.
Ominous Banner	―	8 ominous banners generate in every pillager outpost.	Pillager Raid captains do not spawn in peaceful difficulty.
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.	Guardians do not spawn in peaceful difficulty.
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]	Spiders and Witches do not spawn in peaceful difficulty.
Totem of Undying	―	Dropped by evokers, which still spawn during woodland mansion generation in peaceful difficulty, but cannot damage the player.	Raids do not occur in peaceful difficulty. Totems of undying are also not renewable in easy difficulty, since raids do not last long enough to spawn evokers.
Trident	―	―	Drowned do not spawn in peaceful difficulty.

Additionally, going to the End almost always requires the use of eyes of ender, which are unobtainable in peaceful difficulty, to activate the End portal, with the chances of requiring none being only 1 in a trillion for each end portal. Therefore the following renewable resources can also be considered unobtainable and therefore non-renewable on peaceful. (Previously mentioned non-renewable resources are not included on the products list)

Resource	Non-renewable products	Reason for discrepancy
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]