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.
Note: Once a banner pattern is obtained, it can be renewably used.
Resource | Non-renewable products | Sources |
---|---|---|
Banner Pattern "Snout" |
― | Found in Bastion Remnant chests. |
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. |
Music Disc "Pigstep" |
― | Found in Bastion Remnant chests. |
Potion of Decay [BE only] |
― | 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. |
Shulker Shell[until Lua error in Module:Version_link at line 112: attempt to concatenate local 'text' (a nil value).] |
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 does not 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. |
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 usage. Similar limitations apply to some level V enchantments, which cannot be renewably obtained on items with insufficient enchantability without using an anvil.
This effectively renders most types of items non-renewable if they have at least one of these enchantments without having any prior-work penalty. Many of these item variants are unobtainable in survival, but some of them can generate in the loot chests of various generated structures.
Enchantment | Items | Sources |
---|---|---|
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. | |
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. | |
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. | |
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. | |
Soul Speed I-III |
Golden boots with Soul Speed can be found in bastion remnant chests, boots enchanted with soul speed cannot naturally generate with any other enchantments. | |
Efficiency V |
Diamond shovels and pickaxes can be found in end city and bastion remnant chests. | |
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. |
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. |
Emerald Ore |
― | Emerald ore generates underground in mountains biomes, usually in single-block veins. |
Lava Bucket[until Lua error in Module:Version_link at line 112: attempt to concatenate local 'text' (a nil value).] |
― | 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. |
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 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. |
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 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] |
Upcoming
These items are non-renewable only in snapshots and prereleases. They either do not exist, or are renewable in the latest official release.
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. |
These items are non renewable in Bedrock Edition, and are not items at all in Java Edition.
Resource | Notes |
---|---|
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. |
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. |
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.
| |
Mob Heads |
"Creeper" and "Skull" |
― | 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 requires the use of eyes of ender (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 products | Reason for discrepancy |
---|---|---|
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. |