Altitude

Chart lining up Y-coordinate values (left) to block layers (right) (not to scale) in *Java Edition*.

Altitude is a measurement of vertical distance, or distance along the Y-axis.

Definition[edit | edit source]

Altitude is defined as "the height of anything above a given planetary reference plane, especially above sea level on earth."^[1]

In Minecraft, altitude is often expressed as the bottom face of a block layer, where the lowest block that can be placed is at layer -64 and has a Y-coordinate of −64. For instance, sea level is at layer 62, while clouds appear at layer 191.

This is not to be confused with altitude when otherwise expressed as the top face of a block layer, where the lowest block that can be placed is at layer -63 and has a Y-coordinate of -63. For example, sea level is at layer 63, while clouds appear at layer 192. This is akin to calling the ground level story the "first floor" (top face of a block layer), rather than the "ground floor" (bottom face of a block layer). The player can press F3 to see the Y-coordinate of the top face of a block they are on top of.‌^{[Java Edition only]}

Altitude expressed as the bottom face of a block layer is most useful for identifying the position of blocks, such as when using /fill to replace block(s). Expressing altitude as the top face of a block layer is more useful for identifying the position of entities, such as when using /tp to teleport or /summon to spawn an entity/entities. For instance, the topmost block of water in an ocean biome has a Y-coordinate of 62; in a frozen ocean biome, ice replaces water at sea level, and the lowest height where terrestrial mobs can spawn is at layer 63.

Features and effects by height[edit | edit source]

Y-coordinate	Feature or effect
2¹⁰²⁴/Approximately 1.8 × 10³⁰⁸, or 180 uncentillion	Largest height Minecraft can distinguish from infinity, Java's `Double.MAX_VALUE`.^[2]
36,028,797,018,963,968	Above this height, players cannot move vertically except using NBT editors.
4,503,599,627,370,496	Maximum height reachable by flying, the point where the `Double` datatype stops growing in steps of 0.5.
2,147,483,647	In Bedrock Edition, the game crashes beyond this point.
30,000,000	in Java Edition, players are kicked when above this height. in Bedrock Edition, This is the maximum height players can teleport.
19,999,999.999999	The maximum height the player can teleport to in Java Edition.
2,032	Top face of the highest block that can be placed in a Custom world generated with the maximum build height.
320	Top face of the highest block that can be placed in the Overworld.
320	Highest layer where coal ore can generate, replacing stone, granite, diorite and andesite.
256	Naturally-generated terrain appears to be capped at this height, excepting Amplified worlds.
256	Top face of the highest block that can be placed in the Nether‌^{[Java Edition only]} and the End.
255	Highest layer where dirt and gravel can generate, replacing stone, granite, diorite and andesite.^[3]
191–195	Range of cloud layers.
127	Full bedrock layer in the Nether.
	Highest layer where nether quartz ore, nether gold ore and ancient debris can generate, replacing netherrack, basalt, and blackstone.^[3]
	In Bedrock Edition, this is the bottom face of the highest block that can be placed in the Nether.
123–126	Range of partial bedrock layers in the Nether.
79	Highest layer where gold ore within badlands biomes, granite, diorite and andesite can generate, replacing stone, granite, diorite and andesite.^[3]
75	All 20 end gateways on the main End island generate at this height.
50–70	Range of layers where slimes are able to spawn in swamps.
63	Highest layer where infested stone within mountains biomes, iron ore, and lapis lazuli ore can generate, replacing stone, granite, diorite and andesite.^[3]
62	Sea level.
62	Phantoms only spawn if players are above this level.
40	Highest layer where slimes are able to spawn within "slime chunks" outside of swamps.
36	Highest layer where gravel and blackstone can generate, replacing netherrack, basalt, and blackstone.^[3]
31	Highest layer where gold ore outside of badlands biomes can generate, replacing stone, granite, diorite and andesite; lowest layer where emerald ore within mountains biomes can generate^[3]
31	Lava sea level in the Nether.
15	Highest layer where redstone ore and diamond ore can generate, replacing stone, granite, diorite and andesite.^[3]
1–7	Partial layers of deepslate in the Overworld.
1–4	Partial layers of bedrock in the Nether.
0	Full bedrock layer in the Nether.
	Deepslate replaces stone below this layer.
	Some aquifers below this layer can be filled with lava instead of water.
-51	The floor of ancient cities always generates at this layer.
-54	Lava replaces air below this layer.
-59 to -63	Partial layers of bedrock in the Overworld.
-64	Full layer of bedrock in the Overworld.
	Bottom face of the lowest block that can be placed.
	Players below this height in the Nether or the End take void damage in Java Edition.
-104	An invisible border prevents players from falling in Bedrock Edition.
-128	Players below this height in Overworld take void damage in Java Edition. This damage cannot be prevented or mitigated, but commands can provide enough Regeneration to survive it. Non-player entities falling below this height despawn instantly.
-2,032	Bottom face of the lowest block that can be generated in a Custom world with the maximum build height.
-65,536	Upper limit of the bottom face of the lowest temporary (isn't saved) block that can be placed in a Custom world (the lower it is, the slower the game runs). However, it can only be accessed through external programs.
-2,606,449	In Bedrock Edition, the max depth a player can fall in unmodded survival (assuming they are at terminal velocity and eating an inventory of enchanted golden apples.^[4]
-16,777,216	In Bedrock Edition, the player cannot fly below this layer. Every second block is invalid; because players are 2 blocks tall, it is impossible to enter. If bypassed via commands, the player experiences extreme jitter and camera movement.
-30,000,000	The minimum height the player can teleport to.

Natural resources and altitude[edit | edit source]

Features in the landscape of the Overworld are found at different altitudes, as shown in the graph below for Java Edition 1.20.2.

Note that these charts utilize the logarithmic scale, which means a slight difference in the Y-coordinate represents a large change in the relative frequency of a block type. Also note that normal and deepslate ore variants have been combined in the chart. Interactive versions of these graphs containing all blocks can be found here.

The Nether[edit | edit source]

A similar graph, showing the distribution of blocks unique to the Nether (Java Edition 1.20.2):

The End[edit | edit source]

A similar graph, showing the distribution of blocks unique to the End (Java Edition 1.20.2):

Achievements[edit | edit source]


Icon		Achievement	In-game description	Actual requirements (if different)	Gamerscore earned	Trophy type (PS)
PS4	Other	Achievement	In-game description	Actual requirements (if different)	Gamerscore earned	Trophy type (PS)
		Caves and Cliffs { "anchor": "", "title": "Caves and Cliffs", "icon": "", "title": "Caves and Cliffs", "description": "Freefall from the top of the world (build limit) to the bottom of the world and survive. ", "requirements": " ", "gamerscore": "30G ", "trophytype": "Gold ", "rewards": ""Bucket Boot" footwear " }	Freefall from the top of the world (build limit) to the bottom of the world and survive.	—	30G	Gold
		Star trader { "anchor": "", "title": "Star trader", "icon": "", "title": "Star trader", "description": "Trade with a [[villager]] at the build height limit. ", "requirements": "Trade with a villager at y320. ", "gamerscore": "20G ", "trophytype": "Silver ", "rewards": "" }	Trade with a villager at the build height limit.	Trade with a villager at y320.	20G	Silver

Advancements[edit | edit source]

Icon	Advancement	In-game description	Actual requirements (if different)
	Caves & Cliffs	Free fall from the top of the world (build limit) to the bottom of the world and survive	Fall from at least Y=319 to at most Y=-59 with a vertical distance of greater than 379 blocks.
	Star Trader	Trade with a Villager at the build height limit	Stand on any block that is higher than 318 and trade with a villager or wandering trader.

Video[edit | edit source]

History[edit | edit source]

A screenshot shown by Notch of an experimental 512-block-high world.

Java Edition Classic
?		The altitude of the map was 64 blocks total. Players could build 32 blocks up or down from sea level. At some point during Classic, and continuing through the end of Indev, the level dimensions (x, y, z) become part of the save data. Worlds could be created as tall as 4,096 blocks, although the game became more unstable and laggy the larger the world. Despite being possible, all worlds created ingame would only be 64 blocks tall, except Indev deep levels, which were 256 blocks tall.
Java Edition Infdev
20100227-1		Height limit was halved to 128.
		During the development of this version, it was to 256.
		The height limit can no longer be customized.
20100227-2		Raised height limit back to 256.
Java Edition Beta
1.6	Test Build 3	Solid blocks can no longer be placed on layer 127. However, beds, signs, torches and other non-solid blocks can be placed on layer 127.
1.6	Test Build 3	Entities are no longer invisible when above the build limit; instead, they turn black.
July 19, 2011		Notch, on his Twitter feed before the Adventure Update, posted a picture showing his experimentation with height limits and terrain generation up to 512, featuring a mountain much higher than normal mountains.
1.8	Pre-release	Added altitude-based void fog.
1.8	Pre-release	Previously, the sea level was at layer 63. Now, it is at layer 62. Worlds created before this update generate one-block-high "waterfalls" at the boundary between previously-generated terrain and new, post-Beta 1.8 terrain.
Java Edition
1.2.1	12w07a	The height limit was doubled from 127 to 255, although structures did not yet generate above this layer.
1.2.1	12w07a	The change in height was introduced along with the switch from the Region file format to the new Anvil file format.
1.7.2	13w36a	Amplified world type added (attempts to use the full 255 height).
1.8.2	pre7	Raised the build limit from 255 to 256 and prevented non-solid blocks from being placed one block higher.
1.11	16w32a	The height limit message now appears on top of the hotbar, the place where the message "Press LSHIFT to dismount" also appears when riding a mob.
1.14	18w43a	Light is no longer observable above 2,048 blocks.^[5]
1.17	20w49a	The height limit can now be increased in the custom worlds settings. Because of errors, it can be increased only up to 512 and down to −256 below bedrock.
	?	Fixed those above errors.
	21w06a	The world has been extended 64 blocks in both (vertical) directions, making it possible to build from layer −64 to layer 319 in the Overworld. This effectively increases the world to 383 buildable layers.
	21w15a	The world height changes have been reverted.
1.18	Experimental Snapshot 1	Re-introduced previous changes to world height, which were only available through certain snapshots and the preview data pack prior to this experimental snapshot.
Pocket Edition Alpha
v0.1.0		The altitude of the map was 127 blocks total. Players could build 64 blocks up or down from sea level.
v0.9.0	build 1	Previously, the sea level was at layer 63. Now, it is at layer 62. Worlds created before this update generate one-block-high "waterfalls" at the boundary between previously-generated terrain and new, post-0.9.0 terrain.
Pocket Edition
1.0.0	alpha 0.17.0.1	The height limit was doubled from 127 to 255, with the exception of the Nether and Old world types. However, terrain (excluding structures) generates only up to the old height limit.
Bedrock Edition
1.16.220 Experiment Caves and Cliffs	beta 1.16.220.50	Increased height limit from 255 to 319 blocks behind Experimental Gameplay.
1.16.220 Experiment Caves and Cliffs	beta 1.16.220.52	The world has been extended 64 blocks downwards from layer 0 to layer -64. This effectively increases the world to 383 buildable layers.
1.17.10 Experiment Caves and Cliffs	release	The height limit changes are now available outside the beta version, behind experimental gameplay toggle.
1.18.0	beta 1.18.0.20	The height limit changes are now available by default without enabling experimental gameplay.

Issues[edit | edit source]

Issues relating to "Altitude" are maintained on the bug tracker. Issues should be reported and viewed there.

Trivia[edit | edit source]

The highest possible altitude the player can legitimately climb to is Y = 320, although explosions, elytra launchers, piston slime block bounces, Riptide tridents, and wind burst launchers can all propel the player far beyond this limit.
In Java Edition, mushrooms can appear on the Nether's bedrock ceiling.^[6]
Block generation and player construction below and above the build limits can be achieved only through modifying the dimension properties, or mods, such as the Cubic Chunks mod.
The reasoning behind Custom worlds having height limits of ±2032 rather than ±2048 (a binary number notated as 2¹¹) is because the lighting system still applies 16 blocks above and below the world, but the Y-coordinates of blocks (which are also used in the lighting calculation) are stored internally using only 12 bits. Therefore, having limits of ±2048 would prevent the lighting system from functioning correctly.^[5]^[7]

Gallery[edit | edit source]

Screenshots[edit | edit source]

Bedrock floor generating as low as Y = −2048 in a Custom world with decreased min_y.
Lowest placeable temporary block in a Custom world, at which point the game was unplayable.

References[edit | edit source]

↑ Dictionary.com Unabridged, "altitude", accessed April 10, 2016
↑ MC-74776 — Player unable to turn when at Y: Infinity" — resolved as "Won't Fix".
↑ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g https://gist.github.com/tryashtar/2a22bd04394275fefb6b49c348758fd6
↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X38yXa0Ex10
↑ ^a ^b MC-194878
↑ MC-1381 — Mushrooms spawn on the top of the Nether — resolved as "Won't Fix".
↑ https://bugs.mojang.com/browse/MC-212347?focusedCommentId=911611&page=com.atlassian.jira.plugin.system.issuetabpanels%3Acomment-tabpanel#comment-911611

Navigation[edit | edit source]

[1] Dictionary.com Unabridged, "altitude", accessed April 10, 2016

[2] MC-74776 — Player unable to turn when at Y: Infinity" — resolved as "Won't Fix".

[ores-3] ↑ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g https://gist.github.com/tryashtar/2a22bd04394275fefb6b49c348758fd6

[4] ttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X38yXa0Ex10

[lighting-5] MC-194878

[6] MC-1381 — Mushrooms spawn on the top of the Nether — resolved as "Won't Fix".

[7] ttps://bugs.mojang.com/browse/MC-212347?focusedCommentId=911611&page=com.atlassian.jira.plugin.system.issuetabpanels%3Acomment-tabpanel#comment-911611

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