Can you craft Nether Quartz Ore?

No, you can only find and mine Nether Quartz Ore in the Nether. It cannot be crafted or smelted.

What's the difference between Nether Quartz Ore and Nether Quartz?

Nether Quartz Ore is the ore block found in the Nether. Nether Quartz is the item you get when you mine the ore without Silk Touch. You use Nether Quartz to craft Quartz Blocks.

Do I need a specific pickaxe to mine Nether Quartz Ore?

If you want to collect the ore block itself, you need Silk Touch on any pickaxe. Without Silk Touch, any pickaxe will break the ore and drop Nether Quartz instead.

What Minecraft versions have Nether Quartz Ore?

Nether Quartz Ore has been in Java Edition since 1.5 and is available in all current versions up to 1.19.3 and beyond. It's also available in Bedrock Edition.

Why isn't my Nether Quartz Ore dropping when I mine it?

Make sure you're using Silk Touch. Without it, the ore drops Nether Quartz instead of the ore block. Also check that your pickaxe is actually breaking the ore (it might be too weak).

Nether Quartz Ore Guide | 1Minecraft

Nether Quartz Ore is one of the most common ores you’ll find in the Nether. If you’re building with quartz blocks or need nether quartz for crafting, you’ll need to know how to find and mine it efficiently.

Where to Find Nether Quartz Ore

Nether Quartz Ore spawns throughout the Nether biome. It’s easy to spot because the ore appears as lighter-colored blocks in a sea of darker Netherrack. You can find it at any height level in the Nether, but it spawns more frequently in certain areas.

Pro tip: If visibility is tough, drink a Potion of Night Vision to make the ore easier to see.

How to Mine Nether Quartz Ore

What You Need

You’ll need a pickaxe with the Silk Touch enchantment. Without Silk Touch, the ore block will drop nether quartz instead of the ore itself.

Any pickaxe type works as long as it has Silk Touch:

Diamond Pickaxe
Iron Pickaxe
Golden Pickaxe
Stone Pickaxe
Wooden Pickaxe
Netherite Pickaxe

Mining the Ore

Once you find the ore, hold down your mine button. The time it takes to break depends on your pickaxe type and enchantments. Once the block breaks, grab the nether quartz ore before it despawns.

Heads up: If you mine nether quartz ore without Silk Touch, you’ll get nether quartz (the crafting material) instead of the ore block.

Item Details

Item IDs and Commands

Java Edition 1.13+:

/give @p nether_quartz_ore 1

Java Edition 1.8-1.12:

/give @p quartz_ore 1 0

Item Specifications

Version	ID Name	ID Number	Stack Size
1.8 – 1.12	quartz_ore	153	64
1.13 – 1.19.3	nether_quartz_ore	153	64

Related Ores

Looking for other ores? Check out these guides:

Coal Ore
Iron Ore
Copper Ore
Gold Ore
Redstone Ore
Lapis Lazuli Ore
Diamond Ore
Nether Gold Ore
Emerald Ore

Other Items That Need Silk Touch

Several other blocks in Minecraft can only be collected using Silk Touch. Here are some common ones:

Coal Ore
Iron Ore
Copper Ore
Diamond Ore
Emerald Ore
Ice
Packed Ice
Grass Blocks
Mycelium
Deepslate variations of most ores
Bee Nests
Sculk blocks