Quartz is a somewhat different ore that you can only find in the Nether. Still, it’s fantastic for many exciting building projects! Thanks to its milky-white surface, it’s an elegant, beautiful building block that really shines in modern builds. With its variations, it also fits classical Roman styles and evokes that era nicely. Quartz isn’t just for aesthetics, though—it has a surprising number of uses. And you don’t even have to mine it yourself; you can set up an automatic quartz farm! We’ll walk you through all of that and more.
Minecraft Nether Quartz: where to find it, biomes, and Y-levels
As the name Nether Quartz suggests, quartz is found only in the Nether. That alone makes it rarer overall, but once you’re there, the white veins against the deep red Netherrack should stand out immediately. Quartz isn’t hard to spot, and you should gather plenty just by exploring the Nether.
Nether Quartz Ore can generate in any biome, but it’s much easier to see in the Nether Wastes. It needs Netherrack on every side to generate. Because of that, it may feel less common in biomes like the Soul Sand Valley or Basalt Deltas.
In general, quartz ore appears more often near the top and bottom of the Nether, where there’s more Netherrack. The best places to mine are around Y-levels 10–15 or Y-levels 104–114. Watch out for lava pockets and use Fire Resistance potions while digging. We also recommend a pickaxe with Fortune III to get up to 4 Nether Quartz per ore.
Getting Minecraft Nether Quartz via Piglin bartering and stonemason trades
You can also obtain Nether Quartz through bartering with Piglins. These porcine mobs roam the Nether and are especially interested in gold. Give them a gold ingot, and there’s a 4.26 percent chance they’ll give you 5–12 Nether Quartz.
You can also trade with a stonemason villager to get quartz blocks. Level the villager up to master to unlock trades for Quartz Blocks and Quartz Pillars in exchange for one emerald.
Minecraft Nether Quartz uses: building blocks, Redstone, and armor
Quartz as a building block: variations and recipes
Quartz is a great building block thanks to its clean white color. There are several variations to choose from. To gather enough quartz, we recommend a Fortune pickaxe to maximize drops. Use the stonecutter to simplify crafting recipes.
- Quartz Block: Crafted from four Nether Quartz. This is the starting point for the other recipes. You can also cut it into slabs and stairs, making it very versatile.
- Quartz Pillar: Stack two Quartz Blocks to make a pillar. Perfect for Roman-style builds.
- Chiseled Quartz Block: Features a geometric pattern and is great for decoration. Craft it from two Quartz Block slabs.
- Smooth Quartz: Smelt a Quartz Block in a furnace to get the smooth variant. It has a clean, smooth texture and looks very sleek. It also has slabs and stairs.
- Quartz Bricks: Combine four Quartz Blocks into bricks. This variant also looks very refined.
Additionally, Nether Quartz lets you craft three more stone types, making those blocks renewable:
- Diorite: 2 Quartz + 2 Cobblestone
- Granite: 1 Diorite + 1 Quartz
- Andesite: 1 Diorite + 1 Cobblestone
Nether Quartz for Redstone: Observer, Comparator, and sensors
Quartz is a key component in several Redstone mechanics, so you’ll need Nether access before building certain farms.
- Daylight Sensor (and its inverted night mode): Stores light level and outputs a signal based on time of day.
- Observer: Watches the block in front of it. When that block’s state changes, it emits a Redstone signal.
- Redstone Comparator: A versatile Redstone component. Details in our guide: (Minecraft Redstone Comparator: Doors, Passwords & Puzzles) .
Nether Quartz for armor trims: using Smithing Templates
You can also use quartz to apply armor trims. First, find a Smithing Template, which appears in various structures. Then use a Smithing Table to color an armor piece of your choice. Quartz provides a white color.
Trading Nether Quartz with the stonemason
The stonemason not only sells quartz blocks; they’ll also take raw Nether Quartz. Trade 12 Nether Quartz for one emerald at expert level.
Quickly farming XP with Nether Quartz
Nether Quartz Ore is an excellent way to gather experience without fighting mobs. That’s especially handy in Peaceful mode, where there are no monsters. Mining quartz ore grants 2–5 XP orbs. The Fortune enchantment doesn’t affect XP.
Automatically farming Minecraft Nether Quartz: Piglin bartering and villagers
Option 1: Piglin bartering with a gold farm for Nether Quartz
You can get quartz by bartering gold ingots with Piglins in the Nether. This is a viable option, even if the ~5 percent chance is not high. You’ll want a combination of an efficient gold farm and a Piglin bartering setup to collect enough Nether Quartz.
We’ve already covered both farms in detail:
- (Minecraft Gold Farm: Build an Advanced Gold and XP Farm)
- (Bartering with Piglins in Minecraft: Guide & How to Build an Automatic Farm)
Option 2: Stonemason villager and a raid farm for quartz blocks
Your second route is to stock up on emeralds and trade them with a stonemason for quartz blocks. In Java you can get both Quartz Blocks and Pillars; in Bedrock only one of those trades is available. It’s a 1:1 trade, so you’ll need lots of emeralds. We recommend a raid farm (Building a Minecraft Raid Farm: Farm Infinite Totems & Emeralds) , though you can earn emeralds through other trading setups as well.
Conclusion: Plenty of Nether Quartz for elegant builds and Redstone
Nether Quartz isn’t just a superb building block for your world—it’s also useful in many other ways. From stonemason trades and Redstone components to a reliable XP source, the block and its variants are very versatile. You can also rely on two automated methods if you want a steady supply of quartz. Of course, simply mining in the Nether with a Fortune enchantment is always worth it, too.
Rent your own Minecraft server and strike it rich with quartz. It’s perfect for building, whether you’re crafting Roman temples or modern villas.
