How Big is a Chunk in Minecraft?

A single Minecraft world is made up of a maximum of 65,536 blocks. That’s a lot of models and textures, which is why even an all-powerful computer would have difficulty rendering the entire thing at once. This is why, instead of doing that, Minecraft utilizes the Chunk system to break things up. Exactly how big is a Chunk in Minecraft, though?

How Big is a Chunk in Minecraft?

Chunks in Minecraft measure in at 16×16, or 256 blocks. That includes not only tangible blocks like dirt but also intangible blocks like air. A single Chunk extends from the very bottom of the bedrock all the way to the very top of the sky.

Minecraft uses this system to selectively render and remove assets to keep the game’s load on your device relatively light. When you walk far enough away from a particular Chunk, everything within it is temporarily removed from the world, and it returns when you come back. The only exception to this is the “Spawn Chunk,” the spot in the world that you originally spawned into when you started the game. The Spawn Chunk is never removed from the world, so everything within the Spawn Chunk is actively existing 24/7 (or at least while the game is running).

If you’re a casual player of Minecraft, Chunks aren’t really something you need to be conscious of, but knowing where one begins and ends can be potentially beneficial. For example, certain kinds of mobs, both passive and hostile, will only spawn into the world if you’re standing within a few Chunks of them. The same goes for certain kinds of plants. The game can’t spawn something without rendering it; if it’s not rendered, it doesn’t exist. Though, you can actually exploit these rules by setting up plants and mob spawners in your Spawn Chunk. Since the Spawn Chunk always exists, plants will always be growing and mob farming devices will always be running, even if you’re off in the distance.

How Many Diamonds are in a Chunk?

Another good reason to be knowledgeable about Chunks is when you’re looking for diamonds. Every single Chunk in your Minecraft world has at least one vein of diamond somewhere within its boundaries. If you’re lucky, you may even find two or three. Every diamond vein contains 3-8 Diamonds on average.

However, the tricky thing about diamond veins is that they spawn into regular stone, but can be overwritten by constructs. If, for example, a cave generates in the spot that a particular Chunk would have a diamond vein, then the vein is just gone and you’re out of luck.

If you’re curious about the precise boundaries of Chunks in your Minecraft world, there are utilities like the Chunk Finders apps you can use to find their locations.