How to Get Cinnabar in Minecraft

Guide Java Bedrock

Quick answer: Cinnabar generates in sulfur caves alongside sulfur, and as part of sulfur springs. Mine it with any pickaxe (even wooden) - without a pickaxe it drops nothing. It's non-renewable, so grab what you need, then cut it into slabs, stairs, walls, polished cinnabar, bricks or chiseled cinnabar on a stonecutter.

What you need

Any pickaxe (wooden is enough)
Access to a sulfur caves biome
Stonecutter for the decorative variants

Step by step

Find a sulfur caves biome: the orange-tinged cave biome added in the 26.2 / Drop 2 of 2026 update. Cinnabar generates throughout it alongside sulfur.
Look for sulfur springs too: cinnabar forms part of these spring features as well.
Bring any pickaxe: cinnabar only drops itself when mined with a pickaxe - wood works fine. Mined by hand or with the wrong tool, it drops nothing.
Mine what you need: cinnabar is not renewable, so each block you take is one the world won't replace.
Cut your variants on a stonecutter: one cinnabar block cuts into slabs (2), stairs, walls, polished cinnabar, polished variants, cinnabar bricks, brick variants, or chiseled cinnabar.
Build warm-toned: the red-orange stone fits nether builds, volcanic themes and autumn palettes, and pairs naturally with the sulfur found beside it.

Java vs Bedrock

Cinnabar behaves the same in Java and Bedrock. The only edition footnote is timing: Bedrock previewed it behind the Drop 2 of 2026 experiment (Preview 26.20.23) before it went vanilla in 26.30, while Java added it straight into 26.2 snapshots.

Versions: Announced at Minecraft Live in March 2026 and added in Java 26.2 and Bedrock 26.20 (experimental) / 26.30 (vanilla), as part of the Drop 2 of 2026.

Frequently asked questions

Where do you find cinnabar in Minecraft?

In the sulfur caves biome, where it generates alongside sulfur, and as part of sulfur spring features. It doesn't generate anywhere else.

What tool do you need to mine cinnabar?

Any pickaxe works, including wooden. Mining it without a pickaxe drops nothing, so don't waste blocks by punching them.

Is cinnabar renewable?

No. There's no farm, trade or recipe for raw cinnabar - what generates in sulfur caves is all there is. Use a stonecutter to stretch each block into more slabs and variants.

What can you make with cinnabar?

On a stonecutter: cinnabar slabs, stairs and walls; polished cinnabar and its slab, stair and wall variants; cinnabar bricks with their own slab, stair and wall variants; and chiseled cinnabar.