Mining in Stardew Valley is one of the most rewarding activities in the game — it provides ore for crafting and upgrades, gems for gifting and selling, coal for smelting, and access to powerful combat equipment. This guide walks you through everything you need to know, from finding the Mines entrance on day one all the way to farming Iridium in the infinite depths of the Skull Cavern.
What you need before you go
The Mines open automatically after the landslide blocking them is cleared — this happens a few days into your first spring. Before heading in you should have a pickaxe (the basic Copper Pickaxe or even the starting one works fine), a sword for fighting slimes and bats, a stack of food for emergency energy recovery, and a full inventory of free bag slots. The deeper you go, the more stone, ore, and drops you will collect, so space fills up fast.
How to make the most of mining in Stardew Valley
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Step 1: Find the Mines Entrance
The Mines are located in the Mountains area, north-east of Pelican Town. Walk north from the town centre and continue past the carpenter shop until you reach the cave entrance carved into the cliff. Alternatively, take the bus stop path north on any day after spring 5. The Mines stay open all year — they do not close at night, though you will pass out and be sent home if you are still inside at 2 am.
Head north-east from Pelican Town and look for the cave entrance in the Mountains area. -
Step 2: Break Rocks and Descend the Floors
The Mines have 120 floors (also called levels). Each floor is filled with rocks to smash, enemies to fight, and sometimes a chest or forage item. Smash rocks with your pickaxe — when a floor is cleared enough, a ladder will appear leading down. You can also find pre-placed ladders and shafts that drop you several levels at once. An elevator on each fifth floor saves your progress as a fast-travel shortcut, so you never have to restart from floor 1.
Smash every rock you can — ladders appear randomly when enough rocks on a floor are cleared. -
Step 3: Collect Ores, Gems, and Coal
The Mine is divided into three depth zones, each offering different resources. Floors 1–39 are the Stone and Copper zone: you will find copper ore nodes, coal, stone, and cherry bombs in crates. Floors 40–79 are the Ice Caverns zone, home to iron ore, frozen geodes, and the occasional aquamarine. Floors 80–120 are the deepest zone, yielding gold ore, diamonds, rubies, and other gems. Smelt ore into bars using a Furnace back at your farm — three ore plus one coal produces one metal bar.
Each zone of the Mines drops different ore — push deeper to unlock iron, gold, and rare gems. -
Step 4: Manage Your Energy and Health
Swinging your pickaxe costs energy, and every enemy hit drains health. If your energy hits zero you will still walk around, but you will lose health with every swing. Reaching 0 HP or staying until 2 am causes you to pass out, losing some items and gold. Counter this by packing food before each trip — salmonberries, fried eggs, and cheese are cheap options for early trips. The Miner's Treat food gives a Mining Level bonus on top of energy recovery. Bombs and Cherry Bombs save huge amounts of energy by clearing several rocks at once. Crafted Staircases (10 stone each) let you skip a floor entirely — bring a stack when you just want to reach a deeper elevator.
Watch your energy and health bars closely — bring food, bombs, and staircases every run. -
Step 5: Upgrade Your Pickaxe at the Blacksmith
Visit Clint the Blacksmith, located in the south-east of Pelican Town, to upgrade your pickaxe. Each upgrade tier requires gold and a number of metal bars. A Copper Pickaxe (2,000g + 5 Copper Bars) lets you break ordinary rocks in one hit. The Iron Pickaxe (5,000g + 5 Iron Bars) breaks tougher rocks and ice formations in a single swing. The Gold Pickaxe (10,000g + 5 Gold Bars) clears virtually all rocks in one hit and dramatically speeds up your time on each floor. The top-tier Iridium Pickaxe (25,000g + 5 Iridium Bars) can shatter meteor rocks, giant crops, and the toughest nodes. Upgrading takes two days — plan around market days so you do not lose access during a festival.
Every pickaxe upgrade cuts mining time dramatically — prioritise the Iron and Gold tiers. -
Step 6: Conquer the Skull Cavern for Iridium
Once you complete the Community Center (or buy the Joja Membership and finish the Joja development form), the bus in Pelican Town starts running again and takes you to the Calico Desert. There, the Skull Cavern is an infinite dungeon whose floors descend forever. Iridium Ore becomes common from around floor 100 and is the rarest crafting material in the game, needed for sprinklers, the Iridium Band, and the Iridium Pickaxe itself. To make good Skull Cavern runs, stock up on Mega Bombs (they clear large ore-rich zones), craft 100+ Staircases so you can skip floors rapidly, and bring high-quality food like Spicy Eel or Pumpkin Soup for defense buffs. Dangerous enemies like Pepper Rexes and Serpents appear here, so a good sword is essential.
The Skull Cavern in the Calico Desert is an infinite dungeon — the deeper you go, the more Iridium you find.
Mining tips and tricks
- Use the elevator liberally. Any floor ending in 0 or 5 saves as an elevator stop. Unlock floor 80 and you are always just one ride from the gold ore zone.
- Geodes are worth cracking. Take Stone Geodes, Frozen Geodes, Magma Geodes, and Omni Geodes to Clint. They can contain rare minerals needed for the Museum donation collection.
- Lucky days go deeper. Check the Fortune Teller channel on TV each morning — on lucky days, more shafts appear in the Mines and the Skull Cavern, letting you drop many floors at once.
- Bring a Return Scepter (late game). This endgame item teleports you directly home from anywhere, letting you mine until the very last second without worrying about the 2 am curfew.
- Level up your Mining skill. Mining XP is gained from breaking rocks. Each Mining level unlocks new bomb recipes and at level 9 you choose between the Blacksmith profession (+50% bar value) or Prospector profession (double coal chance).
Troubleshooting
I can't find the Mines entrance
The Mines are blocked until the landslide clears automatically — this happens in early Spring, Year 1. If it is still Year 1 and day 4 or earlier, wait one more in-game day. On day 5 or later, walk north past Robin's Carpenter Shop all the way to the mountain cliff face.
I keep running out of energy underground
Bring food before you leave — a handful of Salmonberries or a stack of Bread from Pierre's is enough for short trips. Use bombs to smash clusters of rocks and save pickaxe swings. Craft a Mining Hat or Geologist profession to get more from each trip.
I can't reach floor 80 or 120
Upgrade your pickaxe to Iron or Gold tier so each rock only takes one swing. Bring a stack of Staircases to skip floors where enemies are draining your health. Stock up on food and enter on a lucky day for extra shaft spawns.
Frequently asked questions
How many floors does the Stardew Valley mine have?
The main Mines have 120 floors. The Skull Cavern in the Calico Desert has no floor limit — it is effectively infinite, making it the primary late-game mining location.
What is the best floor to mine copper ore in Stardew Valley?
Copper ore nodes appear on floors 1–39. Floors around 30–39 tend to be the most dense with copper, so set the elevator to floor 30 and work your way down for efficient copper farming.
How do I get Iridium Ore in Stardew Valley?
Iridium Ore is found in the Skull Cavern, primarily from floor 100 and below. You need to unlock the Calico Desert by repairing the bus through the Community Center (Vault bundle) or Joja Warehouse first.
Can I lose items in the Stardew Valley mines?
If you pass out from low health or stay until 2 am, you may lose some items from your inventory and a portion of your gold. Always save a warp totem or plan to leave before 2 am to avoid losses.
Should I choose Blacksmith or Prospector for Mining Level 10?
Blacksmith (bars worth 50% more) is better if you sell a lot of processed bars. Prospector (double coal drops) is better if you are constantly smelting and running short on coal. Most players lean toward Blacksmith for the gold income.
Final thoughts
Mining is the backbone of progression in Stardew Valley — it feeds every other system in the game, from crafting and farming to gifting and fishing. Start your Mines runs early, upgrade your pickaxe as soon as you have the ore, manage your energy with food, and do not neglect lucky days for Skull Cavern runs. Once you have your first stack of Iridium Bars, the rest of the valley opens up. For the full list of craftable items and recipes unlocked through mining skill levels, see the official Stardew Valley website.
