Mohs Hardness to Durability Chart

This chart demonstrates how in-game durability for Minecraft tools and armor is derived from real-world Mohs hardness values, using the armor durability multiplier as the foundational anchor.

Overview of the Process

Step 1: Armor Durability Multiplier

The system begins with the armor durability multiplier, a fixed value defined within Minecraft's Vanilla code. This multiplier serves as the anchor point for scaling other variables, ensuring consistency with established gameplay mechanics.

Step 2: Associating Mohs Hardness

Using real-world materials, Mohs hardness values are associated with the armor durability multiplier. These values can vary widely for real-world materials, making Mohs hardness the logical variable for scaling while the multiplier remains static.

Step 3: Correlating Existing Durabilities

Known Vanilla values are integrated into the system, aligning tool and armor durability with Mohs hardness values derived from the multiplier. Remarkably, this correlation achieved an R value of +1, indicating perfect alignment with the Vanilla scale.

Step 4: Building the System

With the multiplier as the fixed anchor, Mohs hardness as the variable, and durability values correlated with Vanilla materials, the system is extended to include interpolated values for non-Vanilla items, ensuring smooth progression and balance.

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Durability Scaling

Durability scaling differs based on the type:

• Tool Durability: Scales polynomially, reflecting exponential progression.
• Armor Durability: Scales linearly, providing a more consistent progression.

Key Insights

With this chart, the only variable required is the Mohs hardness of the material—whether real or fictional. While the Mohs hardness value itself can be highly conceptual and variable, it serves as the cornerstone for calculating in-game durability.

This structured methodology combines mathematical precision with real-world materials to deliver an intuitive durability system for modded tools and armor.

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Detailed Durability Mapping

Multiplier	Mohs Hardness	Tool Durability	Chest Durability	Material	Source
7	2.78	32	112	Gold	Vanilla
8	3.06	59	128	Wood	Vanilla
9	3.33	82	144
10	3.61	108	160
11	3.89	131	176	Stone	Vanilla
12	4.17	160	192
13	4.44	187	208
14	4.72	217	224
15	5.00	250	240	Iron	Vanilla
16	5.28	286	256
17	5.56	325	272
18	5.83	368	288
19	6.11	415	304	Moonstone	Pure Ores
20	6.39	466	320	Fire Opal	Pure Ores
21	6.67	522	336
22	6.94	582	352	Jadeite	Pure Ores
23	7.22	647	368
24	7.50	716	384	Ametrine	Pure Ores
25	7.78	792	400
26	8.06	873	416	Chrysoberyl	Pure Ores
27	8.33	957	432
28	8.61	1047	448
29	8.89	1141	464	Sapphire	Pure Ores
30	9.17	1239	480
31	9.44	1342	496
32	9.72	1451	512
33	10.00	1561	528	Diamond	Vanilla
34	10.28	1670	544
35	10.56	1790	560	Black Diamond	Pure Ores
36	10.83	1910	576
37	11.11	2031	592	Netherite	Vanilla
38	11.39	2153	608
39	11.67	2277	624
40	11.94	2401	640
41	12.22	2526	656	Lonsdaleite	Pure Ores

Graphical Representations

Below are graphical representations of the durability mappings for tools and armor, illustrating the relationships and progression:

Figure 1: Tool durability scaling based on Mohs hardness.

Figure 2: Armor durability scaling based on Mohs hardness.

More Insights and Calculations

Armor Durability Multiplier

• The multiplier is the cornerstone of this system, directly determining the durability of armors.
• It is defined in Minecraft's hard-coded Vanilla system, ensuring consistency.

Mohs Hardness

• Mohs hardness values are scaled from the armor durability multiplier, using real-world materials as reference points.
• Since real-world materials can exhibit a wide range of Mohs hardness values, whereas the multiplier is a hardcoded integer, the Mohs value emerged as the most logical variable for scaling.
• Calculation: Mohs Hardness = ((Multiplier + 3) / 3.6)

Tool Durability

• Tool durability is calculated using an polynomial formula based on Mohs hardness, meaning that it scales exponentially:
• Calculation: Durability = 13.18 × e^(0.425 × Mohs)

Chest Durability

• Durability for the chestplate is calculated as Multiplier × 16. Other pieces scale as follows:
  • Head: Multiplier × 11
  • Legs: Multiplier × 15
  • Feet: Multiplier × 13
• The chestplate is highlighted due to its highest durability value, and 16 is just a good number.

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Why Toughness and Fracture Resistance Aren't Prioritized

This system focuses on Mohs hardness as the primary variable for calculating durability, deliberately excluding considerations of toughness and fracture resistance—key properties that determine how materials respond to stress or impact.

The Science Behind It

• Mohs Hardness: Represents a material's resistance to scratching or surface deformation. Diamond excels in this category, making it an exceptional cutting material.
• Toughness and Fracture Resistance: These properties measure a material's ability to absorb energy and resist cracking under repeated impacts. Iron, despite being softer than diamond, possesses significantly higher toughness, which allows it to endure stress more effectively.

Practical Implications

In real-world applications, materials with high hardness but low toughness—like diamond—are often brittle under force. For example:

• A diamond pickaxe, while incredibly hard, would fracture under repeated impacts against stone due to its low toughness.
• Conversely, an iron pickaxe is more effective for such tasks, as its durability and ability to absorb impact outperform diamond in these situations.

Gameplay Balance

By centering durability calculations on Mohs hardness, the system simplifies progression while keeping mechanics intuitive. Mojang deliberately excluded toughness and fracture resistance from Vanilla material calculations, as incorporating these factors would complicate gameplay unnecessarily. Following their lead ensures consistency and aligns modded materials with established lore.