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Modern Industrialization — Steel Quarry = Passive Diamonds

A multiblock that AFK-produces diamonds and emeralds every 30 seconds.

The proof

File: data/modern_industrialization/recipes/quarry/steel.json (inside Modern-Industrialization-1.8.6.jar)

{
"type": "modern_industrialization:quarry",
"eu": 12,
"duration": 600,
"item_inputs": {
"item": "modern_industrialization:steel_drill",
"probability": 0.04
},
"item_outputs": [
{ "item": "minecraft:diamond_ore", "probability": 0.12 },
{ "item": "minecraft:emerald_ore", "probability": 0.10 },
{ "item": "minecraft:lapis_ore", "probability": 0.10 },
{ "item": "modern_industrialization:bauxite_ore", "probability": 0.40 },
{ "item": "modern_industrialization:antimony_ore", "probability": 0.20 },
{ "item": "modern_industrialization:lead_ore", "probability": 0.25 },
{ "item": "modern_industrialization:nickel_ore", "probability": 0.18 },
{ "item": "modern_industrialization:quartz_ore", "probability": 0.20 },
{ "item": "modern_industrialization:salt_ore", "probability": 0.12 }
]
}

Yield per cycle (30 seconds at 12 EU/t)

Every 30 seconds:

  • 12% chance at diamond ore
  • 10% chance at emerald ore
  • 10% lapis
  • 40% bauxite (= aluminum)
  • 20% quartz, 25% lead, 18% nickel, 20% antimony, 12% salt

Drill consumption: 4% per cycle = 1 drill lasts ~25 cycles ≈ 12 minutes.

The math

Over an in-game day (24000 ticks ≈ 20 real minutes), one steel quarry produces:

  • ~40 cycles
  • ~4.8 diamond ore on average
  • ~4.0 emerald ore on average
  • Plus ~16 bauxite (aluminum), ~10 lead, ~8 quartz
  • Uses ~1.6 steel drills

That's passive diamonds and emeralds while you AFK. The emerald output alone funds infinite villager trades.

All quarry tiers ranked

From the same file directory:

DrillEU/tNotable outputsVerdict
Bronze4iron, coal, gold, redstone, copper🥉 starter; broad yield
Copper4filler tier (10% drill consume)skip
Gold8fillerskip
Steel12diamond 12%, emerald 10%, lapis🥇 best overall
Stainless Steel32titanium, tungsten, monazite, platinum🥈 next step
Titanium128uranium 20%, iridium 5%endgame nuclear

Setup priority

  1. Coke Oven (basic steel)
  2. Steam Boiler (free EU from coal)
  3. Steel Steam Quarry (multiblock)
  4. Bronze Drill mass-production
  5. Upgrade to Steel Drill
  6. AFK with chunk loader (Kibe, unlimited)
  7. Pipe output into AE2

You're now permanently funded for diamonds, emeralds, and aluminum.