7 Days to Die Mining Guide — Resources and Underground Survival

Why Mine?

Mining provides bulk materials impossible to get in sufficient quantities from surface looting:

• Iron → All metal crafting
• Coal → Forging fuel
• Lead → Ammo crafting
• Nitrate → Gunpowder → Ammo
• Oil Shale → Gasoline
• Gravel → Concrete

Surface Mining

Before going underground, surface-gather:

Resource	Location	Method
Small Stones	Ground everywhere	Pick up
Wood	Trees	Axe
Clay Soil	Red-brown terrain	Shovel
Scrap Metal	Cars, appliances	Axe

Underground Mining

Getting Started

1. Find a large hill or mountain
2. Dig horizontal into the side (easier than vertical shaft)
3. Mine in a grid pattern, leaving pillars every 5 blocks for support

What's Underground

Resource	Depth	Notes
Iron	Shallow (any depth)	Most common
Coal	Any depth, dark seams	Black streaks in stone
Lead	Medium depth	Gray-blue seams
Nitrate Powder	Any depth	White powder pockets
Oil Shale	Deep layers	Fuel source
Silver/Gold	Rare	High value, sell to trader

Mining Tools

Tool	Speed	Notes
Stone Axe	Very slow	Day 1 only
Iron Pickaxe	Moderate	Good mid-game
Steel Pickaxe	Fast	Best manual tool
Auger (Power Tool)	Very fast	Needs Gas Can fuel

Auger: End-game mining tool. Mines 10× faster than pickaxe. Requires Gas. Game-changer for resource gathering.

Cave Systems

Natural caves exist underground. Benefits:

• Pre-exposed mineral seams on walls
• Often lead to rich ore pockets

Dangers:

• Zombie spawners in some caves
• Easy to get lost
• Cave-ins if you mine load-bearing stone

Mining for Ammo

Key ammo crafting materials:

• Lead → Bullet tips (rifle/pistol ammo)
• Brass → Bullet casings (melt brass items)
• Nitrate Powder → Gunpowder
• Coal → Gunpowder alternative

Ammo crafting requires: Chemistry Station + relevant skill perks

Related Guides

• Crafting Guide
• Weapon Guide
• Skill Guide