Thermal Raw Ores
If you have ever mined a tin or lead vein in a modded world and wished the experience felt a little more modern, Thermal Raw Ores is the add-on you have been waiting for. This compact mod for Thermal Foundation reworks ore drops so that instead of receiving full ore blocks, you collect raw ores, mirroring the raw ore system that vanilla Minecraft introduced in the Caves and Cliffs update. The result is a cleaner, more consistent mining loop that blends Thermal's industrial machinery with contemporary Minecraft design.
What Thermal Raw Ores Changes
At its core, this add-on swaps the drop tables for ores added by Thermal Foundation. Rather than hauling heavy ore blocks back to your base, you will now pick up raw materials that stack neatly and slot directly into your processing chain. The mod also applies the official Minecraft 1.17+ textures to the vanilla materials, giving raw iron, raw gold, and raw copper a familiar look, along with matching raw ore blocks for each.
For the Thermal-specific metals, the add-on taps into textures that already existed but went unused in Thermal Foundation 1.16.5. That means raw tin, raw lead, raw silver, and raw nickel all receive dedicated visuals, plus block forms for storage and decoration. Keep in mind that Thermal Foundation 1.16.5 must be installed for these textures to appear, since the add-on references assets from that mod rather than shipping its own copies.
Processing and Gameplay Integration
Raw ores are not just a cosmetic change. Every raw material included in the add-on can be smelted in a standard furnace, a Redstone Furnace, or an Induction Smelter, so your existing Thermal production lines keep working without modification. Version 1.01 of the add-on updated the mod to use Forge tags, which improves compatibility with other mods that rely on standardized ore dictionary entries, and it also enabled pulverizing for raw ores, letting you stretch each ore further through the Pulverizer.
This makes the add-on a natural fit for players who enjoy automation. A typical setup might send raw ores straight from a mining rig into a Pulverizer for doubled output, then route the dust into a Redstone Furnace for smelting. Because the drops are tagged correctly, filters and item conduits recognize them without extra configuration.
Supported Versions and Loader
Thermal Raw Ores is built for Minecraft 1.16.5 and runs on the Forge mod loader, matching the version that Thermal Foundation 1.16.5 targets. If you are running a 1.16.5 modpack built around Thermal Expansion and its companion mods, this add-on drops in without fuss. The mod author has also stated that it may be used freely in modpacks, which is welcome news for pack developers who want a more modern ore experience without rewriting recipes.
How to Install Thermal Raw Ores
Getting the add-on running is straightforward. Follow these steps:
- Confirm you are on Minecraft 1.16.5 with the Forge mod loader installed.
- Make sure Thermal Foundation 1.16.5 is present in your mods folder, since the add-on depends on its textures.
- Download Thermal Raw Ores for Minecraft from the official project page and place the jar file into your mods directory.
- Launch the game and verify that raw ores appear when you mine tin, lead, silver, or nickel.
If you prefer a launcher that handles this for you, the foxygame.net launcher offers a curated add-on catalog where Thermal Raw Ores sits alongside its required dependencies, so the correct Thermal Foundation build is matched automatically and you can skip manual version hunting entirely.
Why Use This Add-On
Thermal Raw Ores solves a small but noticeable inconsistency. Vanilla Minecraft moved to raw ores, yet Thermal's metals still dropped as blocks, which felt dated in a 1.16.5 world. By unifying the drop system, the add-on makes storage simpler, processing more flexible, and visuals more cohesive. Whether you are a builder who wants tidy storage drawers or an engineer chasing maximum ore yield, the change pays off quickly.
For anyone running a Thermal-centered modpack on 1.16.5, this add-on is an easy recommendation. It is lightweight, modpack-friendly, and it makes every mining trip feel a little more rewarding.