Pickaxe power

Pickaxe power is the amount of strength a pickaxe or drill has. It determines how much the player will damage a block before it breaks. Some blocks break instantly, other blocks cannot be mined with low Pickaxe power. Pickaxe power has no effect on the mining speed attribute, in terms of use time per swing, but lower Pickaxe power will generally require multiple hits per block, lowering the rate of blocks cleared over time, and creating the impression that Pickaxe is slower overall.

Effects

In-game

Block	Hit points	Pickaxe hits required (minimum Pickaxe power required)
Block	Hit points	(35)	(40)	(45)	(50)	(55)	(65)	(70)	(100)	(110)	(150)	(200)	(210)	(225)
Dirt Block^[1] Sand Block Clay Block Mud Block^[1] Silt Block Ash Block Snow Block Slush Block Hardened Sand Block(Desktop, Console and Mobile versions) Spike ((Desktop, Console and Mobile versions)) Wooden Spike ((Desktop, Console and Mobile versions))	50%	2	2	2	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1
Stone Block^[1] Ebonsand Block Gold Ore Gray Brick^[1] all blocks not listed here	100%	3	3	3	2	2	2	2	1	1	1	1	1	1
Meteorite	100%	n/a	n/a	n/a	2	2	2	2	1	1	1	1	1	1
Demonite Ore^[2] Crimtane Ore^[2]	100%	3^[2]	3^[2]	3^[2]	2^[2]	2	2	2	1	1	1	1	1	1
Obsidian	100%	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	(Desktop, Console and Mobile versions) 2 (Old-gen console and 3DS versions) n/a	2	2	1	1	1	1	1	1
Ebonstone Block Pearlstone Block Hellstone Crimstone Block	200%	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	4	3	2	2	2	1	1	1
Dungeon Bricks^[3]	200%	6^[3]	5^[3]	5^[3]	4^[3]	4^[3]	4^[3]	3^[3]	2	2	2	1	1	1
Cobalt Ore Palladium Ore	200%	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	2	2	2	1	1	1
Tombstones	300%	9	8	7	6	6	5	5	3	3	2	2	2	2
Mythril Ore Orichalcum Ore	300%	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	3	2	2	2	2
Adamantite Ore Titanium Ore	400%	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	3	2	2	2
Spike ((Old-gen console and 3DS versions)) Wooden Spike ((Old-gen console and 3DS versions))	400%	12	10	9	8	8	7	6	4	4	3	2	2	2
Lihzahrd Brick	400%	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	2	2
Chlorophyte Ore	500%	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	3	3	3

↑ ^1.0 ^1.1 ^1.2 ^1.3 If the block has grass or moss on it, that will absorb the first hit on the block (see step 5, Pickaxe power#Mechanics.) Increase the number of hits required by 1 for all pickaxes.
↑ ^2.0 ^2.1 ^2.2 ^2.3 ^2.4 ^2.5 Demonite and Crimtane Ore can only be mined with < 55% Pickaxe Power if it is above 0ft in elevation
↑ ^3.0 ^3.1 ^3.2 ^3.3 ^3.4 ^3.5 ^3.6 ^3.7 Dungeon Bricks can only be mined with (Desktop, Console and Mobile versions) < 100% / (Old-gen console and 3DS versions)< 65% Pickaxe Power if it is within the central 30% of world centered at world spawn point.

Mechanics

Every tile has 0 damage amount to start. A tile's damage amount is increased every time it is hit with a pickaxe, the specific increase is calculated as follows:

damageIncrease = 0
damageIncrease = 100, If one of the following constraints is met:
- The tile is any kind of background plant or mushroom.
- The tile is any kind of Thorns, e.g. Corruption Thorns, Crimson Thorns, Jungle Thorns.
- The tile is any kind of Moss growth.
- The tile is any kind of Vine.
- The tile is any kind of Torch.
- The tile is any kind of Rope.
- The tile is Ambient object.
- The tile is Thin Ice.
- The tile is a Dye Plant or Strange Plant.
- The tile is a Book.
- The tile is a Herb.
- The tile is a Coin Pile.
- The tile is a Living Leaf Block or Living Rich Mahogany Leaf Block.
- The tile is a Pumpkin Seed.
- The tile is a Crystal Shard.
Add Pickaxe Power to damageIncrease, certain tiles have power scaling, as follows:
- damageIncrease = damageIncrease + Pickaxe Power * 2, for Dirt Block, Clay Block, Sand Block, Hardened Sand Block(Desktop, Console and Mobile versions), Ash Block, Mud Block, Silt Block, Slush Block, and Snow Block.
- damageIncrease = damageIncrease + Pickaxe Power / 2, for Ebonstone Block, Crimstone Block, Pearlstone Block, Hellstone, Cobalt Ore, Palladium Ore, and all Dungeon Bricks.
- damageIncrease = damageIncrease + Pickaxe Power / 3, for Mythril Ore, Orichalcum Ore.
- damageIncrease = damageIncrease + Pickaxe Power / 4, for Adamantite Ore, Titanium Ore, Spike, Wooden Spike, and Lihzahrd Brick.
- damageIncrease = damageIncrease + Pickaxe Power / 5, for Chlorophyte Ore.
- damageIncrease = damageIncrease + Pickaxe Power, for all other blocks not listed, i.e. Stone Block, Red Brick, etc.
damageIncrease = 0, If one of the following constraints is met:
- Pickaxe power is less than 210%, and the tile is a Lihzahrd Brick or Lihzahrd Altar.
- Pickaxe power is less than 200%, and the tile is a Chlorophyte Ore.
- Pickaxe power is less than 150%, and the tile is a Adamantite Ore or Titanium Ore.
- Pickaxe power is less than 110%, and the tile is a Mythril Ore or Orichalcum Ore.
- Pickaxe power is less than 100%, and the tile is a Cobalt Ore or Palladium Ore.
- Pickaxe power is less than 65%, and the tile is a Ebonstone Block, Crimstone Block, Pearlstone Block, Hellstone, Obsidian, or Desert Fossil(Desktop, Console and Mobile versions).
- Pickaxe power is less than 65%, and the tile is a Dungeon Bricks and is not in middle 30% of the world.
- Pickaxe power is less than 55%, and the tile is a Demonite Ore or Crimtane Ore and is below the surface.
- Pickaxe power is less than 50%, and the tile is a Meteorite.
if the tile is any kind of Grass block or Moss block and damageAmount + damageIncrease >= 100, then damageIncrease = 0.

Once a tile's damage amount are accumulated to 100, the tile is destroyed. Please note that the tile is not destroyed after it is hit does not mean it remains unchanged, there may be other changes, e.g. Grass block will become normal Dirt Block.

Notes

Desktop, Console, and Mobile players have the highest amount of pickaxe power of 230% using the Laser Drill. Old-gen console and 3DS players may carry a Picksaw which holds a pickaxe power of 210%. Both are capable of mining Lihzahrd Bricks.
The player can mine blocks like Grass and Moss in 1 hit instead of 2, assuming their pickaxe power is high enough.