Minecraft wiki entry for Nether_Gold_Ore, associated text: Nether gold ore drops 2-6 gold nuggets when mined with any pickaxe. Fortune has a 33.3% chance to multiply the drops by 2, Fortune II has a 25% chance to multiply the drops by 2 or 3 and Fortune III has a 20% chance each to multiply the drops by 2, 3, or 4 for a maximum possible drop of 24 golden nuggets. The average number of nuggets from Fortune III is 8.8, which is less than an ingot; therefore it is slightly more efficient to mine Nether gold ore with Silk Touch and smelt it into gold ingots.