Buried treasure chests in Minecraft are typically found buried under sand, gravel, or the ocean floor, usually about 5 to 10 blocks deep beneath the surface. They commonly generate at y-levels around 45 to 50 but may sometimes be slightly deeper or under layers like sandstone. The chest is almost always near the X mark on a treasure map but can be offset by a few blocks in any direction, so digging within a 3x3 area around the marker is recommended. Players often find the treasure between 1 to 6 blocks below the surface, and digging more than 10 blocks deep is usually unnecessary. The exact depth can vary depending on terrain, but it generally is not beyond 10 blocks underground beneath sand or gravel layers.
