Items (loot) in Minecraft despawn after 5 minutes (6000 game ticks) of being in a loaded chunk where entities are processed. This timer starts as soon as the item is dropped or placed in the world and is paused if the chunk unloads or is no longer ticking. If two item stacks merge, the despawn timer resets to the longer remaining time of the merged items

. Some nuances include:

• Items despawn only if the chunk is loaded and near a player; if the chunk unloads or no player is nearby, the timer pauses until reloaded

• Most items have a default despawn time of 5 minutes, but some sources note that certain items like food or potions might despawn faster (2-3 minutes), while other items like crafting materials or experience orbs may last longer (up to 10 minutes or more)

• Items falling into lava or other destructive environments are destroyed immediately and do not follow the timer

In summary, the standard despawn time for loot in Minecraft is 5 minutes after being dropped, provided the chunk remains loaded and within simulation distance of a player