Copper in Minecraft: Complete Guide to Ore, Ingots, Blocks, and Oxidation

Copper in Minecraft is one of the most unique resources you will find underground. Unlike most metals, like iron, copper serves a dual purpose: it is both practical for functional items and highly aesthetic for decoration. You can craft useful items like a lightning rod and a spyglass, and the copper blocks are perfect for building.

This intended blog will explain how to mine the ore, smelt it into copper ingots, and master the special oxidation process that makes copper blocks turn green over time, making copper both practical and aesthetic.

What Is Copper in Minecraft?

Copper is a resource introduced in a major update to Minecraft. It serves as a building material that sits below iron in durability but surpasses it in decorative uses. The resource follows a simple progression. You start by mining the copper ore; the ore yields raw copper, which must be smelted into copper ingots. These ingots are used to craft copper blocks, which are the main decoration blocks that uniquely oxidize over time.

How to Find and Mine Copper Ore

Finding copper ore is easy once you know the best spots. To start mining copper ore, you need to know which tools to bring and the best places to look.

Where Copper Ore Spawns

You will find underground deposits most commonly between y-levels 112 and -16. The absolute sweet spot for mining copper ore is around Y=47 and Y=48. Look inside massive dripstone caves or underneath beaches for large veins. Mining copper in dripstone caves is a great way to collect large amounts of ore quickly.

Tools Required

You need a stone pickaxe or better to successfully mine copper ore. If you try using a wooden pickaxe, you will not get any drops of raw copper.

Mining Copper Ore and Drops

• Raw Copper Drop: Breaking a block of copper ore with the right tool gives you a few units of raw copper.
• Mob Drop: Copper can also be obtained as a rare drop from killed drowned mobs found underwater.

Steps for Compact Storage

Raw copper is one of the few ores that can be compacted into a block form for compact raw copper storage.

• Step 1: Gather nine units of raw copper.
• Step 2: Place the nine units into the crafting table in a 3x3 square.
• Step 3: The result is one block of compact raw copper storage.

Smelting Raw Copper into Copper Ingots

Once you have gathered your raw copper, the next step is to process it. Smelting raw copper turns the unprocessed material into usable copper ingots.

• Smelting Step: Place the raw copper into a furnace or a blast furnace along with fuel. Each unit of raw copper will be smelted into one copper ingot.
• Speed Tip: Using a blast furnace speeds up the smelting of raw copper process considerably, letting you get your ingots and start crafting faster.

Crafting with Copper Ingots

Copper ingots are essential for crafting new, unique items that are unavailable with other metals.

Spyglass Recipe

The spyglass is a functional tool used to zoom in on distant objects. It requires you to point directly at what you want to see.

• Recipe:
  • Two copper ingots
  • One amethyst shard

Lightning Rod Recipe

The lightning rod is a crucial safety item. It will attract lightning strikes away from your builds and divert strikes to the ground, which helps prevent fires.

• Recipe:
  • Three copper ingots stacked vertically

Copper Bulbs

Copper bulbs are light-emitting blocks that can be toggled using a redstone signal.

• Brightness Feature Tip: The brightness of the copper bulbs decreases as the copper blocks oxidize. You must use wax to prevent the light level from dropping.
• Crafting Recipe:
  • Four copper blocks
  • One Redstone signal component (such as Redstone Dust or a Redstone Lamp)

Brush for Archaeology

The brush is used to excavate suspicious blocks in archaeology to reveal hidden items.

• Recipe:
  • One copper ingot
  • One feather
  • One stick

Armor Trim and Copper Armor

Copper ingots can be used in the smithing table to apply an armor trim when combined with an armor piece and a smithing template. Additionally, while less durable than iron or diamond, copper armor and copper tools have been added in recent updates to Minecraft versions.

Copper Blocks and Building Variants

The true value of copper in Minecraft is its use in decoration and building. The different copper blocks offer a huge range of aesthetic options.

Block of Copper

The block of copper is the primary building and storage block. It will begin the oxidation process immediately after being placed.

• Crafting Recipe:
  • Nine copper ingots are placed in the crafting table in a 3x3 grid

Cut Copper Blocks, Slabs, and Stairs

Cut copper variants are smooth, allowing for finer decoration. Cut copper slabs and cut copper stairs are essential for detailed roof construction.

• Crafting Recipe Tip: A block of copper can be cut into cut copper blocks, cut copper slabs, and cut copper stairs using a stonecutter or the crafting table.

Chiseled Copper

Chiseled copper is a highly decorative block with complex patterns.

• Crafting Recipe:
  • Two cut copper slabs stacked vertically in the crafting table to craft chiseled copper.

Copper Doors and Trapdoors

You can craft copper doors and copper trapdoors using copper ingots. These are unique because they are the only metal doors in the game that oxidize over time and turn green, adding a unique aesthetic to your structures.

Oxidation of Copper Blocks

The oxidation process is what makes copper blocks unique. It is often referred to as the aging process of copper in Minecraft.

Four Oxidation Stages

When placed in the world, copper blocks oxidize over time, changing color through four stages. They start reddish-brown and slowly turn green (the green patina) as they reach the final oxidation stages. This aging process is random and can take from a few hours to a few days of in-game time.

Waxing Copper Blocks

You can wax copper blocks at any stage of oxidation to permanently preserve its current color stage.

• Waxing Tip: Use a honeycomb in the crafting table or by right-clicking the copper block with a honeycomb to wax copper. Waxed copper will not oxidize further.

Removing Oxidation

If you want to reverse the oxidation, you have a few options:

• Scraping Step: You can remove oxidation from copper blocks by using an axe to scrape off oxidation. This will also remove oxidation and any wax applied.
• Lightning Tip: A highly effective way to remove oxidation completely is by having lightning strikes hit the copper block. The lightning strikes will revert the copper block to its fresh, reddish-brown state.

Aesthetic Options

The ability to wax copper at any of the four stages of oxidation allows for a huge range of aesthetic options in construction, making copper one of the most popular metals used for detailed decoration.

Functional Uses of Copper

Beyond being a decorative block, copper is used to craft three highly functional items that help with safety, utility, and lighting.

Lightning Rods

Lightning rods attract lightning strikes to their location, which is a vital feature for protecting wooden structures. They successfully divert strikes and prevent fires.

Command:

You can test a lightning rod using the command:

/summon minecraft:lightning_bolt <coordinates>

Spyglass

The spyglass is the only item in the game used to zoom in, and it can be useful for scouting structures or tracking mobs. It requires you to point directly at what you want to see.

Copper Bulbs

Copper bulbs are light-emitting blocks that can be toggled using a Redstone signal.

• Brightness Feature Tip: The brightness of the copper bulbs decreases as the copper blocks oxidize. You must use wax to prevent the light level from dropping.

Copper Golem and Copper Chests

The copper golem is an interesting mob related to copper.

• Copper Golem: The copper golem was originally introduced as an April Fool's mob. It is a small mob that oxidizes over time and is known to randomly push Redstone signal buttons. While it was an April Fool's joke, many players hope to see the copper golem added permanently.
• Copper Chests: Copper chests are storage structures introduced alongside the copper golem as part of the same April Fools joke. Like the copper golem, copper chests also oxidize.

Differences Between Java Edition and Bedrock Edition

For the most part, copper mechanics are consistent across both Java Edition and Bedrock Edition. The smelting raw copper recipe, the oxidation stages, the ability to wax, and the use of the lightning rod are the same in both Java Edition and Bedrock Edition. Slight differences may exist in the exact y levels where copper ore spawns, or the precise speed at which copper blocks oxidize, but these differences are minor.

The Copper Age in Minecraft

The introduction of copper marked a new chapter in the game's history, often called the Copper Age. Unlike most metals like iron or gold, which focus solely on armor and tools, copper introduced an entirely new aesthetic dimension. The copper age brought us unique building blocks like chiseled copper and functional redstone signal blocks like the copper bulbs, greatly expanding decoration options beyond what most metals could offer.

Conclusion

Copper in Minecraft is a versatile and essential resource. After mining copper ore and smelting raw copper into copper ingots, you can craft vital items like the lightning rod and spyglass. The true appeal is the ability to use copper blocks for building and controlling their oxidation stages with wax to remove oxidation or prevent fires. Copper is one of the most versatile resources in Minecraft, proving to be both practical and aesthetic.