Minecraft Copper is a metal resource added as part of update 1.17, and you need to smelt the ore form to get usable Copper ingots for crafting. Depending on your Y level, Copper ore is actually quite common and you will easily spot orange and green bits coming out of stony ore blocks. However, there are a few caveats to keep in mind when mining, sniffing and crafting with Copper; mainly copper oxidizes and turns a bluish-green color. Of course, if you want to buy a Lightning Rod or Spyglass, you will have to go Copper hunting. We’ve laid out everything you need to know about Minecraft Copper, including where to mine it, how to get Copper Ingots, and how to polish Copper.
How to Find Copper in Minecraft
You might want some Minecraft Amethyst Shards with your copper for a Spyglass.
To get Minecraft Copper Ingots, you need to find Copper Ore. This resource spawns in the form of a Copper vein, meaning you usually find several Copper ore blocks clustered together. Bring a Stone Pickax or a better quality pickax, because Copper Ore mined with a wood pickaxe or other item will drop nothing.
Copper Ore spawns from Y-level 0 to 96, but has a higher chance of spawning at mid tiers – around Y48. Therefore, it would be wise to start searching slightly below sea level (Y63). If it spawns between the Y0 and Y16 layers, the Copper Ore will take the form of Deepslate Copper Ore, the latter has a higher hardness level than regular Copper Ore and takes longer to mine. It is also best to choose the regular Copper Ore type, as it is quite rare. Dripstone cave biomes may also contain large Copper ore veins.
How to get Copper Ingots in Minecraft
However, mining Copper Ore will only get you Raw Copper. You need to melt this raw material to make Minecraft Copper Ingots. This is a fairly simple step that most Minecraft players will already be familiar with: Put the Raw Copper in a furnace and add some fuel (wood will do). Then wait until your Copper Ingots are ready. Now you can start crafting!
How to Use Copper in Minecraft
Now that we have our Copper Ingots, it’s time to start crafting. Copper Ingots can be used to craft the following items:
- copper block. Use nine Copper Ingots to create a smooth, solid block of copper.
- Lightning rod. Stack three Copper Ingots on top of each other to create a Lightning Rod. You can also check out our separate Minecraft lightning rod guide.
- binoculars. Place an Amethyst Fragment on top of two Copper Ingots to make a Spyglass.
How to polish Copper in Minecraft
Just like in real life, Minecraft copper changes color due to oxidation. In the picture above you can see the different stages of Copper oxidation in Minecraft. If you don’t want your copper to change, you can polish it (this will keep the current color, not reset it). Just equip a honeycomb and use it on the copper block.
Alternatively, you can use an ax on the Copper block to scrape it. This will reset the oxidation level by one (weathered copper will become exposed copper). Finally, while you can’t really plan this out, a lightning strike will completely remove the oxidation.
Let’s go back to those Caves & Cliffs and get ourselves a Minecraft Copper house!
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