Copper is one of the metals in Minecraft that you can find and mine underground. However, this resource works differently from typical iron and gold, as you can’t craft tools or weapons with it. So, what is copper useful for? Well, just like in the real world, copper has exciting properties that make it great for building. The process of oxidation is particularly noteworthy, as Minecraft once again shows how much it draws from real-life phenomena. Today, we will take a closer look at copper, its various building blocks, and the oxidation process!
Finding and Mining Copper: Locations and Tips
You can find copper, like all other metals in the Overworld, in the form of ores underground. You will encounter copper veins in both regular stone and deepslate, which you can mine with at least a stone pickaxe. When mined, copper chunks are dropped, which you can smelt into copper ingots in a furnace. Copper ore can be found between heights -16 and 112, with the highest concentration at Y-level 43. Dripstone caves often have more copper if you’re specifically looking for it.
Just like iron, copper can also be found in long veins, from which you can extract hundreds to thousands of copper ores and raw copper. These copper veins can be identified by red granite blocks and sometimes raw copper blocks, mixed with a lot of ores. These veins can be found above Y-level 0, but they can also extend deeper.
You can obtain more copper by using the Fortune enchantment. This allows you to get up to 20 raw copper from one ore. With “Silk Touch,” you can directly mine the ores themselves and either smelt them or store them for later.
Creative Building Ideas with Copper Blocks
As mentioned earlier, you cannot craft tools like pickaxes from smelted copper ingots. However, copper is incredibly flexible when it comes to building! The reddish-orange blocks have a truly unique colour and come in many different variations.
Raw Copper Block: A block resembling cobblestone, showing both orange and green hues. You can craft it from nine raw copper and use it as decoration.
Copper Block: This block can be crafted from nine regular copper ingots and also used as decoration. It has a smooth appearance, with four nails in the corners, making it perfect for an industrial style!
Cut Copper Block: A variation of the regular copper block, divided into smaller squares, creating a tile pattern. It can be crafted from four regular copper blocks or with a stonecutter. Cut copper also has slabs and stairs that you can craft, making this block excellent for decoration!
Chiseled Copper Block: A decorative block crafted from two cut copper slabs. Its pattern also suggests an industrial use.
Copper Lantern: You can craft this beautiful lamp from three copper blocks, one redstone, and one blaze rod! It can be turned on with a redstone signal and emits light in a fascinating pattern. The more oxidised the block is, the weaker the light.
Copper Grate: You can craft this unique block from four copper blocks, representing a kind of grid pattern. The block functions similarly to glass, as it lets light through.
Copper Door/Copper Trapdoor: From copper ingots, you can craft both doors and trapdoors, similar to iron. Their functionality is similar to other metals.
Some of these copper blocks can also be found in the trial chambers. We’ve written an entire article on this (Minecraft Trial Chambers: How to Find & Master Them!) , should you wish to take on this challenge.
Oxidation of Copper: How it Works and How to Stop it
Copper doesn’t always stay orange and changes its colour over time if you don’t intervene. This is due to the oxidation process, where copper reacts with the air, resulting in a chemical reaction. This changes the colour of orange copper to a greenish or turquoise hue.
In our world, the Statue of Liberty in New York City’s harbour is perhaps the best example of this. While the statue was also orange in the first months, it gradually turned into the green statue we know today over the years. Unfortunately, this process is no longer traceable due to the exclusive black-and-white photography of the time.
In Minecraft, there are four stages of oxidation:
Normal Stage: Not oxidised, orange colour
Tarnished Stage: Slightly oxidised, somewhat greenish hue
Weathered Stage: Advanced oxidation, significantly green hue
Oxidised Stage: Fully oxidised, green/turquoise hue
It takes about 15 to 30 minutes to go through a stage. The more air there is between the individual copper blocks, the faster they oxidise.
Manually Stopping or Reversing Oxidation
If you don’t want your copper blocks to weather or want to keep them in a specific stage, there are ways to do so! You can prevent oxidation with honeycombs. This can be done by right-clicking on the respective copper block or directly in the crafting interface. You essentially apply a protective layer of wax. You can reverse the process with an axe. Similar to debarked logs, you can remove the oxidised layer from the copper and maintain your desired stage.
Additional Uses: From Spyglass to Armour
But copper isn’t just good for decoration; it is also needed in some other recipes. And even if you can’t craft axes or swords from it, you should always have some copper ingots on hand! Some items are really useful and belong in your inventory or on your buildings.
Spyglass: With an amethyst shard and two copper ingots, you can craft a spyglass. This allows you to better survey your Minecraft world and observe things from a distance.
Brush: A brush can be crafted from a feather, a copper ingot, and a stick. It’s useful for archaeology and armadillos. We’ve already written articles on both topics!
Lightning Rod: From three copper ingots, you can build your lightning rod, which protects your structures from natural lightning strikes. This prevents wooden huts from accidentally burning down, for example.
Armour Trimming: Use copper ingots in combination with smithing templates to create cool armours with patterns. Copper gives you an orange hue.
Conclusion
Copper is an incredibly versatile block in Minecraft, often overlooked or completely ignored by many. You can create many beautiful building blocks from it, and thanks to oxidation, they change colour over days and weeks in the game. This alone should be an incentive to use copper here and there! Rent your own Minecraft server and go on a quest with friends to find huge copper veins to try out this mechanic. And if you want to maintain a specific stage, use honeycombs or axes for a controlled approach to copper!
