How to find & use copper in Minecraft

Copper in Minecraft requires players to navigate the depths, mine strategically, and master the art of crafting. Let’s take a look at this valuable resource and delve into everything you need to know about copper in Minecraft, from its discovery to its practical applications.

Minecraft’s 1.17 update, also called the Caves and Cliffs update released in 2021 brought forth an array of exciting features, and one such addition was the introduction of copper.

Similar to everything else in the game, players must search in the appropriate location to locate the material they want. Let’s take a look at how to find copper in Minecraft and how to use it.

How to find copper in Minecraft

The journey to harness the power of copper begins with the discovery of copper ore. Scattered in veins, these ores exhibit distinctive orange and green fragments amidst stony blocks.

To harvest this resource effectively, equip yourself with a Stone Pickaxe or a higher-tier variant, as lower-grade tools won’t yield any results.

Copper ore is generously distributed from Y-level 0 to 96, with a sweet spot around Y48. It’s advisable to commence your mining slightly below sea level (Y63) for optimal results.

How to use copper in Minecraft

Before being able to use copper, you need to do a bit of tweaking with the valuable resource. Mined copper ore transforms into raw copper, setting the stage for the essential smelting process.

The smelting process

Using a furnace and a fuel source (wood suffices), players can convert raw copper into the coveted copper ingots. This familiar step in Minecraft’s resource processing playbook unlocks the door to diverse crafting possibilities.

Armed with copper ingots, players can embark on a crafting spree to produce various items. The key creations include:

Copper block: Combine nine copper ingots to fashion a smooth, solid copper block, ideal for architectural endeavors.

Lightning rod: Stack three copper ingots atop each other to forge a Lightning Rod. This essential item ensures your builds are protected from the wrath of lightning.

Spyglass: Blend one Amethyst Shard with two copper ingots to craft a Spyglass, a tool essential for scouting distant landscapes.

Waxing copper to preserve its shine

Different stages of copper oxidation: unoxidized to most oxidized (L to R)

Copper’s charm lies not only in its utility but also in its dynamic color changes due to oxidation. You can use the following methods to wax copper:

• You can wax Copper using a honeycomb. Simply equip the honeycomb and use it on the Copper block to maintain its existing color.
• If oxidation has progressed, using an axe on a Copper block will scrape off a layer, effectively resetting the oxidation stage by one.
• Interestingly, a lightning strike, while unpredictable, has the power to fully remove oxidation.

That’s all you need to know about finding and using copper in Minecraft. For more useful guides, check some of the guides below:

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