Minecraft Copper Uses

December 20, 2022

Minecraft copper was released in the long-awaited 1.17 Caves and Cliffs Update. This update was part of Mojang's promise to the community that it would improve the mountain and cave systems. The update also included copper and new Minecraft mobs like adorable mountain goats or sweet little axolotls.

While the new resource is diverse in many ways, one thing that veterans will love about Minecraft copper is its unique ability to turn green when exposed to the elements. Copper can be used for many purposes, including building. But how does it work?

What does Minecraft use copper for?

Building

Copper is a great block to use in industrial-style Minecraft buildings like factories. It can be cut or oxidized and looks great. This oxidization mechanic results in four different colours of copper, from its natural orange copper look to its verdigris appearance. Copper is one the most unique items in Minecraft's building inventory.

There are four variations of the standard smooth block of Copper. The same goes for slabs and stairs as well as cut copper. Crafting Copper blocks in survival mode will result only in the original version. It is best to leave it out for a while to see the colour change. You can combine the block with honeycomb in Crafting Table to prevent it from oxidizing.

Lightning Rods

You can also make lightning rods out of copper. These semi-defensive objects attract lightning during lightning strikes and redirect them away from any flammable wooden or wool structures. Three copper ingots are required to make lightning rods.

Redstone circuits can also use lightning rods. The copper item emits a redstone signal when struck with lightning. Unpredictability can cause random effects.

Farm of the Charged Creeper

A Charged Creeper farm is another great use of the lightning rod. Charged Creepers are not created naturally in vanilla Minecraft. They are created when a Creeper gets struck by lightning. As you know, a Creeper explodes if it is too close to it. But a Charged Creeper can inflict a more severe blow. Why would you want them to be your farm?

Interestingly, Charged Creepers can only farm a particular decorative item that you may not know is available in vanilla Minecraft: Mob head. Skeleton mob heads were added to the survival inventory in 1.18. Ancient Cities was the first to add them to the survival inventory. However, any other mob head can only be obtained in vanilla Minecraft if a Charged Creeper is involved. A Charged Creeper can kill another mob to get its own head as an item. You can create a simple mob base with a lightning rod and decapitated heads. Nice.

Spyglass crafting recipe

A spyglass is another key item that you can make in Minecraft with copper. Two copper ingots and one Minecraft Amethyst Shard are required to make a spyglass. This item was also introduced in the Caves and Cliffs updates. The spyglass can be used for zooming in and focusing on a specific area of your field of vision. While looking down at the lens, your walking speed will slow down.

Minecraft: Where can I mine raw copper?

Copper can be found underground between levels 112-16. To mine it, you will need a stone pickaxe. Copper can be found below Y-level 0. You might see the Deepslate version, which is more difficult to break. Copper Ore is mined without the Silk Touch Minecraft Enchantment. It drops raw copper in the same manner as other ores. This is then melted in a Furnace/Blast Furnace. The Ore block will drop by itself if you use Silk Touch.

Copper is a very common ore so you will find plenty of it without even trying. If you are looking for the orange shiny stuff, however, Y-level 48 is your best option.

You can increase your Raw Copper production by mining the ore using a Fortune-enchanted Pickaxe. This pickaxe can drop multiples of the mineral from one block.