Minecraft is full of Unique blocks and ores, but one of its latest additions is so unique in its mechanics, that it changes and creates a new flare to how you play Minecraft. Ever since its introduction in the Minecraft patch 1.18 Cave and cliff update, Copper has always remained in the hearts of Minecraft players worldwide. Although this block has a somewhat limited number of craftable items, its other uses thanks to its unique abilities are almost limitless, so what exactly are these uses?
Copper has a wide variety of applications in crafting, for example, it can be used to craft a lighting rod and a spyglass which are also two new additions to the game. It can also be used in its block form for decorative purposes thanks to its unique aging process.
By introducing an item like copper into the game, Minecraft players have even more creative ideas they can bring into the game. I have seen structures and schematics on the perfect applications for copper in Minecraft, I’ve even tried some myself, and trust me it feels amazing to know such ideas are now possible thanks to copper. What are these ideas and applications? We’ll just keep reading if you want to know everything about copper as well as its top 10 best uses.
What Can You Use Copper for in Minecraft
Copper Ore currently has 3 important uses in Minecraft, which involve being smelt and used to create copper blocks, being used to make a lightning rod, and being used to craft a spyglass.
How To Craft A Copper Block
To craft a Copper block, simply fill the entire 3×3 cells of your crafting table with Copper ingots. You can as well create other variants of this block by using a stonecutter.
How To Craft A Spyglass
To Craft a spyglass, simply put two copper ingots in the second and third cell of the first column. Next place one amethyst shard in the first cell of the first column, such that both the shard and copper ingots are vertical with each other. Finally, collect the crafted spyglass.
Please note, you can place this recipe in any cell of the 3 columns, so long as the shard and copper ingots are vertical with each other.
How To Craft A Lightning Rod
To craft a lighting rod, place 3 copper ingots in any cell of the three columns of your crafting table. Such that all three are vertical with each other. Next, collect the crafted Lighting rod and place it in your inventory.
Lighting rod acts as a lighting absorber, and it protects the structure it is attached to from being set on fire by lightning (For example the wooden roof of a building is protected from lightning during a thunderstorm). It is worth noting that lightning strikes can send Redstone signals through the lightning rod which in turn oxidizes all nearby copper blocks in the surrounding area.
How Rare Is Copper in Minecraft
In modern times, extracting copper has become increasingly difficult because a large number of it has already been extracted over the years. Today, only about 0.6% of copper can be found in a mine unlike in the 1800s when that number was more like 25% in Australia. Miners now have to take extra precautions to ensure they extract useful copper, but thankfully Minecraft players don’t have to worry about such issues.
Copper is one of the most abundant ores in Minecraft and it can generate anywhere in the Overworld. In the Minecraft java edition, copper ores mostly generate about 6 times per chunk in groups from 0-16, in layers from 0-96, with the most common in layers being 47 and 48 while less common at the ends. It is very rare for copper ore to replace the stone, granite, diorite, andesite, tuff, and deep slate areas which are 0-16, but when it does replace deep slate it becomes deep slate copper ore.
You will find even more copper in Beach biomes, especially the ones with Stoney shores. Currently, players have two ways by which they can get copper in the game. The first way to get copper is by mining, while the second is by killing a drowned.
Naturally, copper isn’t a rare item in the game so if you keep your eyes peeled, I’m sure you’ll get a stack worth of copper ore just in time for supper. Copper ores can easily be identified by their turquoise orange pattern which looks somewhat like a blub.
Where To Find Copper In Mines
A typical Minecraft copper ore can generate almost anywhere between Y=0 to Y=96. Although it is mostly in abundance around Y=47 and Y=48. It mostly generates in clusters like most ores, and you’ll need at least a stone Pickaxe to mine it otherwise the ore gets destroyed.
After breaking the ore, it turns into raw copper which you then have to smelt in a furnace before getting the useful copper ingots.
Where To Find Drowned To Kill For Copper
Do you wanna have fun killing mobs while also getting rewarded with copper? Well if you do first off that is the weirdest desire you can have and second, you can just by simply killing the Drowned mobs. After killing a drowned mob, there is an 11 percent chance that it might drop a copper ingot after its death. But you can tune those odds up by 2 percent depending on the level of the looting enchantment in your weapon.
You can find Drowned in the ocean and river biomes (except the warm ocean biomes) when the light level is about 7 or less. Despite all that, mining remains the best means by which players can find copper easily and fast.
Best Copper Uses in Minecraft
It’s now time to look at 10 of the best applications of copper in Minecraft, so here they are:
1. Copper ingots
Before you can craft anything with copper, you will need to convert or smelt it from its natural raw copper form to a copper ingot. Players can smelt raw copper by making use of a furnace or blast Furnace with coal or any other fuel as the source. Other fuel sources include Wood, lava bucket, charcoal, and coal.
To smelt copper, simply place the raw copper in the first cell of either your furnace or blast furnace. Next, place a full source in the second cell and wait for the smelting process to finish, when the arrow bar is filled up. Finally, take out the smelted copper ingot.
2. Copper block
Once you have successfully Smelted a substantial amount of copper ingots, you can now take those ingots to a crafting table and use them to make another useful item called a copper block.
To craft a copper block, simply put a copper ingot in four cells of your 3×3 crafting grid such that the 4 Ingots form a square with each other. Next, take out the crafted copper block and place it in your inventory. Since the copper block cannot be used to craft anything else, it is generally considered to be a decorative block.
3. Cut copper block
Players can create a cut copper block by simply cutting a copper block with a stone cutter. You can tell the difference between a cut copper block and a regular copper block by taking note of the grid lines. A cut copper block has obvious grid lines which are mainly used to show the player that it can be used to craft other items.
4. Crafting Useful Items
A variant of copper(Cut copper block) can be used to craft useful items such as Stairs, slabs. Now combine this part with its other traits and you could have a decade-old temple scenery with old stairs and all that good stuff.
5. Copper Rods (Lightning Rods)
Copper is a key recipe used in crafting one of the newest items in the game called a Copper Rod or lightning rod. This Copper Rod acts as a lightning absorber which prevents properties from being damaged by lightning. Players can make use of this item by placing it at the top of their Minecraft houses.
6. Spyglass
Another new addition to the game is the Spyglass, and copper is once again a key item used in crafting it. By combining copper with an Amethyst shard, players can craft the Spyglass using their crafting table. The Spyglass helps players zoom over a long distance, similar to a telescope, it is also a successful item in PvP modes.
7. Decorative item
Copper’s unique ability to age into a more metallic-looking block makes it the perfect decorative material. Just in case you are not aware, copper could age after being placed or exposed to air (Doesn’t work while holding it). After a while, it changes colors until it reaches its 4th and final color.
Despite being extremely realistic, this feature can also give your structures an old-timey feeling.
8. Wax Copper
Waxing a copper block means you are keeping it in whichever pre-oxidized or Oxidised state that it is in. What that means is that you can stop the aging process of a copper block by simply waxing the block after using it. The waxing is done by right-clicking the block with a honeycomb in your hand.
Due to the multiple colors that appear during the aging process of copper, you can further beautify your structures by locking a particular aged color into the mix.
9. Copper Dating (Carbon Dating)
Just like Carbon dating, a copper block can be used to tell how long the block has existed in your world. You can even mess around with the idea and use it to create archaeological findings.
10. Realistic Industrial Machines
Factory machines structures like Drillers and even automatic machines will look more realistic if copper is the main body part.