Copper is a new resource in Minecraft 1.17. We reveal where to find copper and what you can do with it.
With the Patch 1.17 “Caves & Cliffs” came many new objects into the world of Minecraft. One of them is copper, which is required for a number of new items and also has quite interesting properties otherwise. We reveal everything you need to know about the new ore.
Update: The guide has been updated for Patch 1.20 as of 31.08.2023.
Where can you find copper? Copper can generally be found anywhere in the overworld (not in the Nether or the End). It naturally appears between levels -16 and 112, but most commonly in the middle of this range (levels 47 and 48). Up to 6 copper ore veins spawn per chunk (an area of 16×16 blocks), consisting of groups of 1 to 16 blocks.
Copper is particularly common in the beach biome, especially along stony coastlines.
How do you best farm copper? Since copper is not hard to find due to its high distribution, there are several methods to collect copper ore.
You can simply keep your eyes open, as copper can also appear on the surface and on the sides of mountains. When exploring caves, you will also frequently find it.
If you prefer to take a targeted and systematic approach, you can wonderfully farm copper with the “Branch-Mining” method, which we previously introduced in our diamond guide.
However, this is only worthwhile if you want to collect large amounts of copper and want to also gather additional resources – such as iron, gold, and stone.
To mine copper ore, you must use a pickaxe made of at least stone. You will then receive raw copper, which you can smelt in the furnace into copper ingots for further processing.
What can you build with copper? With copper, you can craft two new items that serve a purpose both in exploring the world and in decorating and protecting your property.
- Lightning Rod: Three copper ingots stacked vertically craft a lightning rod. This can be placed to catch lightning in a 32×32 block area during a thunderstorm. The lightning is automatically redirected to the lightning rod, preventing it from striking elsewhere and possibly igniting blocks. At the same time, the lightning rod emits a redstone signal when lightning strikes.
- Telescope: Two copper ingots stacked vertically and one amethyst shard on top create a telescope. This can be used to view objects in the distance and fix the camera on a specific point, which will then be magnified.
Additionally, 9 copper ingots can also be used to create a copper block, which can then be further processed – for example, into stairs or tiles.
If you want to prevent your copper from oxidizing, you can combine the blocks with a honeycomb to wax the copper and stop the oxidation.
What is oxidation? Copper loses its natural brown color over time when processed, the longer it exists in the game world. Gradually, all copper blocks change color, first developing green spots and eventually becoming completely turquoise.
Therefore, constructions made of copper blocks change color over time. If you want to use copper as decoration, you should stock up on honeycombs to limit the oxidation of the blocks.
Are you already diligently crafting items from copper? Or do you have little use for the new material?
