Copper in Minecraft – What It Does and How to Find It
If you are a veteran player of Minecraft, you’ve likely come across copper in some form or another. Whether it’s the color scheme of blocks, the material of armour, or even redstone wiring, the usage of copper is very integral in your everyday Minecraft play. But what is copper, and where can you find it? This article will answer all your questions regarding the application of copper in your Minecraft experience.
What is Copper?
Copper is an ore, like iron and gold. As of the recent Caves & Cliffs update, there are a total of six ore categories to be found: coal, iron, gold, lapis lazuli, redstone and copper. Ores are natural blocks that appear in Minecraft, most commonly in caves, mines, and Abandoned Mineshafts located in the Overworld. If a certain ore has been used up in its spawn location, it won’t be found again.
Copper ore can be found in any biome between layers 0 and 49. Because of this, you’ll likely come across it much more often than other ores like iron ore. Copper ore blocks can most easily be distinguished by their light orange-brown colour and the banded pattern they form.
How to Find Copper
When you’re exploring, keep your eyes peeled for those light orange-brown blocks, and it shouldn’t be too hard to find copper ore. Consider heading underground with a Stone Pickaxe and scanning through your environment for surface-level ores. Be sure to craft an Iron Pickaxe before focusing your efforts on copper – it’ll be much easier to mine with.
You’ll also have a chance of uncovering copper ore if you’re exploring underground. It’s possible to find copper ore veins up to two blocks wide in caves and mines. The veins can appear in veins of four, following a zig-zag formation, and are usually embedded in rocky stone walls, although can appear in other organisms too.
Uses of Copper
Copper ore is primarily used to produce two resources – copper ingots and copper blocks. Copper ingots are a crafting material that can make armour, certain tools, and a few decorative items. When placed into a Compressor, one copper ingot can be compressed into a single block. When there are 9 blocks compressed in a Crafting Table, it will produce another ingot.
Copper blocks are a texture-changing block that is unique to the Caves & Cliffs update. Copper blocks look identical to regular blocks, except they change their appearance every 5 in-game days. One use for copper blocks is for decorating – for instance, you can cover the walls of your Minecraft home with copper blocks and have a new looking interior every day.
When there’s a light level of 7 or above, copper blocks will emit a redstone signal – perfect for making clever traps and contraptions. That being said, copper blocks don’t store that different of a redstone signal compared to standard redstone blocks, so their use of powering complex redstone wiring is limited.
Conclusion
Copper is one of the most abundant ores in Minecraft, meaning players can find it fairly often in their mining expeditions. The primary usage of copper ingots and blocks are for decorating, but this versatile ore can also be used to craft some powerful tools and armour. Keep your eyes open when exploring your world, and you’ll likely come across copper ore very soon.