Copper Ore

Copper ore is a mineral block found underground.

Deepslate copper ore is the deepslate variant of copper ore, usually found deeper underground.

Obtaining

Natural generation

Copper ore can be generated anywhere on the Overworld in the form of blobs. In Java Edition, copper ore tries to generate 6 times per chunk in groups from 0 to 16, in layers −16 to 112, being most common in layers 47 and 48 and less common at the ends. Copper ore can replace stone, granite, diorite, andesite, tuff, and deepslate. Copper ore rarely replaces deepslate and tuff, generating within deepslate and tuff areas of layers 0 to 16. When it is replaced, it becomes the deepslate copper ore.

In dripstone caves biomes, copper ore veins are larger on average, and deepslate ores appear more frequently.

In Bedrock Edition, copper ore generate in two batches, the first batch generate anywhere on the overworld biomes except dripstone caves 16 times per chunks in groups from 0 to 16, in layer -16 to 112, being most common in layers 47 and 48 and less common at the ends. the second batch generate only in dripstone caves 16 times per chunks in groups from 0 to 40, in layer -16 to 112, being most common in layers 47 and 48 and less common at the ends. Copper ore can replace stone, granite, diorite, andesite, and deepslate. Copper ore that replace deepslate become deepslate copper ore.

Copper ore generates most abundantly in beach biomes, especially stoney shores with multiple raw copper blocks being common. It can also spawn rare ore veins above Y=0, mixed with granite and the occasional raw copper blocks.

Breaking

Copper ore must be mined with a stone pickaxe or higher, or else it drops nothing.

Breaking copper ore drops 2-5 raw copper, unless mined with a Silk Touch pickaxe. It is affected by Fortune enchantment, dropping up to 20 raw copper, or 7.7 raw copper on average with Fortune III.

Block	Copper Ore	Deepslate Copper Ore
Hardness	3	4.5
Tool
Breaking time^[A]
Default	15	22.5
Wooden	7.5	11.25
Stone	1.15	1.7
Iron	0.75	1.15
Diamond	0.6	0.85
Netherite	0.5	0.75
Golden	1.25	1.9

↑ Times are for unenchanted tools as wielded by players with no status effects, measured in seconds. For more information, see Breaking § Speed.

Usage

Copper ore is smelted to obtain copper ingots, which are crafting ingredients for copper blocks, spyglasses, and lightning rods. Copper ore does not weather like its block counterpart, though the ore itself shows some oxidization.

Smelting ingredients

Name	Ingredients	Smelting recipe
Copper Ingot	Copper Ore or Deepslate Copper Ore or Raw Copper + Any fuel	0.7

Sounds

Copper ore

Java Edition:

Subtitles	Source	Description	Resource location	Translation key	Volume	Pitch	Attenuation distance
Block broken	Blocks	Once the block has broken	`block.stone.break`	`subtitles.block.generic.break`	1.0	0.8	16
Block placed	Blocks	When the block is placed	`block.stone.place`	`subtitles.block.generic.place`	1.0	0.8	16
Block breaking	Blocks	While the block is in the process of being broken	`block.stone.hit`	`subtitles.block.generic.hit`	0.25	0.5	16
None^{[sound 1]}	Entity-Dependent	Falling on the block with fall damage	`block.stone.fall`	None^{[sound 1]}	0.5	0.75	16
Footsteps	Entity-Dependent	Walking on the block	`block.stone.step`	`subtitles.block.generic.footsteps`	0.15	1.0	16

↑ ^a ^b MC-177082

Bedrock Edition:

Source	Description	Resource location	Volume	Pitch
Blocks	Once the block has broken	`dig.stone`	1.0	0.8-1.0
Blocks	When the block is placed	`dig.stone`	1.0	0.8-1.0
Blocks	While the block is in the process of being broken	`hit.stone`	0.37	0.5
Players	Falling on the block with fall damage	`fall.stone`	0.4	1.0
Players	Walking on the block	`step.stone`	0.3	1.0
Players	Jumping from the block	`jump.stone`	0.12	1.0
Players	Falling on the block without fall damage	`land.stone`	0.22	1.0

Deepslate copper ore

Java Edition:

Subtitles	Source	Description	Resource location	Translation key	Volume	Pitch	Attenuation distance
Block broken	Blocks	Once the block has broken	`block.deepslate.break`	`subtitles.block.generic.break`	1.0	0.8	16
Block placed	Blocks	When the block is placed	`block.deepslate.place`	`subtitles.block.generic.place`	1.0	0.8	16
Block breaking	Blocks	While the block is in the process of being broken	`block.deepslate.hit`	`subtitles.block.generic.hit`	0.25	0.5	16
None^{[sound 1]}	Entity-Dependent	Falling on the block with fall damage	`block.deepslate.fall`	None^{[sound 1]}	0.5	0.75	16
Footsteps	Entity-Dependent	Walking on the block	`block.deepslate.step`	`subtitles.block.generic.footsteps`	0.15	1.0	16

↑ ^a ^b MC-177082

Bedrock Edition:

Source	Description	Resource location	Volume	Pitch
Blocks	Once the block has broken	`dig.deepslate`	1.0	0.8-1.0
Blocks	When the block is placed	`place.deepslate`	1.0	0.8-1.0
Blocks	While the block is in the process of being broken	`hit.deepslate`	0.3	0.5
Players	Falling on the block with fall damage	`fall.deepslate`	0.4	1.0
Players	Walking on the block	`step.deepslate`	0.3	1.0
Players	Jumping from the block	`jump.deepslate`	0.12	1.0
Players	Falling on the block without fall damage	`land.deepslate`	0.22	1.0

Data values

ID

Java Edition:

Name	Identifier	Form	Block tags	Translation key
Copper Ore	`copper_ore`	Block & Item	`copper_ores` `mineable/pickaxe` `needs_stone_tool` `snaps_goat_horn`	`block.minecraft.copper_ore`
Deepslate Copper Ore	`deepslate_copper_ore`	Block & Item	`copper_ores` `mineable/pickaxe` `needs_stone_tool`	`block.minecraft.deepslate_copper_ore`

Bedrock Edition:

Name	Identifier	Numeric ID	Form	Item ID^{[i 1]}	Translation key
Copper Ore	`copper_ore`	`566`	Block & Giveable Item^{[i 2]}	Identical^{[i 3]}	`tile.copper_ore.name`
Deepslate Copper Ore	`deepslate_copper_ore`	`663`	Block & Giveable Item^{[i 2]}	Identical^{[i 3]}	`tile.deepslate_copper_ore.name`

↑ ID of block's direct item form, which is used in savegame files and addons.
↑ ^a ^b Available with /give command.
↑ ^a ^b The block's direct item form has the same id with the block.

History

Java Edition
October 3, 2020		Copper ore is announced at Minecraft Live 2020.
1.17	20w45a	Added copper ore.
	20w45a	Copper ore generates evenly between levels 4 and 63, and has the same rarity as iron ore.
	21w07a	Copper ore now generates as a periodic normal distribution from levels 0 to 96.
February 22, 2021		JAPPA shows updated copper ore texture.
1.17	21w08a	The texture of copper ore has been changed.
	21w10a	Added deepslate variant of copper ore.
		Added `copper_ores` block tag.
		Copper ore becomes a little rarer than iron ore.
	21w13a	Now generates uniformly between levels 0 and 63 instead of generating with a normal curve from 0 to 96.
	21w14a	It now drops raw copper when broken without Silk Touch, instead of itself.
	21w15a	The texture of the deepslate copper ore has been changed.
	21w15a	Now generates as a periodic normal distribution between levels 0 and 192.
	21w17a	Copper and deepslate copper ore now drops 2-3 raw copper when mined or more when using a tool enchanted with Fortune.
		Deepslate copper ore variant now generates naturally.
		Copper ore can now replace tuff and deepslate upon generating.
	21w18a	Reduced copper spawning a bit, to compensate for large ore veins. They are found beteen levels 0 and 96.
1.18	experimental snapshot 4	Bigger copper blobs can now generate in dripstone caves.
	21w38a	Reduced the maximum Y-level for copper ore generation to Y=95.
	21w38a	Increased the amount of copper ore.
	21w40a	Copper ore now drops 2-5 raw copper when mined.
Bedrock Edition
Caves & Cliffs (experimental)	beta 1.16.210.57	Added copper ore. The model has random rotation.
	beta 1.16.220.50	Changed texture of copper ore.
	beta 1.16.220.52	Copper ore can no longer be randomly rotated.
1.17.0	beta 1.16.230.52	Added deepslate variant of copper ore.
	beta 1.16.230.56	Changed Copper Ore generation.
	beta 1.17.0.50	The texture of deepslate copper ore was changed to match Java Edition.
	beta 1.17.0.50	It now drops raw copper when broken without Silk Touch, instead of itself.
	beta 1.17.0.52	Copper ores are no longer available only through Experimental Gameplay.
	beta 1.17.0.54	Copper and deepslate copper ore now drops 2-3 raw copper when mined or more when using a tool enchanted with Fortune.
1.18.0	beta 1.18.0.20	Bigger copper blobs can now generate in dripstone caves.
1.18.0	beta 1.18.0.21	Copper ore now drops 2-5 raw copper when mined.