A player in all copper armor holding a copper axe standing outside surrounded by copper golems and chests in minecraft
Screenshot by Destructoid

How to get all copper tools, weapons, and armor in Minecraft

Suit up.

Obtaining powerful gear is crucial for success in Minecraft. When you’re just starting off, you won’t be able to make the best items available, so you need to make use of easier-to-acquire gear, like copper tools, weapons, and armor.

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Since these items weren’t always part of Minecraft, you might not be familiar with how to go about acquiring this gear. You likely won’t need copper gear all the time, but there are certainly many instances where this gear may come in handy, so here’s how to get all copper tools, weapons, and armor in Minecraft.

How to craft all copper tools in Minecraft

A player wearing all copper armor holding a copper pickaxe standing inside a house with three other players around them in minecraft
Screenshot by Destructoid

There are three tools you can make with copper, all of which can be crafted using copper ingots and sticks. The required materials and crafting configurations for each one are as follows.

ToolCrafting recipeImage
Copper PickaxeThree copper ingots
Two sticks
Copper pickaxe recipe in minecraft
Copper ShovelOne copper ingot
Two sticks
Copper shovel recipe in minecraft
Copper HoeTwo copper ingots
Two sticks
Copper hoe recipe in minecraft

How to craft all copper weapons in Minecraft

There are just two weapons you can make with copper. All other weapons that exist in Minecraft don’t have variants, so it makes sense that there aren’t any other copper options. The two main weapons you’ll generally be using do come in copper, and that’s all you really need.

WeaponCrafting recipeImage
Copper AxeThree copper ingots
Two sticks
Copper axe recipe in minecraft
Copper SwordTwo copper ingots
One stick
Copper sword recipe in minecraft

How to craft all copper armor in Minecraft

You can make a full four-piece armor set out of copper. To do so, you need lots of copper ingots, as this is the only item required to make each one. The layout for making each item is the same as all other gear, just with copper ingots instead of the other variants.

ArmorCrafting recipeImage
HelmetFive copper ingotsCopper helmet recipe in minecraft
Copper ChestEight copper ingotsCopper chest recipe in minecraft
LeggingsSeven copper ingotsCopper leggings recipe in minecraft
BootsFour copper ingotsCopper boots recipe in minecraft

What is the durability of copper gear in Minecraft?

Copper gear has middle-of-the-road durability, falling right between stone and iron items. It’s better than leather, gold, stone, and chainmail, but worse than iron, diamond, and netherite. Its durability isn’t super great, but it’s also not that bad, which makes it a solid option to equip as you work on getting the three better tiers above it.

The copper pickaxe is a good showcase of what items of this variety are capable of. It allows you to mine for much longer than the stone version, but you still can’t mine higher-tiered materials with it, which means you still need to focus on acquiring iron to upgrade your tools. Copper gear is solid early on, but not the type of gear you want to have as you get deeper into Minecraft.

Chopping down tree with copper axe in minecraft
Screenshot by Destructoid

Is copper gear good in Minecraft?

Copper gear is just okay in Minecraft. It’s not bad, but it’s not really all that good either. It falls exactly in the middle of all the available gear, so it’s perfectly okay without leaning one way or the other. It’s a great set of gear to have at your disposal while you’re working on acquiring better items, but it shouldn’t be your main gear long term.

If you have loads of extra copper you don’t know what to do with, consider making a Copper Golem next. Some other fresh features you may need assistance with are turning on Vibrant Visuals and using the player locator bar.


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Kacee Fay
Staff Writer
Staff Writer at Destructoid covering a wide array of topics including Disney Dreamlight Valley, Fortnite, Marvel Rivals, Minecraft, Phasmophobia, general gaming, books, and more. She has been avidly writing and gaming her whole life and now spends her time combining the two. Kacee graduated from San Diego State University in 2021 with a Bachelor’s Degree in English and a Certificate in Creative Editing and Publishing. She joined Dot Esports as a Freelance Writer in 2022, transitioned to a Staff Writer in 2023, and moved to Destructoid in March 2025. In her spare time, she enjoys buying more books than she can read, gaming alone or with friends, drinking too much tea, attending concerts, fangirling over movies and television, listening to music, and spending time with her family, friends, and pets, who are the most important parts of her world.