Copper isn’t a new resource in Minecraft, but with The Copper Age update and version number 1.21.9, it brings a bunch of fresh additions. Alongside many familiar blocks you can now craft from copper instead of iron, two new, essential features have arrived. One of them is the Copper Golem, which didn’t even make the cut in the old Mob Votes (Minecraft Community Votes 2017–2023: Winners, Losers, and the Future of Updates) . Yet here it is—bringing one of the best quality-of-life features to the game.
We’ll take a closer look at some of the standout features in separate articles soon. This is a quick overview and introduction to everything new in 1.21.9.
Copper tools as a progression tier: From stone to iron in Minecraft 1.21.9
With this drop, copper becomes part of the upgrade chain you progress through in Minecraft. You no longer have to go straight from wood to stone and then to iron—you can slot in copper tools between stone and iron. This closes an important gap that opened up after iron ore was redistributed. Since the Caves & Cliffs Update, getting iron quickly became harder. Copper, however, is plentiful—yet until now there wasn’t much to do with it. Until today!
As a new player or in a fresh world, use copper as a stepping stone before your iron gear to build your first little base. You can craft armor from it, and you can now also find copper horse armor in some Overworld structures.
Decorative copper blocks and oxidation: Lanterns, chains, bars
The Copper Age doesn’t stop at tools: many familiar blocks now have a copper variant. That lets you add decorative details to your builds that weren’t possible with iron.
Copper blocks include:
- Bars
- Chains
- Lanterns
- Torches
- Copper chest
- Trapdoors (oxidizable)
- Lightning rod (oxidizable)
Thanks to oxidation, you can get these blocks in four different color stages. They behave like regular copper blocks: you can wax them with honeycomb or de-oxidize them with an axe (or a lightning strike). The transition from orange to teal looks great and gives you four visual options for each variant to integrate into your builds.
Copper torches, of course, don’t oxidize, but they’re a new light source and a great complement to existing torches (Effective Light Sources for Decorative Building Projects in Minecraft) . You can now craft yellow, red, blue, and green torches and place them wherever you like. As in real life, the reaction with copper creates a green flame, which you’ll also see in Minecraft.
Copper Golem and copper chest: Automatic storage and item sorting
Now for what’s likely the most important part of the update: the Copper Golem. It was announced for the Mob Vote 2021 but lost to the Allay. Now it’s making a comeback—with features that make life in Minecraft much easier.
Summoning works similarly to a snow golem or iron golem. Use one iron block and a pumpkin (or a jack o’lantern) in the Overworld to bring it to life. The oxidation level is determined by the block you use.
When the golem is summoned, not only does it appear, but a copper chest also spawns beneath it. This acts as a kind of staging chest and can be used like any normal chest—and you can craft it without the golem as well. By default, the golem can take up to 16 items from the copper chest and file them into regular chests if a matching item is already present. If not, it will use the nearest chest. It’s essentially an automatic storage system that handles block and item sorting for you.
Like other copper blocks, the golem oxidizes over time, eventually becoming immobile. Once fully oxidized, a copper golem makes a cute decorative statue. It can take different poses, which looks adorable! You can also repair it so it keeps working.
Shelves in Minecraft: Swap your hotbar, Redstone tricks, and storage tips
The new shelves aren’t strictly part of the Copper Age, but for some players they might even outshine the golem’s utility. At first glance, they look like better item frames that hold a block and display it. But shelves can do much more!
First, there are shelves in every wood type, which adds a large set of decorative blocks. You craft them from stripped logs—so they’re inexpensive. Thanks to the many wood types, you get a wide range of options.
Shelves can hold up to three items and display them. If your hotbar is full, the item you’re holding will swap with the one in the shelf. Unlike a frame, a shelf can store a full stack of 64 items. It can serve as temporary storage without having to open chests constantly.
Additionally, you can connect shelves to Redstone to unlock a clever trick. You can chain up to three shelves and, with a single click, swap your entire hotbar! That’s super handy when you want to quickly switch between tools and item loadouts.
Updated textures: Dyes and spawn eggs in 1.21.9
Lastly, there’s a small change for anyone who appreciates better textures. Dyes have been refined so they look more consistent and are less likely to be confused with other items. You’ll find more details in our guide to color in Minecraft (Minecraft: Complete Guide to Dyes and Automatic Farms) .
Additionally, spawn egg textures have been updated. They’re now much easier to recognize at a glance and visually indicate which mob they belong to. Before this update it was tough to tell eggs apart. Creative mode players in particular will love this!
Conclusion: What the Copper Update 1.21.9 brings
With version 1.21.9, Minecraft officially enters the Copper Age, bridging the gap between stone and iron. You also get many new decorative blocks that are perfect for your ideas. Thanks to oxidation, even more design options open up. The Copper Golem is the highlight—with the ability to auto-sort chests. But don’t underestimate the new shelves and their option to swap your hotbar.
Play the new update together with your friends and rent one of our Minecraft servers for it right now! This drop packs some very cool surprises and will meaningfully change certain aspects of the game.
