Is copper better than iron in Minecraft?

Copper and iron are two earth minerals that players can obtain and use in Minecraft. Both can be found as underground ores in the Overworld. Once mined, these blocks will drop raw copper or iron, which can be smelted into ingots and used for various purposes.

With the release of Minecraft The Copper Age, Mojang added loads of new features to copper, including copper golem, tools, armor, chests, etc. However, when it comes to durability and strength, copper is still not better than iron. But in terms of availability, building, and functional blocks, both are equally good. Hence, it depends on how individual players use both earth minerals. Let's explore more.

Strengths and weaknesses of Minecraft copper and iron

Iron tools, weapons, and armor are better than copper's

Copper tools, weapons, and armor are weaker than iron variants (Image via Sportskeeda Gaming || Mojang Studios)

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When it comes to gears, copper is not nearly as strong as iron in Minecraft. Copper is more commonly found and can be crafted into axes, swords, pickaxes, shovels, and every armor part. However, its attack damage, mining speed, and damage protection are not as good as iron.

Hence, it is best for players to get copper gears at the start of the game, but then quickly replace them with iron gear. With iron gear, some seasoned players can also dare to head to the Nether, knowing that they have ample strength and protection.

In a regular survival world, it is better to just skip copper for gears and directly find iron.

Copper and iron are quite comparable in other use cases

Copper has many building block variants, and the copper golem is excellent for sorting storage (Image via Sportskeeda Gaming || Mojang Studios)

The story flips entirely when other uses of copper and iron are compared. Both earth minerals are quite comparable since they have their own important uses.

Copper can be used to create various building blocks. Over the years, many structures have been constructed using only copper blocks. Furthermore, copper golems can be crafted that can help players sort out their storage systems. Copper can also be used to craft functional blocks like a spyglass, a lightning rod, etc.

On the other hand, iron blocks are not at all great for building blocks, but it is an important ingredient for many useful functional blocks like an anvil, a piston, a hopper, etc. The use of iron in crafting functional blocks and other items is so important, that many might consider it more useful than copper.

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Edited by Akshat Kabra