How to Build a Copper Farm in Minecraft

Copper was added in 1.17 and is used for spyglasses, lightning rods, copper blocks (including waxed variants), copper bulbs, copper doors, copper trapdoors, and copper grates. The best way to farm copper is through drowned, which drop copper ingots on death. This guide covers how to build a drowned farm optimized for copper production.

Why build a copper farm?

• Copper blocks and their oxidized/waxed variants are unique decorative materials.
• Lightning rods protect builds from fire during thunderstorms.
• Copper bulbs, doors, trapdoors, and grates (added in 1.21) expand the uses for copper.
• Drowned farms also produce tridents (on Java, only from naturally spawned drowned), rotten flesh, gold ingots, and nautilus shells.

How drowned drop copper

Drowned have an 11% chance to drop a copper ingot on death (Java Edition). With Looting III, this increases to about 17%. Drowned can also drop tridents (6.25% if they spawned holding one), nautilus shells (3% if holding one), and rotten flesh (guaranteed). Copper ingots are the most consistent valuable drop.

Materials list

Item	Quantity	Notes
Building blocks	500+	For spawning chamber and channels
Water buckets	varies	Fill spawning chamber
Soul sand or soul soil	varies	Bubble columns to push drowned up
Magma blocks	varies	Alternative: pull drowned down
Hoppers	8+	Collection
Chests	4+	Storage
Trident with Loyalty III	1	For trident killer (optional)
Pistons	2	For trident killer (optional)
Signs	varies	Water control
Turtle eggs	4	Lure for drowned (they stomp on them)

Step-by-step: River-based drowned farm

Step 1: Find a river biome

Drowned spawn naturally in river and ocean biomes. River biomes are easier to work with because they are narrower. Find a river section at least 20 blocks long and 6+ blocks deep. Use F3 to confirm the biome is "river."

Step 2: Build the spawning chamber

Enclose a section of the river with walls, creating a dark underwater chamber. Make it at least 8x8 and 5 blocks deep. Cover the top with solid blocks to block light. Drowned spawn in water at light level 0 in Java Edition 1.18+ (they follow the same rules as other hostile mobs).

Step 3: Add soul sand bubble columns

Place soul sand on the floor of the spawning chamber. Soul sand creates upward bubble columns that push drowned to the surface. At the surface, use water streams to push them horizontally toward a collection point.

Side view:

  [SOLID ROOF - blocks light]
  [WATER surface]---water stream--->  [COLLECTION POINT]
  [WATER]  ^  [WATER]
  [WATER]  |  [WATER]    bubble columns push up
  [WATER]  |  [WATER]
  [SOUL SAND] [SOUL SAND]   (floor of chamber)

Step 4: Build the collection and kill area

At the collection point, funnel drowned into a small area. Use turtle eggs placed on a block nearby (behind trapdoors or glass) to attract drowned. Drowned pathfind toward turtle eggs and try to stomp them. This concentrates them in one spot.

Step 5: Kill with a trident killer or manually

For maximum copper drops, use a Looting III weapon. A trident killer (trident thrown between two alternating pistons) counts as a player kill, so you get XP and Looting-enhanced drops while AFK. For manual farming, stand at the collection point and swing a Looting III sword.

Step 6: Collect drops

Place hoppers under the kill area feeding into chests. Copper ingots, rotten flesh, and occasional tridents or nautilus shells accumulate in the chests.

Alternative: Ocean-based drowned farm

Ocean biomes have higher drowned spawn rates because of the larger water volume. Build a larger spawning chamber (16x16 or bigger) in a deep ocean biome. The design is identical but scaled up. Ocean farms produce roughly 2 to 3 times more drowned per hour than river farms.

Copper uses reference

Item	Copper cost	Notes
Block of Copper	9 ingots	Decorative, oxidizes over time
Lightning Rod	3 ingots	Attracts lightning in a 128-block radius
Spyglass	2 ingots + 1 amethyst shard	Zoom view
Copper Bulb	3 ingots + 1 blaze rod + 1 redstone	Toggleable light source
Copper Door	6 ingots	Redstone-powered door
Copper Trapdoor	6 ingots	Redstone-powered trapdoor
Copper Grate	4 ingots	Transparent block, water passthrough

Common mistakes

• Building in the wrong biome. Drowned only spawn in ocean, river, and dripstone cave biomes. Spawning in a plains lake does not produce drowned.
• Not blocking light. Drowned spawn at light level 0 in Java 1.18+. The spawning chamber must be completely dark. Check with F3.
• Converted drowned. Zombies that convert to drowned in water do NOT drop copper on Java Edition. Only naturally spawned drowned drop copper and tridents. Build in a water biome, not a zombie converter.
• Turtle eggs unprotected. If drowned actually reach the turtle eggs, they break them. Place eggs behind trapdoors or on blocks the drowned cannot reach.
• No Looting III. Base copper drop rate is 11%. Looting III raises it to ~17%. Over hundreds of kills, this difference adds up substantially.

Frequently asked questions

How much copper per hour can I expect?

A well-built river farm produces roughly 40 to 80 copper ingots per hour. An ocean farm can produce 100 to 200 per hour. Rates depend on spawning chamber size and how quickly drowned are killed.

Do drowned farms work on Bedrock Edition?

Drowned mechanics differ significantly on Bedrock. Drowned spawn in any water regardless of biome on Bedrock, and converted drowned CAN drop tridents on Bedrock (unlike Java). Build designs specific to your edition.

Can I wax copper to prevent oxidation?

Yes. Use honeycomb on any copper block to wax it, freezing its oxidation state. Use an axe to scrape wax off. This lets you lock copper blocks at any oxidation level (regular, exposed, weathered, or oxidized).

What is the fastest way to get copper?

Mining copper ore with Fortune III in dripstone caves (which have extra copper generation) is faster for small quantities. For sustained, automated production, a drowned farm is better because it runs passively.

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