The Copper Age update adds a new storage block: the copper chest. It behaves like a chest, ages through copper’s oxidation stages, and can be waxed to keep its current look. Most importantly, copper chests integrate with copper golems, which will collect items from them and sort those items into nearby chests automatically.

Check your version

The copper chest is part of The Copper Age and is available on both Java Edition and Bedrock Edition. Update your game to the latest version to access the recipe and features. If you need help updating, use the official instructions on the Minecraft site: how to update Minecraft.

Copper chest recipe (materials and layout)

You can craft a copper chest using a chest and copper ingots.

Item Quantity Notes
Copper Ingot 8 Surrounds the center slot
Chest 1 Placed in the center

Layout on a 3×3 crafting grid:

[Ingot] [Ingot] [Ingot]
[Ingot] [Chest] [Ingot]
[Ingot] [Ingot] [Ingot]

Result: 1× Copper Chest

Step-by-step: craft a copper chest

  • Collect at least 8 copper ingots and 1 regular chest.
  • Open a Crafting Table.
  • Place the chest in the center slot.
  • Fill all eight surrounding slots with copper ingots.
  • Move the copper chest to your inventory.

Alternative: get your first copper chest via a copper golem

Summoning a copper golem grants your first copper chest. Copper golems are created from copper and a carved pumpkin. After that first one, you can continue crafting copper chests with the recipe above whenever you like.

Oxidation and wax: control the copper chest’s look

Copper chests oxidize over time, progressing through the familiar copper stages. They also have waxed variants. Waxing a copper chest keeps its current appearance, preventing further oxidation.

  • Oxidation: copper chests naturally age over time.
  • Waxed variants: apply wax to lock the current state and color.
Tip: If you prefer a uniform, non‑aging look in your storage room, wax your copper chests right after crafting them.

Use copper chests with copper golems for auto‑sorting

Copper golems can automate item sorting using copper chests as “inboxes.” Drop items into a copper chest; the golem will collect from it and distribute items into nearby chests.

  • Pickup source: the golem looks for nearby copper chests (any oxidation or waxed variant) to pick up items when it isn’t holding anything.
  • Pickup amount: up to 16 items from a stack at a time.
  • Drop targets: places items into Chests and Trapped Chests that are empty or already contain the same item type.
  • Search area: up to 32 blocks horizontally and 8 blocks vertically from the golem’s position.
  • Search sequence: visits up to 10 chests in a row to pick up or place items; if no match is found, it idles for about 7 seconds before trying again.

Simple setup example:

  • Place one copper chest near your storage as the “dropbox.”
  • Arrange labeled chests (or trapped chests) around the area for your common item types.
  • Summon a copper golem in the same room. It will collect items from the copper chest and deposit them into the matching chests within range.

Common pitfalls and quick checks

  • No recipe showing: ensure the game is updated to the latest version of The Copper Age.
  • Wrong pattern: the recipe requires a chest centered and eight copper ingots in all surrounding slots.
  • Sorting seems slow: the golem collects a limited number of items per pass and searches within a fixed radius. Place your dropbox and destination chests within 32 blocks horizontally and keep paths clear.
  • Inconsistent sorting: a golem only places into empty chests or chests that already contain the same item type. Pre‑seed destination chests with a sample item to guide placement.

That’s all you need to start using copper chests. Craft a few, wax them if you want a consistent look, and pair them with a copper golem to simplify day‑to‑day storage tasks.