Copper Golem

Copper Golem

Health points	12HP × 6
Behavior	Passive
Hitbox size	Height: 0.98 blocks Width: 0.49 blocks
Spawn	When built by the player. When a player uses an axe on an unwaxed and unoxidized copper golem statue.
Usable items	Axe Honeycomb Lead Shears

{
    "title": "Copper Golem",
    "rows": [
        {
            "field": "12<span class=\"hidden-alt-text\">HP</span><span class=\"nowrap mc-hearts\"><span class=\"iconbar pixel-image nowrap\" style=\"--icon-offset:-1px;\" title=\"1  heart\">(link to File:Heart (icon).png article, displayed as 9px|link=|alt=❤️)</span> × 6</span>",
            "label": "(link to Health article, displayed as Health points)"
        },
        {
            "field": "Passive",
            "label": "Behavior"
        },
        {
            "field": "Height: 0.98 blocks<br/>Width: 0.49 blocks",
            "label": "(link to Hitbox article, displayed as Hitbox size)"
        },
        {
            "field": "\n* When built by the player.\n* When a player uses an axe on an unwaxed and unoxidized (link to copper golem statue article, displayed as copper golem statue).",
            "label": "(link to Mob spawning article, displayed as Spawn)"
        },
        {
            "field": "(values exceeds 1000 characters...)",
            "label": "Usable items"
        }
    ],
    "invimages": [
        "Copper Golem Spawn Egg"
    ],
    "images": [
        "Copper Golem.png",
        "Exposed Copper Golem.png",
        "Weathered Copper Golem.png",
        "Oxidized Copper Golem.png"
    ]
}

A copper golem is a buildable passive mob that takes items out of copper chests and attempts to store them in nearby wooden chests and trapped chests. A chest examined by a copper golem must either be empty, or contain the item type it is holding, for the golem to place anything inside of it.

If not waxed, a copper golem oxidizes over time and eventually turns into a copper golem statue, dropping its currently held items.

Spawning

Copper golem build configuration. The block of copper may be any oxidation stage or waxed state.

A copper golem is created by placing a block of copper of any oxidation stage, then placing a carved pumpkin or jack o’lantern on top. The pumpkin must be placed last, whether by the player, a dispenser, or an enderman. The building pattern also works horizontally or upside-down, as long as the pumpkin is the final block placed.

On creation, the block of copper is replaced by a copper chest, and a copper golem spawns at the location of the carved pumpkin or jack o'lantern. The oxidation stage of the copper golem and the copper chest matches that of the block of copper used to create it. A waxed block of copper can also be used, but the golem and the chest are not waxed.^[1] If a golem is built with the block of copper placed next to an existing copper chest (that is not already part of a large copper chest), the two chests combine into a large copper chest, just as they would if the new copper chest had been placed manually.

Using an axe on an unwaxed and unoxidized copper golem statue causes it to reanimate into a copper golem.

When using a copper golem spawn egg, it spawns the golem on its own, without a copper chest. A copper golem spawned this way is unoxidized and unwaxed.

Drops

On death

Java Edition:

Item		Quantity / Chance / Average
		Default			Looting I			Looting II			Looting III
	Copper Ingot	1–3	100.00%	2.00	1–3	100.00%	2.00	1–3	100.00%	2.00	1–3	100.00%	2.00

Item		Quantity / Chance / Average
		Default			Looting I			Looting II			Looting III
	Copper Ingot	1–3	1	2	1–3	1	2	1–3	1	2	1–3	1	2

Item		Amount	Probability
			Default	Looting I	Looting II	Looting III
	Copper Ingot	1	1⁄3 (33.33%)	1⁄3 (33.33%)	1⁄3 (33.33%)	1⁄3 (33.33%)
		2	1⁄3 (33.33%)	1⁄3 (33.33%)	1⁄3 (33.33%)	1⁄3 (33.33%)
		3	1⁄3 (33.33%)	1⁄3 (33.33%)	1⁄3 (33.33%)	1⁄3 (33.33%)
		Average	2 (2.00)	2 (2.00)	2 (2.00)	2 (2.00)

Killed		1
Item		Expected Drops
		Default	Looting I	Looting II	Looting III
	Copper Ingot	2.00	2.00	2.00	2.00

Bedrock Edition:

Item		Quantity / Chance / Average
		Default			Looting I			Looting II			Looting III
	Copper Ingot	1–3	100.00%	2.00	1–3	100.00%	2.00	1–3	100.00%	2.00	1–3	100.00%	2.00

Item		Quantity / Chance / Average
		Default			Looting I			Looting II			Looting III
	Copper Ingot	1–3	1	2	1–3	1	2	1–3	1	2	1–3	1	2

Item		Amount	Probability
			Default	Looting I	Looting II	Looting III
	Copper Ingot	1	1⁄3 (33.33%)	1⁄3 (33.33%)	1⁄3 (33.33%)	1⁄3 (33.33%)
		2	1⁄3 (33.33%)	1⁄3 (33.33%)	1⁄3 (33.33%)	1⁄3 (33.33%)
		3	1⁄3 (33.33%)	1⁄3 (33.33%)	1⁄3 (33.33%)	1⁄3 (33.33%)
		Average	2 (2.00)	2 (2.00)	2 (2.00)	2 (2.00)

Killed		1
Item		Expected Drops
		Default	Looting I	Looting II	Looting III
	Copper Ingot	2.00	2.00	2.00	2.00

Shearing

When a copper golem has been given a poppy by an iron golem, it can be sheared to drop 1 poppy.

Behavior

When idle, copper golems wander aimlessly while avoiding obstacles and environmental hazards. Copper golems can also open and close non-iron doors. They occasionally spin their heads or stare at players. They are completely passive to players and other mobs, and run around in a panic if attacked. Unlike most other passive mobs, copper golems do not suspend their behavior when more than 32 blocks from a player.

When in a body of water, copper golems sink to the bottom. They do not swim or drown, but they can still move laterally and step up full blocks as if they were on land, similar to iron golems and undead mobs.

Like iron golems and snow golems, copper golems do not take fall damage. However, they still avoid walking off drops that would otherwise cause them harm.

Chest interactions and item transportation

If a copper golem is not holding an item, it opens the nearest copper chest (regardless of its oxidation or waxed status) and attempts to take out up to 16 of the first item it finds. It takes 3 seconds to stop and examine each copper chest it visits. If the copper chest is empty, the copper golem moves on to the nearest copper chest it has not opened. The copper golem can remember up to 9 copper chests that it has previously opened. If it checks 10 copper chests and still cannot find an item, it wanders around for 7 seconds, forgets which copper chests it has opened, and continues searching for a copper chest to take items from.

If a copper golem is holding one or more items, it opens the nearest wooden chest or trapped chest and attempts to put the items into it. It takes 3 seconds to stop and examine each chest it opens. If the chest is empty or if the chest contains the same type of item that the copper golem is holding, the golem attempts to add its items to the chest. In Java Edition, a copper golem cannot distinguish between different potion contents or suspicious stew types, but it can in Bedrock Edition. In both editions, a copper golem ignores durability, enchantments, shulker box contents, custom names, or any other data. While a copper golem is holding an item, the player can press use on the golem with an empty hand to take the item from it, dropping the item on the ground.

If it cannot add items to a chest, the copper golem moves on to the nearest chest that it hasn't visited. The copper golem can remember up to 9 chests it has previously visited. If it checks 10 chests and still cannot place its items, it wanders around for 7 seconds, forgets which chests it has opened, and continues searching for a chest to put its items in. The copper golem forgets all the chests that it has previously visited when it successfully deposits an item in a chest.

Copper golems cannot see the contents of chests (either wooden or copper) without manually opening and examining them, and do not remember correct item matches.

When a copper golem deposits items in a chest, it attempts to add them to the frontmost available slot. If the deposited item is stackable, it avoids adding to existing stacks in any slot other than the frontmost available one.

If the chest or copper chest a copper golem is walking toward can no longer be opened (e.g. it has a cat sitting on it) or is destroyed, the copper golem marks the position as visited and moves on.

Copper golems do not simultaneously open a chest that another non-player entity is already interacting with, such as another copper golem.

Copper golems search for chests and copper chests in a 65×17×65 cubic area centered on the copper golem's block position.

Copper golems interact only with wooden chests, trapped chests and copper chests. They ignore items dropped on the ground, ender chests, minecarts with chests, boats with chests, and all other containers.

Oxidation

Non-waxed copper golems have four stages of oxidation (unoxidized, exposed, weathered, and oxidized). Shortly after becoming fully oxidized, a copper golem turns into a statue. Using an axe on an oxidized copper golem removes the oxidation from the golem one stage at a time, as do lightning bolts.

Copper golems can be waxed with a honeycomb to prevent the oxidation from progressing, lightning bolts from removing the oxidization, or fully oxidized golems from turning into statues. Wax can be removed by using an axe on the golem. In Java Edition, unlike copper blocks, waxing or unwaxing a copper golem does not grant the "Wax On" and "Wax Off" advancements.^[2][3]

A copper golem takes between 7 hours and 7 hours and 40 minutes (420–460 minutes, or 21–23 in-game days; plus one tick if the mob is in its initial state or was just scraped with an axe) to oxidize to the next stage. Since the timer is based on gametime, it advances even if the golem is not located in a loaded chunk. As the mob begins to oxidize (exposed copper golem), it becomes discolored and develops green spots. As the oxidation continues (weathered copper golem), the mob becomes a green color with brown spots. In the last stage (oxidized copper golem), the mob is teal with several green spots. Like copper bulbs, the texture of the eyes of the copper golem dims as it oxidizes. However, the golem itself does not emit any light, regardless of oxidation level.

Turning into a statue

Once fully oxidized, a copper golem has a 0.58% chance per tick to become a copper golem statue and take a random pose, provided it is not waxed and is fully located in air (that is, a copper golem cannot turn into a statue while underwater or standing on a partial block such as a slab, as part of its hitbox is not located within an air block). This process takes on average 8.62 seconds. During the transformation, any items held by the copper golem are dropped. If the golem was named using a name tag, it keeps its custom name.

Using an axe on a copper golem statue removes the oxidization one stage at a time. If the statue is unoxidized, scraping it with an axe reanimates it into an unoxidized copper golem.

Poppy

Iron golems occasionally hold out a poppy, which a copper golem can take and place on top of the rod on its head. Using shears on the copper golem drops the poppy. Alternatively, it drops when the copper golem turns into a copper golem statue.

Sounds

Java Edition:

Bedrock Edition:

Unoxidized and exposed sounds

Java Edition:

Bedrock Edition:

Weathered sounds

Java Edition:

Bedrock Edition:

Oxidized sounds

Java Edition:

Bedrock Edition:

Data values

ID

Java Edition:

Name	Identifier	Entity tags	Translation key
Copper Golem	copper_golem	accepts_iron_golem_gift can_breathe_under_water fall_damage_immune	entity.minecraft.copper_golem

Bedrock Edition:

Name	Identifier	Numeric ID	Translation key
Copper Golem	copper_golem	148	entity.copper_golem.name

Entity data

Copper golems have entity data associated with them that contain various properties.

Java Edition:

Bedrock Edition:

See Bedrock Edition level format/Entity format.

Achievements

Icon		Achievement	In-game description	Actual requirements (if different)	Gamerscore earned	Trophy type (PS)
PS4	Other
		Overkill	Deal nine hearts of damage in a single hit.	Damage can be dealt to any mob, even those that do not have nine hearts of health overall.	30	Bronze
		Over-Overkill	Deal 50 hearts of damage in a single hit using the Mace	Damage can be dealt to any mob, even those that do not have 50 hearts of health overall.	20	Silver

Advancements

Advancements that apply to all mobs:

Icon	Advancement	In-game description	Actual requirements (if different)
	Adventure	Adventure, exploration and combat	Kill any mob, or be killed by any living entity.
	A Throwaway Joke	Throw a Trident at something. Note: Throwing away your only weapon is not a good idea.	Hit a mob with a thrown trident.
	Take Aim	Shoot something with an Arrow	Using a bow or a crossbow, shoot a mob with an arrow, tipped arrow, or spectral arrow.
	Mob Kabob​[upcoming JE 1.21.11]	Hit five mobs in the same Charge attack using the Spear.	Armor Stand and Mannequin also count for this advancement.
	Arbalistic	Kill five unique mobs with one crossbow shot	Armor Stand and Mannequin also count for this advancement. This is a hidden advancement, meaning that it can be viewed by the player only after completing it, regardless of if its child advancement(s), if any, have been completed.
	Over-Overkill	Deal 50 hearts of damage in a single hit using the Mace	Damage can be dealt to any mob, even those that do not have 50 hearts of health overall.

Videos

History

Announcement

September 4, 2021							The copper golem is teased as the next mob vote candidate by Ulraf through the use of emojis.
October 13, 2021							The copper golem is announced as a candidate for the Minecraft Live 2021 mob vote. It was featured alongside the allay and glare.[4][5]
							During the mob vote, it was planned for the copper golem to press random copper buttons and have the oxidation removed with either an axe,[6] or by being struck by lightning.[7] It would also have turned into a statue at full oxidation.[8]
October 16, 2021							The copper golem lost the final round of vote with 45.7% of the votes.
July 1, 2025							The copper golem, now a mob that sorts items from copper chests, is announced for the then-unnamed The Copper Age drop with its functionality completely redone and design slightly tweaked.

Java Edition

Java Edition
1.21.9			25w31a				Added copper golems.
			25w33a				Decorative flowers can now be planted on by iron golems, these flowers can be removed with shears and drop upon turning into a statue.
			25w34a				The eyes of the copper golem are now invisible as well when splashed with potion of Invisibility.
							The hitbox has been tweaked.
							Copper golems are now audible from up to 12 blocks away.
							The copper sorting sounds have been tweaked to be quieter.
			25w35a				Copper golems hitbox height is reduced to 0.98 blocks, from 1 block.
							The copper golem now uses the saddle equipment slot for blocks placed atop of its lightning rod.
			25w37a				The hitbox has been tweaked, the hitbox is now 0.49 blocks in width to be able to pathfind through narrow spaces.
							Copper golems can now open doors.
			Pre-Release 1				Lightning bolts now deoxidize copper golems.
							Now only tries to open chests that are neighboring blocks when it's a passenger.
			Pre-Release 2				Copper golems no longer need to be close to the center of an empty block position in order to turn into a statue.
							Copper golems now have the possibility to turn into a statue as soon as they become fully oxidized.

Bedrock Edition

Bedrock Edition
1.21.100 Experiment Drop 3 2025			Preview 1.21.100.23				Added copper golems.
1.21.111			Preview 1.21.110.20				All features behind the "Drop 3 2025" experimental toggle have been fully implemented.
							Interacting with a copper golem that is holding an item makes the copper golem drop the item.
							Copper golems that fully oxidize turn into a copper golem statue and freeze into a random pose, dropping any items it was holding.
			Preview 1.21.110.23				The collision box for Copper Golems has been reduced.
							Copper golems can now open non-iron doors.
							Copper golems no longer attempt to transport items when leashed.
							Added code for copper golems taking poppies from iron golems and wearing them on their lightning rod, however the feature cannot be seen in-game.
			Preview 1.21.110.24				Decorative flowers can now be planted on by iron golems, these flowers can be removed with shears and drop upon turning into a statue.
			Preview 1.21.110.25				Copper golems can now pathfind through 1 block high passages.
							The copper golem no longer interacts with chests and copper chests that it cannot see.
							Chests now close immediately when a copper golem starts panicking while looking inside.

Issues

Issues relating to "Copper Golem" are maintained on the bug tracker. Issues should be reported and viewed there.

Trivia

• The copper golem's original design pitch was made by developer Ulraf.^[9]
• Spinning animation variants for the weathered and oxidized copper golem exist within the animation files, but as of now they share the same animation as the unoxidized spinning animation.
• Sprites of copper golems appeared as an easter egg in the 2022 Mob Vote Event, 2023 Mob Vote Event, and the Eerie Mojang Office Party server.
• The copper golem became the second community vote losing mob to be later added to the game, having lost the 2021 mob vote to the allay, after the frog and mangrove swamp content was implemented in The Wild Update.

Gallery

Textures

• 
  Texture of a copper golem
• 
  Texture of an exposed copper golem
• 
  Texture of a weathered copper golem
• 
  Texture of an oxidized copper golem
• 
  Texture of a copper golem's eyes
• 
  Texture of an exposed copper golem's eyes
• 
  Texture of a weathered copper golem's eyes
• 
  Texture of an oxidized copper golem's eyes

Renders

• 
  Copper golem holding an invisible item
• 
  Exposed copper golem holding an invisible item
• 
  Weathered copper golem holding an invisible item
• 
  Oxidized Copper golem holding an invisible item
• 
  Copper golem with flower
• 
  Exposed copper golem with flower
• 
  Weathered copper golem with flower
• 
  Oxidized copper golem with flower

Animations

Unoxidized

• 
  Spawn
• 
  Walking
• 
  Walking while holding an item
• 
  Walking while holding an item without the hold item animation attached to it (this state cannot been seen in game)
• 
  Putting an item in a chest
• 
  Failing to put an item in a chest
• 
  Taking an item from a chest
• 
  Failing to take an item from a chest
• 
  Spinning

Exposed

• 
  Spawn
• 
  Walking
• 
  Walking while holding an item
• 
  Walking while holding an item without the hold item animation attached to it (this state cannot be seen in-game)
• 
  Putting an item in a chest
• 
  Failing at putting an item in a chest
• 
  Taking an item from a chest
• 
  Failing at taking an item from a chest
• 
  Spinning

Weathered

• 
  Spawn
• 
  Walking
• 
  Walking while holding an item
• 
  Walking while holding an item without the hold item animation attached to it (this state cannot be seen in-game)
• 
  Putting an item in a chest
• 
  Failing at putting an item in a chest
• 
  Taking an item from a chest
• 
  Failing at taking an item from a chest
• 
  Spinning

Oxidized

• 
  Spawn
• 
  Walking
• 
  Walking while holding an item
• 
  Walking while holding an item without the hold item animation attached to it (this state cannot be seen in-game)
• 
  Putting an item in a chest
• 
  Failing at putting an item in a chest
• 
  Taking an item from a chest
• 
  Failing at taking an item from a chest
• 
  Spinning

Screenshots

• 
  A copper golem with poppy on the head.

Mojang screenshots

• 
  A player-made workshop with several copper golems walking around.
• 
  A copper golem standing next to an open copper chest inside a cherry grove.
• 
  An oxidized copper golem.
• 
  A copper golem in front of an oxidized copper house.
• 
  The oxidation stages of copper golems.
• 
  A copper golem opening a copper chest in a cave.

Concept artwork

• 
  Copper golem concept art.

In other media

• 
  Hologram of a copper golem in the Eerie Mojang Office Party.
• 
  Thumbnail with a copper golem and copper equipment.
• 
  Artwork featuring copper golems.
• 
  A copper golem Promoting Minecraft LIVE – September 2025 with a sign.
• 
  A copper golem being scraped by a human.
• 
  A line of copper golems in a savanna village as seen in the Minecraft LIVE Official Trailer– September 2025
• 
  Poster of a copper golem along with a feature list and a note about copper chests.
• 
  Instructional poster showing a copper golem and its oxidation stages.
• 
  Poster with tips regarding copper golems.

Mob vote artwork

• 
  The copper golem shown at Minecraft Live 2021.
• 
  Recreation of the oxidized copper golem statue.
• 
  The copper golem animation that could have played if the copper golem had won the mob vote.
• 
  Ditto.
• 
  The copper golem as one of the three options for the mob vote.
• 
  Header for the copper golem article.
• 
  The copper golem inside a room.

References

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