Minecraft's Copper Update — How To Make A Copper Golem And How They Actually Work

by William Hernandez July 2, 2025

A Copper Golem next to a Copper Chest in a Minecraft Preview build that showcases the upcoming Copper Update additions.

The 2021 Minecraft Mob Vote promised to spare no one, but it doesn't look like that will hold true, as now, 4 years later, the Copper Golem is finally making its way to Minecraft. A relatively unexpected update, Minecraft's "Copper Update" looks to make copper more useful, taking greater advantage of its prevalence in most Minecraft worlds. And while the update is also adding in copper tools and armor, the Copper Golem's unique utility and behaviors absolutely makes it the most intriguing addition for players.

How To Make A Copper Golem

Making a Copper Golem is fairly easy, simply requiring a Carved Pumpkin to be stacked on top of a Block of Copper. A Copper Golem will then instantly spawn on top of a matching copper chest. There are actually four different types of Copper Golems, one for each of the four stages of copper oxidation present in the game. Any of the four variants of copper blocks can actually be used to make a Copper Golem — the golem's color is the only thing that will change. A Jack o'Lantern can also be used in lieu of a Carved Pumpkin; though, that won't affect the resulting golem's appearance at all.

A look at all four variants of the Copper Golem, each representing a different stage of copper oxidation.

What The Copper Golem Does & How It Actually Works

The Copper Golem is a very unique mob in Minecraft. It is a passive mob designed to help players sort their items out. More specifically, it helps in the sorting of items that have been placed in copper chests. Copper Golems will automatically and gradually work through a copper chest, moving the items either to an empty wooden chest or to a wooden chest that already has that same item.

Because the Copper Golems are autonomous beings, it's more than valid to wonder how exactly they operate. Well, here are some of the quirks that we have found through testing:

Copper Golems can carry up to 16 of an item at a time (i.e. 16 Crimson Planks)
Copper Golems can jump over a single block
Copper Golems will instantly detect the presence of a chest if it is approximately 15 blocks or less away
If an item stored within a copper chest isn't present in any nearby chests and no empty chests are available, a Copper Golem will hold onto that item indefinitely
Copper Golems will wander around slowly with an item if they do not detect a nearby chest
Copper Golems will open chests, even if they are not a valid storage unit for their held item; though, they won't actually store the item there
Just a random miscellaneous fact to round this out, but Copper Golems can survive underwater without a problem

These tests have all been performed via the currently available preview build of Minecraft, so do bear in mind that these behaviors could change in the future. Ultimately, I do think the Copper Golems are a neat addition, but they don't exactly work all that seamlessly. Even if they're not the greatest organizers, though, they are super adorable. Just their presence alone will make a lot of builds feel more alive.

Copper Golems transport items stored within a copper chest to nearby wooden chests. They will store the item if the chest is empty or if it has a copy of the same item that they are holding.