Copper is a valuable resource in Fallout 4. It can be used to build tools, weapons, and other items, and it can also be used to power generators and other devices. However, it is not easy to find copper in the game. There are many places where it can be found, but the best methods for finding it are below. The best way to find copper is to search for mines and prospect for ore in the area around them. Mines often have signs that indicate where they contain copper. If you find a mine with signs of copper being mined, you can start prospecting for ore from the mine using your Pip-Boy 3000 or an auger. Another way to find copper is by searching for stockpiles of it in areas that have high levels of radiation. These stockpiles will often have a lot of Copper inside them, so you will need to use your Pip-Boy 3000 or an auger to extract the Copper from them.
You can find those items all around the Commonwealth, including your settlements, and also for sale from merchants.
Alternatively, buying Shipments of Copper from merchants is the easiest way to get your hands on some copper, but also the most expensive.
Scrapping Copper From Settlements
Scrapping copper from settlements is the quickest way to get a lot of copper without spending any bottle caps.
How To Scrap Copper From Settlements:
Head to one of your settlements and select the crafting option from your workshop. Once in crafting mode, you will notice a yellow highlight around some objects. If you press the scrap button while the objects are highlighted, you will get rid of them and store their resources.
Hint: Some items don’t contain copper, but you can scrap them into items that can be further scrapped into copper.
For example, Street Lamps, a common object in settlements, can’t be scrapped for copper, but they contain Fuses and Broken Light Bulbs which have some copper in them.
If you are looking for new settlements to scrap copper from, here’s the location of all settlements in the Commonwealth:
Copper can be used to craft items related to electricity and power, such as generators, lights, conduits and even weapon modifications.
If you have too much copper in one settlement but need it in another, you can create a supply line between them and share resources.
Finding Copper in the Commonwealth
Some locations offer more copper than others, among other essential materials. I recommend freeing up some space in your inventory, heading to the following areas and collecting their loot:
Milton General Hospital’s Parking Garage Cambridge Polymer Labs Wattz Consumer Electronics
Beware of traps and enemies that hide in the hospital’s parking garage.
On both the ground floor and third floor of this maze, you will find bathroom scales. Once disarmed, each scale will yield one copper and a spring.
In Cambridge Polymer Labs and Wattz Consumer Electronics, you will find various items that can be scrapped for copper, like light bulbs and telephones.
Here’s a way to know if the items you find contain the materials that you are looking for:
Head to a settlement and open crafting mode Start crafting an object that requires the materials you are looking for If you don’t have enough of that material, you will be able to press the “TAG FOR SEARCH” option Now, when you hover an item containing the materials you have tagged, it will display a small magnifying glass icon before that item’s name
Here’s a list of all junk items that contain copper:
Getting Copper From NPCs
There are two methods to get copper from NPCs:
Method 1: Buying Shipments of Copper
This method is simple and fast, but expensive. An advantage of buying copper in shipments is that you don’t need to carry the weight of the copper.
Note: Shipments of Copper come in sizes of 25 or 50, the latter being more commonly available at later stages of the game.
To use this item, you need to head to a crafting station, such as a workshop or a weapon’s workbench, and start crafting.
After using the shipment, the remaining copper will be stored in the crafting station as individual pieces of copper, just like any other junk item.
Here’s a list of all NPCs that sell Shipments of Copper, followed by their location on the map:
Method 2: Buying Junk That Contains Copper
This method is more time-consuming than the previous one, but it will give you the most amount of copper for your bottle caps.
Here’s how to do it:
Head to a merchant, such as Trudy in Drumlin Diner. Buy all their junk that contains copper. Fast travel to another merchant or wait 48 hours for the merchant’s items to respawn. Repeat step 2 until you are almost Overencumbered. Head to one of your settlements, and store the junk you’ve bought. Once you start crafting, the junk items will be broken down and used to build objects.
