Copper
This article is timeless and should be accurate for any version of the game.
| “ | Copper can be refined into Copper Alloy, which is used in the prototyping process for vehicles. | „ |
| — In-game description |
Copper is a type of raw resource (also known as a tmat) that must be refined in order to be used. It is only used to advance your faction's technology after the first eight tiers in the Vehicle 
tech tree.
Acquisition
Copper can only be obtained at Salvage Fields by mining Copper nodes, which only spawn after harvesting Salvage nodes. These can be harvested with any tool (either a Hammer, Sledge Hammer, or Harvester). Similar to other technology materials, the amount of Copper dropped at a Salvage Field is randomly determined when a Salvage Field respawns. Depending on the spawn rates, a field may not spawn any technology materials.
All technology materials have a shifting spawning rate, with the rate depending on various factors such as player population, harvesting rates, and enemy faction tech progression. Unlike Aluminum, Copper only spawns when the eighth tier of the Vehicle tech tree is fully unlocked. After the eighth tier is unlocked (which contains Harvesters), Iron stops spawning, and is replaced with Copper.
NOTE: Despite Stationary Harvesters extracting salvage from Salvage Fields, their usage does not affect tech drop rates. As such, players are able to use them without worrying about hurting the faction (though it is still highly recommended to manually harvest them in order to increase the chances of them appearing).
Use
| Structure | Input(s) | Output | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| Refinery | 1 x Copper  |
1 x Copper Alloy  |
00:00:00.24 |
Copper cannot be used for anything, however its Alloy version can be used at an Engineering Center to advance the Vehicle tech tree and produce Vehicle Prototype Kits (though certain vehicles do not have prototype versions).
Storage
Copper stacks up to 100 in inventory slots and can be stored in certain stockpiles, such as Resource Containers. They cannot be stored within a Resource Transfer Station. It can be transported by almost any vehicle with an inventory slot, though the most common type of vehicle to transport them are Trucks or Small Container Cars.
Due to being a raw resource, it cannot be packaged into crates.
Tips
- Since technology materials are important to advance your faction's research, it is highly recommended not to store them in Reserve Stockpiles or Refinery personal queues. As such, they should be spent or stored in visible stockpiles on the map, preferably in Refineries.
Gallery
A Copper node on the ground
Copper stored in a Harvester
A R-5 “Atlas” Hauler Truck full of Copper
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