Some surface structure characteristics of a metal single crystal are considered and the conclusions are applied to the preparation of single crystal plates of copper. A successful preparation is described as well as suitable methods for evaluating the effectiveness of the preparation. Using physical microadsorption isotherms of nitrogen at 78.1°K, electron diffraction, and x‐ray diffraction methods, the conclusion is tentatively asserted that the surfaces are essentially planar on a molecular scale, and that the surface atoms are arranged in an approximately undistorted lattice.