Twenty inequivalent configurations of Cu occupying Fe were calculated by DFT.
Formation probability of Cu was computed by Maxwell–Boltzmann statistical distribution.
Ba1−xLaxFe12−xCuxO19 samples were prepared by a conventional ceramic method.
The Cu2+ preferentially replace Fe3+ at the 4f2(0) and 4f2(1) configurations.
The ratio of Cu occupying Fe at the 2b and 4f2 sites is approximately 1:2.