PlainVitamins

mineral

Copper supplements

Half of the 6,468 copper supplements in the NIH label database that print an amount list 1 mg or less per serving; the middle half list 0.5 mg to 2 mg, and 1 in 1,067 of the 6,401 with a plausible amount give more than the adult upper limit at the most servings their labels direct (DSLD version 9.4.0, January 2026). The 60 products whose only supplement ingredient is copper list a median of 2 mg, and 1 in 60 of them give more than the upper limit.

Products listing it
6,7826,468 print an amount; 280 list it inside a blend without an amount
Median per serving
1 mgmiddle half 0.5 mg to 2 mg
FDA Daily Value
0.9 mgthe median is 111% of it
Adult upper limit (IOM)
10 mg6 products go above it a day

How much copper do supplements contain?

The median product lists 1 mg per serving. One in ten lists 0.2 mg or less, one in ten 2 mg or more. The amount printed most often is 2 mg (1,866 products).

Products by amount of copper per serving

6,493 products, log scale; extreme 0.2% at each end left out of the drawing.

Copper: products by amount per serving0.001 mg0.03 mg0.3 mg3 mgDaily Value 0.9 mgUpper limit 10 mg
Copper: products by amount per serving0.001 mg0.01 mg0.1 mg1 mg3 mg10 mgDaily Value 0.9 mgUpper limit 10 mg
Copper: products by amount per serving0.001 mg0.01 mg0.1 mg1 mg3 mg10 mgDaily Value 0.9 mgUpper limit 10 mg
Copper: products by amount per serving0.001 mg0.01 mg0.03 mg0.1 mg0.3 mg1 mg3 mg10 mgDaily Value 0.9 mgUpper limit 10 mg
Copper: products by amount per serving0.001 mg0.003 mg0.01 mg0.03 mg0.1 mg0.3 mg1 mg3 mg10 mgDaily Value 0.9 mgUpper limit 10 mg
The amounts printed most often
Amount per servingProductsFor example
2 mg1,866 Amino Acid Chelated Copper 2 mg (Vitamin World); Sport (GNC Mega Men); Maximum Nutrition Vanilla Bean (GNC Mega Men)
1 mg1,271 Complete Minerals Ultra Strength (Viva Vitamins); One 'N' Only Men's Formula (Pure Essence Labs); Nitro-Tech S'Mores Sensation (MuscleTech)
0.5 mg765 Green Source (Radiance); Women's Midlife Formula (Botanic Choice); R4yt (Exakta)
0.2 mg268 Super Joint Formula (Vitabase); Thyroid Support (Vitabase); Vita-Kids (Douglas Laboratories)
0.9 mg235 Pixie Vites (Dr. Fuhrman); Organic All-In-One Decadent Chocolate (Purely Inspired); Nitro-Tech Advanced Protein Bar Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip (MuscleTech)
1.5 mg195 LifeEssence (Pure Essence Labs); Dark Rage Blue Raspberry (MHP Maximum Human Performance); MinRx (XYMOGEN)
3 mg150 Coral Calcium Plus (MicroTech Professional Formulations); Basic Plus (Life Zone); Stress B-Complex with C & Zinc (Nature's Bounty)
0.25 mg123 Multi Vitamin With Minerals (Radiance Select); Nitro-Tech Crunchy Chocolate Crisp (MuscleTech); Ultra Vite 75 II Low Allergenicity (Douglas Laboratories)
0.1 mg112 Active Man's Formula (Vitabase); Healthy Weight Formula (Vitabase); Energetic Mens Formula Multi Vitamin Plus (Meijer Naturals)
0.3 mg101 Nitro-Tech Delicious Vanilla Swirl (MuscleTech); GTC Formula (Bronson); Cholo-Pak (Douglas Laboratories)

Source: Supplement Facts rows of every product's current label, NIH ODS Dietary Supplement Label Database version 9.4.0; amounts in one measure (weight).

How do the amounts compare with the Daily Value and the upper limit?

The FDA Daily Value for copper is 0.9 mg (adults and children 4 and older). The median product gives 111% of it per serving; the 90th percentile 222%.

The adult Tolerable Upper Intake Level is 10 mg a day (total intake from food, water and supplements). At the most servings their labels direct, 6 of the 6,401 products with a plausible amount (0.1%) give more than that from the supplement alone (what counts as plausible).

The upper limit is for total intake from food, water and supplements unless stated, and does not apply under medical supervision. A label amount is what the maker printed. This is data, not advice: the NIH ODS fact sheets explain what each nutrient does.

Sources: 21 CFR 101.9(c)(8)(iv) (Daily Values); Institute of Medicine, DRI summary tables (2011) (upper limits); on reading them, the FDA's Daily Value page.

Which products list the most copper?

On-market products, per serving, with a plausible amount: the rule leaves out likely entry slips, such as an amount far beyond every other label with no %DV or strength on the label to back it (each product page still shows its own amount, marked).

Have the amounts changed over the years?

Products whose current label entered DSLD in 2011 list a median of 1.05 mg; those entered in 2025, 1 mg.

Median copper per serving by the year the label entered DSLD (years with 20+ products)
YearProductsMedian per serving
20111671.05 mg
20125041 mg
20135741 mg
20143211 mg
20152741 mg
20163091 mg
20173471 mg
20182511 mg
20193441 mg
20205901 mg
20215271 mg
20226281 mg
20235461 mg
20245921 mg
20255191 mg

Source: DSLD label entry dates and amounts, current labels.

In which products and brands?

Products listing copper by DSLD product type

Copper by product typeOther Combinations5,037Multi-Vitamin and Mineral (MVM)760Botanical with Nutrients431Mineral194Amino acid/Protein42Non-Nutrient/Non-Botanical16Botanical11Fat/Fatty Acid1
Copper by product typeOther Combinations5,037Multi-Vitamin and Mineral (MVM)760Botanical with Nutrients431Mineral194Amino acid/Protein42Non-Nutrient/Non-Botanical16Botanical11Fat/Fatty Acid1
Copper by product typeOther Combinations5,037Multi-Vitamin and Mineral (MVM)760Botanical with Nutrients431Mineral194Amino acid/Protein42Non-Nutrient/Non-Botanical16Botanical11Fat/Fatty Acid1
Copper by product typeOther Combinations5,037Multi-Vitamin and Mineral (MVM)760Botanical with Nutrients431Mineral194Amino acid/Protein42Non-Nutrient/Non-Botanical16Botanical11Fat/Fatty Acid1
Copper by product typeOther Combinations5,037Multi-Vitamin and Mineral (MVM)760Botanical with Nutrients431Mineral194Amino acid/Protein42Non-Nutrient/Non-Botanical16Botanical11Fat/Fatty Acid1

Brands listing it most: Douglas Laboratories (170), Nature's Way (149), Nature's Plus (100), Bronson (62), Metagenics (56), Country Life (53), Bluebonnet (51), Vitamin World (50), NOW (49), Rainbow Light (47).

Every product listing copper

6,782 products, A to Z by name (page 105 of 136), each with the amount its label prints; an amount far outside what other labels print is marked as a possible slip.

Where next?