{ "dataset": "copper-cost-by-brand", "title": "Copper Supplements Compared — cost per elemental mg of copper", "sourcePage": "https://verifiedsupplementdata.com/copper/best-overall/", "license": "CC-BY-4.0", "licenseUrl": "https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/", "attribution": "Verified Supplement Data (2026), Copper Cost Comparison", "dateModified": "2026-07-19", "methodology": "All six products here disclose ELEMENTAL copper mg directly on the label, so cost per elemental mg is a real, computable comparison. costPerElementalMg = price / (servings x elemental copper mg per serving). \"doseTier\": moderate (~2mg/serving, ~2.2x RDA) or higher (~3mg/serving, ~3.3x RDA) — informational only; both tiers are well under (20-30% of) the 10mg adult upper limit, unlike this site's boron dataset where the cheapest product was a \"don't stack\" high-dose flag. CATEGORY CONTEXT (YMYL, honesty-first): most iron-replete, non-high-zinc-supplementing adults already exceed the 0.9mg (900mcg) RDA from food alone (NIH ODS: ~1,400mcg/day men, ~1,100mcg/day women from diet). The realistic, well-documented reason a healthy adult ends up needing a copper supplement is IATROGENIC deficiency from chronic high-dose zinc supplementation — zinc induces intestinal metallothionein, which competitively blocks copper absorption (Broun 1990, PMID 2094240; Fiske 1994, PMID 8172183; Willis 2005, PMID 15762288; Irving 2003, PMID 12874162; Nishime 2020, PMID 32102170; Carroll 2017, PMID 28790120) — producing sideroblastic anemia, neutropenia, and, with prolonged exposure, a demyelinating myeloneuropathy. Wilson's disease (genetic copper-overload) is a hard supplementation CONTRAINDICATION; zinc is itself a legitimate Wilson's therapy, and Teodoro 2013 (PMID 23712800) shows that dosing can itself overshoot into copper-deficiency myeloneuropathy in that population. No RCT establishes an optimal preventive zinc:copper ratio; the common 15mg-zinc:1-2mg-copper retail pairing (e.g. Nutricost's combo) is an informal industry convention, not validated science. No verifiable human RCT evidence supports oral copper (or copper peptide/GHK-Cu) reversing gray hair or improving collagen/skin outcomes in copper-replete adults — a targeted PubMed search found none. This statement has not been evaluated by the FDA; these products are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.", "headline": { "productsCompared": 6, "rdaMg": 0.9, "rdaPregnancyMg": 1, "rdaLactationMg": 1.3, "upperLimitMg": 10, "cheapestPerElementalMg": 0.0185, "cheapestPerElementalMgBrand": "Bronson", "cheapestModerateTierBrand": "Solgar", "note": "All six copper products in this set disclose elemental mg directly, so cost per elemental mg is directly comparable. Unlike this site's boron or zinc datasets, no product here is flagged as a stacking risk — every serving is 20-30% of the adult upper limit." }, "columns": [ "brand", "product", "slug", "form", "elementalMgPerServing", "servings", "price", "costPerServing", "costPerElementalMg", "costPerRdaEquivalent", "timesRda", "pctUl", "doseTier", "thirdParty" ], "units": { "elementalMgPerServing": "mg elemental copper", "price": "USD", "costPerServing": "USD/serving", "costPerElementalMg": "USD per elemental mg of copper", "costPerRdaEquivalent": "USD per 900mcg (RDA) of elemental copper" }, "citations": [ { "claim": "Chronic excessive zinc ingestion causes a reversible sideroblastic anemia and bone marrow depression via copper deficiency.", "source": "Broun ER, Greist A, Tricot G, Hoffman R. 1990, JAMA", "pmid": "2094240" }, { "claim": "Zinc-induced copper deficiency presents as sideroblastic anemia and neutropenia — described as a defined clinical syndrome.", "source": "Fiske DN, McCoy HE, Kitchens CS. 1994, American Journal of Hematology", "pmid": "8172183" }, { "claim": "Three cases of zinc-induced copper deficiency were first recognized incidentally on bone marrow examination, before the zinc-supplement history was known.", "source": "Willis MS, Monaghan SA, Miller ML, McKenna RW, Perkins WD, Levinson B. 2005, American Journal of Clinical Pathology", "pmid": "15762288" }, { "claim": "Reversible cytopenias in a consumer case were tied directly to over-the-counter zinc supplement use.", "source": "Irving JA, Mattman A, Lockitch G, Farrell K, Wadsworth LD. 2003, CMAJ", "pmid": "12874162" }, { "claim": "Zinc burden evokes copper deficiency at a cohort level in hypoalbuminemic hemodialysis patients.", "source": "Nishime K, Kondo M, Saito A, Miyawaki H, Nakagawa T. 2020, Nutrients", "pmid": "32102170" }, { "claim": "A zinc-containing dental fixative (denture cream) caused copper deficiency myelopathy — a non-pill zinc exposure route.", "source": "Carroll K, Abdul-Rahim O, Murray D. 2017, BMJ Case Reports", "pmid": "28790120" }, { "claim": "Therapeutic zinc dosing in Wilson's disease (a legitimate maintenance therapy) can itself overshoot into symptomatic copper-deficiency myeloneuropathy.", "source": "Teodoro T, Neutel D, Lobo PP, Geraldo A, Conceição I, Rosa MM. 2013, Journal of Neurology", "pmid": "23712800" }, { "claim": "Dietary phytate and, to a lesser extent, fiber measurably reduce copper absorption in a stable-isotope study.", "source": "Turnlund JR, King JC, Gong B, Keyes WR, Michel MC. 1985, American Journal of Clinical Nutrition", "pmid": "2990188" } ], "products": [ { "brand": "Bronson", "product": "Copper Glycinate 3mg", "slug": "bronson-copper-glycinate-3mg", "form": "glycinate (Albion-chelated)", "elementalMgPerServing": 3, "servings": 180, "price": 9.99, "costPerServing": 0.06, "costPerElementalMg": 0.0185, "costPerRdaEquivalent": 0.0166, "timesRda": 3.3, "pctUl": 30, "doseTier": "higher", "thirdParty": "None stated" }, { "brand": "NOW Foods", "product": "Copper Glycinate 3mg", "slug": "now-foods-copper-glycinate-3mg", "form": "glycinate (Albion-chelated)", "elementalMgPerServing": 3, "servings": 120, "price": 7.9, "costPerServing": 0.07, "costPerElementalMg": 0.0219, "costPerRdaEquivalent": 0.0197, "timesRda": 3.3, "pctUl": 30, "doseTier": "higher", "thirdParty": "cGMP" }, { "brand": "Solgar", "product": "Chelated Copper 2mg", "slug": "solgar-chelated-copper-2mg", "form": "gluconate/chelate", "elementalMgPerServing": 2, "servings": 100, "price": 7.72, "costPerServing": 0.08, "costPerElementalMg": 0.0386, "costPerRdaEquivalent": 0.0347, "timesRda": 2.2, "pctUl": 20, "doseTier": "moderate", "thirdParty": "None stated" }, { "brand": "Dr. Mercola", "product": "Copper Bisglycinate 2mg", "slug": "dr-mercola-copper-bisglycinate-2mg", "form": "bisglycinate (mini-tablet)", "elementalMgPerServing": 2, "servings": 180, "price": 19.97, "costPerServing": 0.11, "costPerElementalMg": 0.0555, "costPerRdaEquivalent": 0.05, "timesRda": 2.2, "pctUl": 20, "doseTier": "moderate", "thirdParty": "None stated" }, { "brand": "Pure Encapsulations", "product": "Copper Glycinate 2mg", "slug": "pure-encapsulations-copper-glycinate-2mg", "form": "glycinate", "elementalMgPerServing": 2, "servings": 60, "price": 13, "costPerServing": 0.22, "costPerElementalMg": 0.1083, "costPerRdaEquivalent": 0.0975, "timesRda": 2.2, "pctUl": 20, "doseTier": "moderate", "thirdParty": "NSF-audited GMP, hypoallergenic" }, { "brand": "Thorne", "product": "Copper Bisglycinate 2mg", "slug": "thorne-copper-bisglycinate-2mg", "form": "bisglycinate (TRAACS)", "elementalMgPerServing": 2, "servings": 60, "price": 19, "costPerServing": 0.32, "costPerElementalMg": 0.1583, "costPerRdaEquivalent": 0.1425, "timesRda": 2.2, "pctUl": 20, "doseTier": "moderate", "thirdParty": "TRAACS-chelate (Thorne-stated); no independent COA verified for this build" } ] }