Copper
Of 6,796 on-market copper products in the January 2026 DSLD dump, the median declared dose is 1,000 elemental mcg, and 39.9% list unspecified/undisclosed form as the primary form.
Form share
Of 6,635 products with an identifiable primary form, here is the share held by each form of Copper on the market today.
| Form | Quality tier | n | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| unspecified/undisclosed form | Unrated | 2,646 | 39.9% |
| Copper Gluconate | Tier 2 | 1,405 | 21.2% |
| Copper Amino Acid Chelate | Tier 1 | 1,347 | 20.3% |
| Cupric Oxide | Tier 3 | 478 | 7.2% |
| Copper Citrate | Tier 2 | 423 | 6.4% |
| Copper Sulfate | Tier 2 | 336 | 5.1% |
Form share over time
Entry-year breakdown of the top forms, 2012–2025.
Dose distribution
Deciles of declared dose per serving (elemental mcg), among 6,443 products with a disclosed amount, against the RDA of 900 and UL of 10000.
- 19.1% of products fall below the fairy-dust threshold (400 mcg, 20% of the studied low dose).
- 1.1% of products don't disclose an amount because Copper is declared inside a proprietary blend.
By dosage form
By target group
Top brands
Forms explained
Label discloses only "Copper" with no salt form.
Elemental fraction: 14.0% (Cu(C6H11O7)2, anhydrous, MW 453.87)
Water-soluble, generally regarded as acceptably absorbed, but no dedicated head-to-head human bioavailability RCT was located.
Source: uncertain -- needs review
Elemental fraction: 79.9% (CuO, MW 79.55 (stoichiometric only -- actual bioavailable copper delivered is very low))
Provides essentially no bioavailable copper relative to CuSO4 per chick/rat data.
Source: Baker DH. 1999, J Nutr 129:2278-9, PMID 10573563
Elemental fraction: 25.4% (CuSO4 x 5H2O, pentahydrate ("blue vitriol", standard USP/commercial form; anhydrous at 0.398 also exists))
Used as the reference/comparator form in most animal copper-bioavailability research; highly soluble but not shown superior to organic/chelated forms.
Source: animal comparator evidence, PMID 7883634, not a human RCT
Elemental fraction: 35.3% (Real ambiguity between two documented compounds: Cu3(C6H5O7)2 anhydrous (0.335) vs. Cu2(C6H4O7) x 2.5H2O hemipentahydrate, CAS 10402-15-0 (0.353, used here as the CAS-documented commercial solid))
Marketed as a bioavailable organic copper salt; no direct human comparative bioavailability RCT located.
Source: uncertain -- needs review
Elemental fraction: 30.0% (Cu(C2H4NO2)2, pure 1:2 stoichiometric chelate, MW 211.67 (AAFCO preferred ratio; commercial raw material may be diluted with excess glycine, lowering the actual %))
The specific form used in the one human RCT with a defined copper chelate that demonstrated a measurable physiological effect (raised SOD1/ceruloplasmin).
Source: DiSilvestro RA et al. 2012, Metabolism 61(9):1242-6, PMID 22444781
Reference values
- RDA (adult): 900 elemental mcg
- Tolerable Upper Intake Level (adult): 10000 elemental mcg — Based on protection from liver damage
- Studied clinical dose range: 2000–7800 mcg
- Low end: DiSilvestro RA et al. 2012, Metabolism 61(9):1242-6, PMID 22444781 -- 2mg Cu/day as copper glycinate x8wk in healthy middle-aged adults; raised erythrocyte SOD1/ceruloplasmin activity, no significant lipid/CRP/homocysteine change. High end: Turnlund JR et al. 2005, Am J Clin Nutr 81(4):822-8, PMID 15817858 -- metabolic-ward study, 7.8mg Cu/day x~4.5 months, showed homeostatic adaptation with signals of concern about sustained high intake.
- Note: Labels commonly show mg (1mg = 1000mcg); values here kept in mcg to match the ODS RDA/UL unit.