Home › Biomarkers › Copper
If you are 18 or older, the recommended amount of copper is 0.9 milligrams a day. You usually get enough from your food.[1]
On this page you can read what copper is, what the guidelines say about a level that is too low or too high, what affects your level and which other levels are best to look at alongside it.
Also known as: Cu, cuprum. At the lab: CU.
Copper is a trace element. That is a mineral your body needs only very little of. Even so, it has several jobs in your body.[1]
Copper is found in vegetables, fruit, meat, wholegrain products and bread, and in cocoa products.[1]
Copper is needed to form connective tissue and bones. It also gives your hair its pigment.[1]
Copper contributes to the normal function of your immune system and your blood clotting. It is also involved in transferring oxygen in your body.[1]
According to the Voedingscentrum, getting a little less than the recommended amount does not straight away mean you have a deficiency. For most people, that amount is more than they need.[1]
Labplusarts, the lab BioProfile works with, uses a reference range for copper of 10.0 to 24.0 umol/l. The lab calls a level between those limits normal.[2]
| Amount per day | What it is | Who it is for |
|---|---|---|
| 0.9 milligrams[1] | Recommended daily amount | 18 years and over |
| 1.0 milligrams[1] | Recommended daily amount | If you are pregnant |
| 1.3 milligrams[1] | Recommended daily amount | If you breastfeed your baby |
| 4 milligrams[1] | Tolerable upper limit | 11 to 17 years |
| 5 milligrams[1] | Tolerable upper limit | 18 years and over |
Source: Voedingscentrum. These limits are about how much copper you take in from your food each day, not about the level in your blood.[1]
According to the Voedingscentrum, there are no signs of copper deficiency in the Netherlands. A severe copper deficiency leads to anaemia, lighter skin and demineralisation of the bones.[1]
An extreme amount of copper in your body can irritate your gut and mucous membranes. This can make you feel sick, or cause vomiting or diarrhoea. With a rare metabolic disease, the body cannot properly process an excess of copper, so it builds up in the blood.[1]
BioProfile is working on its own zones for each value, from risk to optimal. A doctor reviews those zones before they appear in your result.
Copper is found in vegetables, fruit, meat, wholegrain bread and grain products, and cocoa products. If you eat a healthy, varied diet, you get enough copper.[1]
If you take in more iron, zinc and vitamin C than a normal diet contains, your body absorbs copper less well.[1]
Taking in too much copper over a long time can be harmful to your health. For adults, the tolerable upper limit is 5 milligrams a day.[1]
With a rare metabolic disease, the body cannot process copper properly. The copper then builds up in the blood.[1]
Copper is included in BioProfile 150.[3]
The BioProfile editorial team wrote this page on 10 October 2026 from the sources below, which we read on 10 October 2026. Every number on this page appears in one of those sources, with that source's number next to it. An expert has yet to check this page; after that check, the expert's name and the date of the check will appear at the top. This page offers explanation, not a diagnosis. Discuss a value outside the range with your GP.
