Copper helps the body make red and white blood cells and release iron so it can be used to form haemoglobin. This test measures the total copper in your serum. Most of that copper travels on a single protein, caeruloplasmin, so the result is shaped by anything that changes caeruloplasmin, including oestrogen, pregnancy and inflammation.
What is measured
- Serum copper (measured): total copper in serum, most of it bound to caeruloplasmin.
Useful for
- Checking copper if you have taken high-dose zinc supplements for a long time
- Checking copper if you have a condition that affects absorption, such as coeliac disease, or have had surgery to the stomach or bowel
- Providing a result a clinician has asked for, alongside other tests
The price covers laboratory analysis and the laboratory's report with its reference range. Interpretation and consultations are optional extras.
Sample: venous blood sample. Biomarkers: 1. Fasting: not usually required.
Copper Blood Test
- Serum copper (measured): total copper in serum, usually reported in µmol/L.
The following are not included:
- Caeruloplasmin: the main copper-carrying protein. Lab Tests Online UK advises that copper results are interpreted alongside caeruloplasmin.
- Non-caeruloplasmin-bound copper: a calculated value that needs both copper and caeruloplasmin.
- 24-hour urine copper: an important test in the assessment of Wilson's disease.
- Zinc and a full blood count, which are often relevant to a low copper result.
Copper is a trace element found in foods such as nuts, shellfish and offal. Adults need only a small amount, about 1.2mg a day according to the NHS. Inside the body, copper is built into enzymes that handle oxygen and energy, protect cells against oxidative damage, strengthen connective tissue and move iron into a form the body can use. This last role explains why copper deficiency can cause anaemia even when iron intake is adequate.
Copper is absorbed in the gut, processed by the liver and removed mainly in bile. The liver loads copper onto caeruloplasmin before releasing it into the blood. Lab Tests Online UK notes that caeruloplasmin carries about 95% of the copper in blood, so serum copper largely tracks caeruloplasmin levels.
Two rare inherited conditions show what happens when copper handling fails. In Wilson's disease, the liver cannot excrete copper properly, so it builds up in the liver and brain. Liver UK estimates that about 1 in 30,000 people are affected. In Menkes disease, which mainly affects boys, copper cannot reach the brain and other tissues. Acquired copper deficiency is also uncommon, and is usually linked to poor absorption or to excess zinc, which blocks copper uptake in the gut.
Your report will show the laboratory's reference range. Because caeruloplasmin is affected by hormones and inflammation, several everyday factors can move the result:
- Higher results are seen in pregnancy, with oestrogen and oral contraceptives, with some medicines such as carbamazepine and phenobarbital, and with inflammatory conditions such as rheumatoid arthritis. Inflammation or infection raises caeruloplasmin, and copper rises with it.
- Lower results can reflect true copper deficiency or low caeruloplasmin for other reasons, including Wilson's disease, in which blood copper is typically low even though copper is accumulating in the liver.
- Contamination from collection equipment can raise the result. Lab Tests Online UK notes that an unexpectedly high result may need repeating.
Abnormal copper results point towards further investigation. They do not make a diagnosis on their own. Low copper with anaemia or a low white cell count, or a result that does not fit your circumstances, should be discussed with your GP. Where a result needs medical attention, we will advise you to see your GP and, with your consent, can write to them.
Lab Tests Online UK does not recommend copper testing as a general screen. It earns its place when there is a specific reason to look:
- High zinc intake: the NHS warns that high doses of zinc reduce how much copper the body can absorb, which can lead to anaemia and weakened bones. People who have taken more than the NHS limit of 25mg of zinc a day for a long time are an obvious group to consider.
- Reduced absorption: malabsorption conditions such as coeliac disease, and operations that bypass or remove part of the stomach or small bowel.
- High copper intake: the NHS advises that 10mg a day or less of copper, from all sources combined, is unlikely to cause harm. Long-term higher intakes can affect the liver and kidneys.
May find it useful: long-term users of zinc supplements; people with coeliac disease or other malabsorption, or previous stomach or bowel surgery; people asked by a clinician for a copper result.
May not need it: healthy people with a normal diet and no risk factors.
Should take a different route:
- Possible Wilson's disease: if a close family member has Wilson's disease, or you have unexplained liver problems or new movement or psychiatric symptoms, speak to your GP. Liver UK advises that close relatives of a diagnosed person should be tested, and diagnosis relies on several specialist tests, including copper and genetic studies. A serum copper result alone can neither confirm nor rule it out.
- Jaundice, confusion or a swollen abdomen need prompt medical assessment.
Established: copper is essential for forming blood cells, using iron, maintaining connective tissue and protecting cells from oxidative damage. Both deficiency and excess cause recognisable illness.
Practical relevance with age: older adults are more likely to have had gut surgery, to take supplements, or to combine products that contain zinc. These are the situations in which copper problems tend to arise, and they are worth reviewing with a pharmacist.
Emerging research: copper's role in oxidative chemistry has made it a subject of research into brain ageing and neurodegenerative disease. This work has not produced a recommendation to test or adjust copper in healthy people.
Not supported: using serum copper as a marker of how well someone is ageing, or taking copper supplements without a demonstrated deficiency.
- No special preparation is usually needed, and fasting is not normally required. We will confirm if the laboratory asks otherwise.
- Tell us if you are pregnant or use the contraceptive pill, HRT or other oestrogen, as these raise copper.
- List any zinc, copper or multimineral supplements and how long you have taken them.
- If you have an infection or inflammatory flare, consider waiting until you are well, as inflammation can raise copper.
- Copper needs a trace-element collection tube to avoid contamination, so samples are taken by venepuncture.
Choose how your sample is taken when you book. We confirm the collection option, any collection fee and the expected turnaround time before you book.
- Juvenology Clinic, Maidstone (82 King Street, Maidstone ME14 1BH): Available.
- Partner collection location, including London: Available on request. We confirm availability for your postcode before you book.
- Postal home finger-prick kit: Not available for this test.
Sample: Venous blood sample (serum, trace-element tube as specified by the laboratory)
Collection notes: Venous sample only: copper is easily contaminated, so it is collected into a trace-element tube rather than by finger-prick. Fasting is not normally required. Tell us about oestrogen-containing medicines, pregnancy and zinc or copper supplements.
The price of this test covers laboratory analysis and the laboratory's results report. The report lists each result beside the laboratory's reference range.
Beyond the blood test: optional support, priced separately
- Personalised written interpretation report: £50
- General consultation: £50
- Results consultation (results discussion and follow-up advice): £100
- Personalised programme: from £150, after we assess whether a programme suits you
Consultations are with Marina, an NMC-registered nurse with an Executive MSc in Longevity from the Geneva College of Longevity Science. She explains what your results show and how they relate to lifestyle. No prescription service is offered with these tests.
If a result suggests you need medical follow-up, we will recommend that you see your GP and, with your consent, can provide a letter to take with you. A blood test cannot rule out every condition. If you have symptoms, speak to your GP or NHS 111, and call 999 in an emergency.
Can this test diagnose or rule out Wilson's disease?
No. Wilson's disease is diagnosed by specialists using a combination of tests, including caeruloplasmin, urine copper and genetic testing. If you are concerned, speak to your GP.
Why does the contraceptive pill affect my result?
Oestrogen increases caeruloplasmin, the protein that carries most copper in blood, so total copper rises.
I take zinc. Why might my copper be low?
Zinc and copper compete for absorption in the gut. High doses of zinc taken over a long period can reduce copper uptake enough to cause deficiency.
Why isn't caeruloplasmin included?
This product measures serum copper only. If your result is abnormal, a clinician may request caeruloplasmin alongside it.
Can I use a home finger-prick kit?
Copper is easily affected by contamination, so this test is taken as a venous sample at the clinic or, where available, at a partner location.
Is interpretation included?
The price covers the laboratory analysis and report. You can add a personalised written interpretation report (£50) or book a results consultation (£100).
- Copper. Lab Tests Online UK. https://labtestsonline.org.uk/tests/copper
- Zinc. Lab Tests Online UK. https://labtestsonline.org.uk/tests/zinc
- Vitamins and minerals: others (copper and zinc). NHS. https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/vitamins-and-minerals/others/
- Wilson's disease. Liver UK (formerly the British Liver Trust), reviewed 2025. https://liveruk.org/about-liver-disease/conditions/wilsons-disease/
