when were pennies made of copper

February 28, 2026

U.S. pennies were made mostly of copper from the very beginning of the cent in 1793 up until the early 1980s, with a few important exceptions and a big change in 1982.

Core timeline

From 1793 through most of U.S. history, cents were struck primarily from copper or bronze (an alloy that is still about 95% copper).

In 1943, during World War II, the Mint temporarily switched to zinc‑coated steel pennies to save copper for the war effort.

From 1944 to 1982, regular pennies again contained about 95% copper (bronze), with small tweaks in the exact alloy mix over the years.

In 1982, rising copper prices pushed production costs too high, so the Mint transitioned to pennies made of 97.5% zinc with only a thin copper plating; since 1983 this copper‑plated zinc composition has been the standard.

So, in everyday terms, “pennies were made of copper” for most years up to 1982, apart from special war‑year steel cents in 1943, and modern pennies are mostly zinc with just a copper‑colored skin.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.