How Many Pennies Per Pound


Ever wonder how many pennies there were in a pound of pennies?

This changes based on the type of metal that makes up the penny. See below for details:

Type of



Metal Content of Pennies

95% copper,
5% zinc

97.5% zinc,
2.5% copper

Pennies per Pound*

147 copper pennies per pound

182 zinc pennies per pound

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What year was the penny made of copper?

*Figures may vary with actual coins weighed due to wear and tear, potential corrosion, and various dirt that can fixate to the coins.

Copper pennies were minted in 1982 and older. Zinc pennies were minted in 1982 and newer. The exception is in 1943 when the penny was minted out of steel.

There are approximately 147 copper pennies per pound.

Read: How many pennies are in a ton

Read: Cost to Make a Penny

Wheat cents come in with the same basic weight as copper cents, though there are many more metal impurities in them. The impurities are considered to be insignificant as those impurities generally make up less than 1% of the overall coin. Note that the most of these impurities are tin.

You can buy your own unsearched wheat cents to search for rare pennies here:

Buy Wheat Cents

Want to buy Eisenhower dollar coins for yourself or as a gift? Check them out on our sister site:

Buy Eisenhower Dollar Coins