Yes, it is illegal to melt US pennies. The federal regulation that governs this is 31 CFR Part 82 — 5-Cent and One-Cent Coin Regulations, published by the US Department of the Treasury. The rule has been in effect since December 2006, when copper prices climbed high enough that the metal in a penny was worth more than one cent.
The penny melt value calculator lets you look up today’s melt value of pennies — but actual melting remains prohibited.
What the Law Says
The exact text of 31 CFR § 82.1 reads:
Except as specifically authorized by the Secretary of the Treasury (or designee) or as otherwise provided in this part, no person shall export, melt, or treat: (a) Any 5-cent coin of the United States; or (b) Any one-cent coin of the United States.
The regulation covers three separate acts: exporting, melting, and treating (chemically altering to extract metal). All three are prohibited for both the penny and the nickel without prior Treasury authorization.
The rule was adopted under the authority of 31 U.S.C. § 5111(d), which gives the Secretary of the Treasury the power to limit the melting or exportation of coins when the Secretary determines it is necessary to protect the coinage supply.
Why the Law Exists
The Mint issued this regulation in December 2006 because copper prices had risen sharply. At the time, the metal in a pre-1982 copper penny was worth about 1.4 cents — more than its face value. Nickels were similarly over par in metal value. Without the regulation, bulk buyers would have an economic incentive to accumulate coins and sell the raw metal, draining coins from circulation.
The problem still exists today. At copper spot prices of October 7, 2026 ($6.57 per pound), the 95% copper in a pre-1982 cent has a melt value of roughly $0.043 — about 4.3 times face value.
| Coin | Metal content | Approx. melt value (Oct 7, 2026) |
|---|---|---|
| Pre-1982 copper cent | 3.11 g, 95% copper | ~$0.043 |
| Post-1982 zinc cent | 2.5 g, 97.5% zinc | ~$0.005 |
| Jefferson nickel (post-1964) | 5.0 g, 75% copper / 25% nickel | ~$0.045 |
| 1943 steel cent | 2.70 g, zinc-coated steel | minimal |
Source: Compositions from US Mint coin specifications. Metal values calculated from spot prices noted above; check the coin melt value calculator for live figures.
The Exceptions — Section 82.2
31 CFR § 82.2 provides a narrow exception:
The prohibition contained in § 82.1 against the exportation, melting, or treatment of 5-cent coins and one-cent coins of the United States shall not apply to the treatment of these coins for educational, scientific, numismatic, artistic, or similar purposes in quantities that are not likely to deplete the coinage supply or be used for profit from the metal content.
In plain terms, this exception is meant for things like:
- Artists who plate a small number of coins for jewelry or sculpture
- Schools that flatten pennies in a coin press (a souvenir machine)
- Numismatists who clean or preserve individual coins
It does not cover bulk melting for metal value. The phrase “not likely to deplete the coinage supply” makes clear that commercial-scale processing is still prohibited. The Treasury has not published a numeric threshold (such as “fewer than X coins”), which means the exception is fact-specific.
Export Restriction
The same regulation also bans exporting pennies and nickels. This matters for anyone shipping large bags of US cents overseas, whether to a foreign metal recycler or simply as currency. The $5-face-value-per-person export exemption that applied before December 2006 was eliminated when Part 82 took effect.
Penalties
Under 31 U.S.C. § 5111(d), a person who violates the Secretary’s restrictions on melting or exporting coins is subject to:
- A civil or criminal fine up to $10,000
- Imprisonment up to five years
- Forfeiture of the coins and any equipment used
Prosecutions specifically for penny melting are rare in practice, but the law is enforceable. A commercial operation buying circulating cents for their copper content would face significant legal risk.
What You Can Legally Do
- Sort and hold copper pennies. Keeping pre-1982 cents in a jar or a safe is entirely legal. Many people do this as an informal copper accumulation strategy.
- Spend or deposit them. Circulating or depositing copper pennies at face value is fine.
- Sell them to coin dealers. Dealers buy copper cents for numismatic or melt-anticipation purposes and resell to collectors or investors. This is legal because no melting occurs.
- Roll them and exchange at a bank. Wrapping and exchanging cents for paper currency is normal banking activity.
Does the Law Cover Old, Uncirculated Pennies?
Yes. The regulation covers all one-cent coins of the United States regardless of date, condition, or whether they have ever circulated. A bag of 1909 wheat cents is subject to the same melting prohibition as a bag of 2024 Lincoln cents.
However, if a coin has substantial numismatic value, selling it to a coin dealer rather than smelting it is almost always more profitable anyway. A key-date wheat cent in fine condition can bring multiples of its copper melt value.
Nickels Follow the Same Rules
Because 31 CFR Part 82 covers both one-cent and five-cent coins, everything above applies equally to nickels. Standard post-1964 Jefferson nickels are 75% copper and 25% nickel. War nickels (1942–1945) contain 35% silver and are a separate consideration — their silver value far exceeds melt, and selling them to dealers is the practical path rather than melting.
Practical Takeaway
The melt value of a copper penny at today’s prices is real money — roughly 4 cents per coin — but cashing in on that value by melting is a federal crime. The legal strategy for copper cent accumulators is to hold and wait: either for the law to change, for someone to pay a premium for bags of copper cents, or to sell to collectors who prize them for numismatic reasons. The penny melt value calculator tracks the spot-price math daily so you can monitor where things stand.