SEGMENT AND RELATED INFORMATION: (Details 5)	12 Months Ended
Dec. 31, 2015 T
Copper cathodes \| Mitsui
Long-term sales contract
Quantity to be supplied (in tons)	48,000
Quantity to be supplied related to prior contract (period 1994-2000) (in tons)	90,000
Quantity to be supplied related to prior contract in 2014 (in tons)	48,000
Term of agreement	5 years
Quantity to be supplied related to prior contract in 2015 (in tons)	42,000
Quantity to be supplied related to additional annual contract in 2015 (in tons)	6,000
Quantity to be supplied related to additional annual contract from 2016 until 2019 (in tons)	48,000
Additional term in which contract may be renewed	5 years
Copper cathodes \| Mitsui \| Tia Maria
Long-term sales contract
Quantity to be supplied following the full startup of project (in tons)	24,000
Molybdenum concentrates \| Molibdenos y Metales
Long-term sales contract
Quantity to be supplied (in tons)	26,210
Period for which contract can be extended	1 year
Minimum period for which contract is to be maintained	3 years
Molybdenum concentrates \| Molymex
Long-term sales contract
Minimum percentage of total production required to be supplied	80.00%

- Definition

Represents the quantity of product agreed to be supplied under the additional annual contract following the full startup of the project.

+ References

No definition available.

+ Details

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Namespace Prefix:	scco_
Data Type:	num:massItemType
Balance Type:	na
Period Type:	duration

- Definition

Represents the quantity of product agreed to be supplied under the additional annual contract from 2016 until 2019.

+ References

No definition available.

+ Details

Name:	scco_LongTermSupplyCommitmentsAdditionalAnnualContractQuantityToBeSuppliedFrom2016To2019
Namespace Prefix:	scco_
Data Type:	num:massItemType
Balance Type:	na
Period Type:	duration

- Definition

Represents the quantity of product agreed to be supplied under the additional annual contract in 2015.

+ References

No definition available.

+ Details

Name:	scco_LongTermSupplyCommitmentsAdditionalAnnualContractQuantityToBeSuppliedIn2015
Namespace Prefix:	scco_
Data Type:	num:massItemType
Balance Type:	na
Period Type:	duration

- Definition

Represents the additional term for renewal of contract.

+ References

No definition available.

+ Details

Name:	scco_LongTermSupplyCommitmentsAdditionalContractRenewalTerm
Namespace Prefix:	scco_
Data Type:	xbrli:durationItemType
Balance Type:	na
Period Type:	duration

- Definition

Represents the period for which long-term sales contract can be extended every year in December.

+ References

No definition available.

+ Details

Name:	scco_LongTermSupplyCommitmentsContractExtensionPeriod
Namespace Prefix:	scco_
Data Type:	xbrli:durationItemType
Balance Type:	na
Period Type:	duration

- Definition

Represents the minimum period for which the contract is to be maintained unless either party to contract decides to terminate the agreement.

+ References

No definition available.

+ Details

Name:	scco_LongTermSupplyCommitmentsMinimumContractPeriodToBeMaintained
Namespace Prefix:	scco_
Data Type:	xbrli:durationItemType
Balance Type:	na
Period Type:	duration

- Definition

Represents the minimum percentage of the entity's total production of goods that must be supplied within the specified time period of the agreement.

+ References

No definition available.

+ Details

Name:	scco_LongTermSupplyCommitmentsMinimumPercentageOfProductionCommitted
Namespace Prefix:	scco_
Data Type:	num:percentItemType
Balance Type:	na
Period Type:	duration

- Definition

Represents the quantity of product agreed to be supplied under the prior long-term sales contract for the period 1994 to 2000.

+ References

No definition available.

+ Details

Name:	scco_LongTermSupplyCommitmentsPriorContractsQuantity
Namespace Prefix:	scco_
Data Type:	num:massItemType
Balance Type:	na
Period Type:	duration

- Definition

Represents the quantity of product agreed to be supplied under the prior long-term sales contract in 2014.

+ References

No definition available.

+ Details

Name:	scco_LongTermSupplyCommitmentsPriorContractsQuantityToBeSuppliedIn2014
Namespace Prefix:	scco_
Data Type:	num:massItemType
Balance Type:	na
Period Type:	duration

- Definition

Represents the quantity of product agreed to be supplied under the prior long-term sales contract in 2015.

+ References

No definition available.

+ Details

Name:	scco_LongTermSupplyCommitmentsPriorContractsQuantityToBeSuppliedIn2015
Namespace Prefix:	scco_
Data Type:	num:massItemType
Balance Type:	na
Period Type:	duration

- Definition

Represents the quantity of product agreed to be supplied over a specified time period under the long-term sales contract.

+ References

No definition available.

+ Details

Name:	scco_LongTermSupplyCommitmentsQuantity
Namespace Prefix:	scco_
Data Type:	num:massItemType
Balance Type:	na
Period Type:	duration

- References

No definition available.

+ Details

Name:	scco_ScheduleOfLongTermSupplyCommitmentsLineItems
Namespace Prefix:	scco_
Data Type:	xbrli:stringItemType
Balance Type:	na
Period Type:	duration

- Definition

Represents the term of the agreement entered into.

+ References

No definition available.

+ Details

Name:	scco_TermOfAgreement
Namespace Prefix:	scco_
Data Type:	xbrli:durationItemType
Balance Type:	na
Period Type:	duration

- Details

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Namespace Prefix:
Data Type:	na
Balance Type:
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- Details

Name:	dei_LegalEntityAxis=scco_MitsuiCoLtdMember
Namespace Prefix:
Data Type:	na
Balance Type:
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- Details

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Namespace Prefix:
Data Type:	na
Balance Type:
Period Type:

- Details

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Namespace Prefix:
Data Type:	na
Balance Type:
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- Details

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Namespace Prefix:
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- Details

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