BENEFIT PLANS: - Post retirement (Details) - Post retirement defined benefit plans $ / shares in Units, $ in Millions	12 Months Ended
Dec. 31, 2016 USD ($) entity $ / shares	Dec. 31, 2015
Expatriate Plan
Benefit plans
Net asset value (in dollars per share) \| $ / shares	$ 1.00
Mexican Health Plan
Assumptions used to determine the pension obligation and other post-retirement benefits and cost
Number of financial institutions managing plan assets \| entity	3
Plan obligations as a percentage of benefit obligation	30.00%
Asset allocation (as a percent)	100.00%	100.00%
Expected employer contribution in next fiscal year	$ 1.3
Pending payments to former Buenavista workers	$ 3.4
Parent Company (Grupo Mexico) common shares \| Mexican Health Plan
Assumptions used to determine the pension obligation and other post-retirement benefits and cost
Asset allocation (as a percent)	22.00%
Equity securities \| Mexican Health Plan
Assumptions used to determine the pension obligation and other post-retirement benefits and cost
Asset allocation (as a percent)	22.00%	21.00%
Treasury bills \| Mexican Health Plan
Assumptions used to determine the pension obligation and other post-retirement benefits and cost
Asset allocation (as a percent)	78.00%	79.00%

Represents the buyout payments outstanding to workers under defined benefit plans.

No definition available.

Name:	scco_DefinedBenefitPlanBuyoutPaymentsOutstandingToWorkers
Namespace Prefix:	scco_
Data Type:	xbrli:monetaryItemType
Balance Type:	debit
Period Type:	instant

- Definition

Represents the number of financial institutions managing the plan assets.

+ References

No definition available.

+ Details

Name:	scco_DefinedBenefitPlanNumberOfFinancialInstitutionsManagingPlanAssets
Namespace Prefix:	scco_
Data Type:	xbrli:integerItemType
Balance Type:	na
Period Type:	duration

- Definition

Represents the plan obligation as a percentage of the entity's aggregate defined benefit obligation.

+ References

No definition available.

+ Details

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

- References

No definition available.

+ Details

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

- Definition

Represents the company's net asset value per share.

+ References

No definition available.

+ Details

Name:	scco_NetAssetValuePerShare
Namespace Prefix:	scco_
Data Type:	num:perShareItemType
Balance Type:	na
Period Type:	instant

- Definition

Line items represent financial concepts included in a table. These concepts are used to disclose reportable information associated with domain members defined in one or many axes to the table.

+ References

No definition available.

+ Details

Name:	us-gaap_DefinedBenefitPlanDisclosureLineItems
Namespace Prefix:	us-gaap_
Data Type:	xbrli:stringItemType
Balance Type:	na
Period Type:	duration

- Definition

Percentage of fair value of investments (categorized by debt securities, equity securities, real estate and other plan assets) to the fair value of plan assets held.

+ References

Reference 1: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef
-Publisher FASB
-Name Accounting Standards Codification
-Topic 715
-SubTopic 20
-Section 50
-Paragraph 5
-Subparagraph (c)
-URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=65897934&loc=d3e2446-114920

Reference 2: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef
-Publisher FASB
-Name Accounting Standards Codification
-Topic 715
-SubTopic 20
-Section 50
-Paragraph 1
-Subparagraph (d)(1)
-URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=65897934&loc=d3e1928-114920

+ Details

Name:	us-gaap_DefinedBenefitPlanWeightedAverageAssetAllocations
Namespace Prefix:	us-gaap_
Data Type:	num:percentItemType
Balance Type:	na
Period Type:	instant

- Definition

Amount of employer's best estimate of contributions expected to be paid to the plan during the next fiscal year beginning after the date of the latest statement of financial position.

+ References

Reference 1: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef
-Publisher FASB
-Name Accounting Standards Codification
-Topic 715
-SubTopic 20
-Section 50
-Paragraph 1
-Subparagraph (g)
-URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=65897934&loc=d3e1928-114920

+ Details

Name:	us-gaap_DefinedBenefitPlansEstimatedFutureEmployerContributionsInNextFiscalYear
Namespace Prefix:	us-gaap_
Data Type:	xbrli:monetaryItemType
Balance Type:	debit
Period Type:	duration

- Details

Name:	us-gaap_DefinedBenefitPlansDisclosuresDefinedBenefitPlansAxis=us-gaap_OtherPostretirementBenefitPlansDefinedBenefitMember
Namespace Prefix:
Data Type:	na
Balance Type:
Period Type:

- Details

Name:	us-gaap_PlanNameAxis=scco_ExpatriatePlanMember
Namespace Prefix:
Data Type:	na
Balance Type:
Period Type:

- Details

Name:	us-gaap_PlanNameAxis=scco_MexicanPlanMember
Namespace Prefix:
Data Type:	na
Balance Type:
Period Type:

- Details

Name:	dei_LegalEntityAxis=scco_HoldingCompanyMember
Namespace Prefix:
Data Type:	na
Balance Type:
Period Type:

- Details

Name:	us-gaap_DefinedBenefitPlanByPlanAssetCategoriesAxis=us-gaap_EquitySecuritiesMember
Namespace Prefix:
Data Type:	na
Balance Type:
Period Type:

- Details

Name:	us-gaap_DefinedBenefitPlanByPlanAssetCategoriesAxis=scco_MexicanTreasuryBillSecuritiesMember
Namespace Prefix:
Data Type:	na
Balance Type:
Period Type: