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How are pennies made? From metal blank to bagged coin

4 min read · Updated Oct 9, 2026

How are pennies made, step by step?

Penny production follows the same general sequence as other US circulating coins. A blank is cut from metal strip, heated, cleaned, given a raised rim, struck, then checked and packed. The sections below take each stage in turn.

Penny production: where the blank comes from

The current cent is copper-plated zinc, made of 97.5% zinc and 2.5% copper. It weighs 2.5 grams, measures 19.05 millimeters across and has a plain edge. For the metal mix in more detail, see what pennies are made of.

Coinworld notes that private companies make some blanks and planchets, and that the Mint buys the metal coils it uses.

Composition has changed before. In 1943 the Mint used zinc-coated steel for a short time, which is why that year's coins look different 1943 Steel.

Blanking, annealing and cleaning

Presses punch round blanks from wide metal strip, once with each downward stroke. The blanks are a little larger than the finished coin and have rough edges. Sorting screens remove thin or incomplete pieces, and rejected blanks are melted down again.

Next comes annealing. The blanks are heated to about 1,400 degrees Fahrenheit and dropped into a water bath. They are then tumbled, run through a chemical bath, and dried with hot air.

Raised rim and the strike

Upsetting is the step that gives the coin its rim. A grooved wheel and a shoe press a raised edge onto both faces of each blank. A blank with that rim is called a planchet.

Planchets are fed into the press by gravity from a basin attached to it. The collar forms the edge, and the hammer die moves toward the anvil die, impressing both faces in one blow. A recessed ejection slot then slides over the struck coin and pushes it out.

Inspection, counting and bagging

Sensors can stop the press. Attendants check coins under magnifiers, and a second screen, called a riddler, removes improperly shaped pieces. Computers track production statistics.

Finished coins are counted by machine, weighed, and bagged or boxed. They then ship to Federal Reserve Banks or to private money-handling firms.

Which mints made pennies, and how production ended

A mint mark shows where a coin was struck. Denver's D mark has been used since 1911. Philadelphia coins usually have no mint mark. The P mark appeared on Philadelphia cents in 2017, and the W mark appeared in 2019 on coins not released into circulation. To read the mark on your coin, use the mint mark guide.

The final penny for general circulation was minted at Philadelphia on November 12, 2025. Each of the 232 sets sold in December 2025 held Omega-marked cents from Philadelphia and Denver 2025 Omega privy mark (final strike). The end of the penny guide covers that final run in more detail.

Treasury says the federal government has stopped manufacturing new pennies. The penny remains legal tender, and Treasury counts roughly 114 billion pennies in existence.

Penny Value is an Android app for now, so it isn't on the App Store. The values and checks on this page are free to use.Penny Value is an Android app. Open this page on your Android phone to check your own penny with a photo.

Coins in this guide

• 1943 Steel

  Philadelphia · 684.6 million made

  7.5¢worn

  $2.00MS-60
• 2025 Omega privy mark (final strike)

  Philadelphia · 232 made

  Collector issue

  Rarely sold

Related guides

• The end of the penny: what 2025 means for collectors
• Where's the mint mark? P, D, S and W on every US penny

Sources

1. Coinworld, “How is a coin made? Collector Basics” (accessed 2026-10-09)
2. Wikipedia, “Lincoln cent” (accessed 2026-10-09)
3. Wikipedia, “Penny (United States coin)” (accessed 2026-10-09)
4. U.S. Department of the Treasury, “Penny Production Cessation FAQs” (accessed 2026-10-09)