Determinations of total copper, extracted with HF-HClO4, were carried out in 227 samples of 28 profiles of 14 soil units of the State of São Paulo, using the atomic absorption spectrophotometry. The amount of copper found in the different soils was mainly determined by the copper content of the soil forming material. In soils derived from basic igneous rocks, the weighted average contents of their A horizons were between 89 and 335 ppm; in those derived from alluvial and colluvial materials the contents were 26 and 29 ppm; in those derived from modern sediments, the contents were between 6 and 49 ppm and in those derived from Bauru sandstone and modern sandy sediments the contents were between 2 and 12 ppm. A significant correlation (r = 0,79**) was determined between the Fe2O3, and the total copper contents in the studied soils.