DESCRIPTION OF THE BUSINESS: (Details)	Dec. 31, 2018
DESCRIPTION OF THE BUSINESS:
Percentage of ownership interest held by the parent company	88.90%

Represents the percentage of stock owned by parent.

No definition available.

Name:	scco_PercentageOfOwnershipByParent
Namespace Prefix:	scco_
Data Type:	num:percentItemType
Balance Type:	na
Period Type:	instant