Document and Entity Information (USD $)	12 Months Ended
	Nov. 30, 2014	Feb. 02, 2015	May 31, 2014
Document Type	10-K
Amendment Flag	false
Document Period End Date	Nov. 30, 2014
Trading Symbol	ncq
Entity Registrant Name	NovaCopper Inc.
Entity Central Index Key	0001543418
Current Fiscal Year End Date	--11-30
Entity Filer Category	Non-accelerated Filer
Entity Common Stock, Shares Outstanding		60,633,701
Entity Current Reporting Status	Yes
Entity Voluntary Filers	No
Entity Well Known Seasoned Issuer	No
Entity Public Float			$ 32,900,000
Document Fiscal Year Focus	2014
Document Fiscal Period Focus	FY