The small copper is an active and fast flying butterfly. Its wingspan ranges between 30 and 35 mm. Females are slightly larger and have more rounded forewing tips than the males.
The small copper has bright reddish copper-colored upper forewings with eight or nine black spots and black margins. The hindwings are dark with an orange border.
The undersides of the small copper are patterned in a similar way but are paler. The black spots on the forewings are outlined in yellow and the dark coloring is replaced by a pale brownish grey. The hindwings are the same brown/gray color with small black dots and a narrow orange border.