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Copper sulphate footbath

Updated: 23 October 2026

You keep cattle, or you have read a horse-hoof review, and you are comparing crystal packs on amazon.co.uk as if they were a footbath product. A copper sulphate footbath in published UK dairy guidance is a concentration and a waste problem. In this set, almost none of that is printed. Our [copper sulfate comparison](/hub/diy-supplies/copper-sulfate) is still loose crystals, lime kits, and traditional-name packs. None shows a veterinary marketing authorisation. This page does not tell you how to acidify a bath, how to dissolve the crystals, or how to pack a hoof. A qualifying purchase can earn us a commission at no extra cost to you. Mass and price per kilogram are on the [buying guide](/hub/diy-supplies/copper-sulfate/sub/copper-sulfate-buying-guide).

You keep cattle, or you have read a horse-hoof review, and you are comparing crystal packs on amazon.co.uk as if they were a footbath product.

Our top picks

SOW 'N' GROW 5 kg copper sulphate pentahydrate

Best overall

SOW 'N' GROW 5 kg copper sulphate pentahydrate
6.5/10about £69.95
View offer
Minerals-water.ltd 500 g copper sulphate pentahydrate

Rank 2

Minerals-water.ltd 500 g copper sulphate pentahydrate
8.8/10about £7.97
View offer
MAIGORAY 1 kg copper sulphate pentahydrate

Best value

MAIGORAY 1 kg copper sulphate pentahydrate
8.6/10about £7.97
View offer
On this page
  1. 1.What these listings print about a footbath
  2. 2.The AHDB band, and what a pack can cover
  3. 3.Spent solution
  4. 4.Horse-hoof reviews and a lame animal

What these listings print about a footbath

Only the 5 kg tub uses the word footbath: £69.95, 4.5 from two ratings, a minimum assay of 99.5%, and no review text. The same line also says fungicide, algaecide, and pool, and describes cattle footbaths as typically 2 to 5 percent. Two ratings are not a veterinary authorisation. The 1 kg bucket is a lab chemical at £7.97. It does not become a footbath medicine because another listing uses the word. Fungicide wording is not a reason to spray plants.

The AHDB band, and what a pack can cover

AHDB publishes 4–5% copper sulphate for a non-acidified bath, or 1–2% for a buffered acidified solution. For crystals, 5% is 50 g per litre. Some copper stays in suspension, so a bath can look cloudy. This page does not add a method for acidifying, and it does not name an acid. Parlour washings are a poor idea there because high pH and soaps work against the bath. As buying scale only, 100 g covers 2 litres, 1 kg covers 20 litres, and 5 kg covers 100 litres. AHDB’s example bath, 60 cm by 300 cm by 12 cm, is 216 litres and would need 10.8 kg, more than the 5 kg tub. That figure is not an instruction to mix a bath.
SOW 'N' GROW 5 kg copper sulphate pentahydrate

Testsieger

SOW 'N' GROW 5 kg copper sulphate pentahydrate
6.5/10about £69.95
View offer

Spent solution

Do not tip spent solution onto pasture, into a ditch, a pond, or a drain. AHDB treats copper sulphate as an environmental hazard on grass, and some countries ban it because it accumulates in soil. A correct strength does not make the waste harmless. In England the incident line is 0800 80 70 60. Eyes and spills are on the handling page. Farm waste disposal usually needs a permit. This page does not invent an exemption. AHDB’s limit is no more than one cow passage per litre before a fresh bath. If you have nowhere lawful for the spent solution, do not buy the 5 kg tub to solve a foot problem.

Horse-hoof reviews and a lame animal

Hoof reviews, including seedy toe and white line, are not a marketing authorisation, and a horse story is not evidence for a cattle bath. The British Horse Society tells owners who suspect white line disease to call a farrier or a vet. A product presented as treating disease in animals can be a veterinary medicine and needs a marketing authorisation. No file here shows a VMD number. This page does not diagnose lameness or give a dressing method. The 5 kg tub is about £13.99 per kilogram, dearer than the 1 kg at £7.97. Buy a lawful route for the waste before you buy the larger tub.

Common questions

What strength does AHDB publish for a cattle footbath made with copper sulphate crystals?
AHDB publishes 4–5% for a non-acidified bath, and 1–2% for a buffered acidified solution. For crystals, 5% is 50 g per litre of water. This page does not describe how to acidify the bath or how to dissolve the salt. The 2 to 5 percent line on the 5 kg listing is seller text, not a veterinary authorisation.
Why might the bath stay cloudy even when the crystals are in the water?
AHDB notes that some of the copper remains in suspension rather than fully dissolving. Cloudiness is not proof that you have mixed a licensed product, and it is not a reason to keep adding crystals. These listings do not print a method for getting more of the salt into solution.
Can I tip the used bath onto pasture or into a ditch?
No. Do not discard spent solution onto pasture, into a ditch, into a pond, or down a drain. AHDB treats copper sulphate as an environmental hazard if it is dumped on grass. In England, water pollution goes to the Environment Agency on 0800 80 70 60. Other nations use their own lines. Farm waste disposal is regulated. This page does not offer a home treatment for the waste.
A review says copper sulphate fixed a horse’s hoof. Is that a licensed use of these packs?
No. Hoof stories are not a VMD marketing authorisation, and none of these files shows one. A review is not evidence you can transfer from a horse to cattle. Suspected white line disease belongs with a farrier or a vet. This page does not copy a hoof-packing method.
My cow or horse is lame. Can this page tell me what is wrong?
No. Diagnosis stays with a vet. This page does not choose a disease or a treatment course. It only sets the published cattle band and the waste limit next to what these listings actually print. If you are unsure the animal is safe to leave until a visit, that is a veterinary call, not a crystal calculation.

Related pages

Best copper sulphate

Copper sulfate

Copper sulphate and lime mixture for allotment kits

Copper sulphate buying guide: hydrate, grams and job

Copper sulphate safety handling before you open it

Sources

Public UK sources and the amazon.co.uk listings compared on this page. Listings stored 20 October 2026.

  1. HSE: garden and allotment pesticides (retrieved 20.10.2026)
  2. HSE: active substance register (retrieved 20.10.2026)
  3. HSE: amateur garden pesticide database (retrieved 20.10.2026)
  4. NHS: poisoning (retrieved 20.10.2026)
  5. GOV.UK: report water pollution (retrieved 20.10.2026)
  6. GOV.UK: pollution prevention for businesses (retrieved 20.10.2026)
  7. Fisher Scientific UK: copper(II) sulphate pentahydrate safety data sheet, part C/8520 (retrieved 20.10.2026)