To provide a free cutting copper alloy having excellent machinability without depending on working conditions in machining, in which the control of the amount of Pb to be eluted (≤0.01 mg/l) can be satisfied, and also, the scrap of the existing free cutting copper alloy can be used as a part of the raw material, thereby the production cost can be made iexpensive.

In this copper alloy containing Bi and Pb, Bi and Pb are present as a Bi-Pb compound in the matrix of the copper alloy. Preferably, the concentration of Bi in the copper alloy is 0.5 to 4.0%, the concentration of Pb is 0.1 to 1.0%, and the relation of 1.5≤Bi%+Pb%≤4.1 is satisfied.