Laboratory-scale batch studies were carried out to assess the potential of using coir as a low-cost adsorbent for lead and copper. For both metals, equilibrium and kinetic studies were carried out. The effects of pH, contact time, sorbate concentration, particle size and the sorbent mass were examined. It was found that pH was a crucial factor in determining the adsorption of both metals. The equilibrium data fitted both the Langmuir and the Freundlich models with correlation coefficients >0.9. Based on the Langmuir constants, lead had a higher sorption capacity (48.84 mg g(-1)) than copper (19.30 mg g(-1)). The kinetic studies showed that the adsorption rates were a function of the initial sorbate concentration, the size of the particles being used and the mass of sorbent. The results also showed that the sorption followed second-order kinetics rather than the first-order Lagergren model which has been widely used previously.