Aluminum Price in 1985
In 1985, the price of aluminum averaged $1,041 per tonne, down 16.8% from the year before. This page covers the 1985 average, high, low, and year-end close, the events that moved the market, and what that aluminum would be worth in today's dollars.
1985 Average
$1,041
LME annual average, USD/tonne
Change vs 1984
-16.8%
from $1,251 in 1984
What happened to the aluminum price in 1985
Aluminum averaged $1,041 per tonne in 1985, sliding 16.8% from the $1,251 average of 1984.
A deep early-1980s recession pulled aluminum back below $1,000, before a late-decade supply squeeze from capacity closures and depleted inventories spiked it to a then-record near $2,550 in 1988.
Adjusted for inflation, aluminum's 1985 average of $1,041 equals about $3,118 in today's dollars. The conversion uses US Bureau of Labor Statistics CPI-U annual averages, so treat it as a close approximation rather than an exact figure.
Frequently Asked Questions
What was the price of aluminum in 1985?
What is a 1985 aluminum price worth in today's dollars?
Annual averages are World Bank and LME aluminum prices per tonne in US dollars (LME cash and settlement basis). Values before the LME aluminium contract launched in October 1978 are producer and list-price proxies, and the 2025 figure is preliminary. Where daily data exists, the per-year high, low, and close come from MetalCharts historical data. Inflation adjustments use BLS CPI-U annual averages.