Aluminum Price in 1986
In 1986, the price of aluminum averaged $1,150 per tonne, up 10.5% from the year before. This page covers the 1986 average, high, low, and year-end close, the events that moved the market, and what that aluminum would be worth in today's dollars.
1986 Average
$1,150
LME annual average, USD/tonne
Change vs 1985
+10.5%
from $1,041 in 1985
What happened to the aluminum price in 1986
Aluminum averaged $1,150 per tonne in 1986, up 10.5% from $1,041 the year before.
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 1986 average of $1,150 equals about $3,382 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 1986?
What is a 1986 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.