Aluminum Price in 1987
In 1987, the price of aluminum averaged $1,565 per tonne, up 36.1% from the year before. This page covers the 1987 average, high, low, and year-end close, the events that moved the market, and what that aluminum would be worth in today's dollars.
1987 Average
$1,565
LME annual average, USD/tonne
Change vs 1986
+36.1%
from $1,150 in 1986
What happened to the aluminum price in 1987
Aluminum averaged $1,565 per tonne in 1987, climbing 36.1% from the $1,150 average of 1986.
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 1987 average of $1,565 equals about $4,440 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 1987?
What is a 1987 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.