Aluminum Price in 2012
In 2012, the price of aluminum averaged $2,023 per tonne, down 15.7% from the year before. This page covers the 2012 average, high, low, and year-end close, the events that moved the market, and what that aluminum would be worth in today's dollars.
2012 Average
$2,023
LME annual average, USD/tonne
Change vs 2011
-15.7%
from $2,401 in 2011
What happened to the aluminum price in 2012
Aluminum averaged $2,023 per tonne in 2012, sliding 15.7% from the $2,401 average of 2011.
Chronic Chinese oversupply kept aluminum range-bound through the 2010s, mostly between $1,600 and $2,400, with a brief 2018 spike on US sanctions against Rusal.
Adjusted for inflation, aluminum's 2012 average of $2,023 equals about $2,840 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 2012?
What is a 2012 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.