Aluminum Price in 2016

In 2016, the price of aluminum averaged $1,604 per tonne, down 3.7% from the year before. This page covers the 2016 average, high, low, and year-end close, the events that moved the market, and what that aluminum would be worth in today's dollars.

2016 Average

$1,604

LME annual average, USD/tonne

Change vs 2015

-3.7%

from $1,665 in 2015

What happened to the aluminum price in 2016

Aluminum averaged $1,604 per tonne in 2016, down 3.7% from $1,665 the year before. The notable development of 2016: Cyclical low amid oversupply concerns.

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 2016 average of $1,604 equals about $2,154 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 2016?

Aluminum averaged $1,604 per tonne in 2016, based on World Bank and LME annual average data. That average was down 3.7% from $1,665 in 2015.

What is a 2016 aluminum price worth in today's dollars?

Adjusted with the US Consumer Price Index, aluminum's 2016 average of $1,604 works out to roughly $2,154 in today's dollars, using 2025 as the CPI base year. The conversion uses BLS CPI-U annual averages, so treat it as a close approximation rather than an exact figure.

What moved the aluminum price in 2016?

The defining story of 2016: Cyclical low amid oversupply concerns. Against that backdrop, the annual average fell 3.7%, from $1,665 in 2015 to $1,604.

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.