Copper Price in 1974
In 1974, the price of copper averaged $0.93 per pound, up 14.8% from the year before. This page covers the 1974 average, high, low, and year-end close, the events that moved the market, and what that copper would be worth in today's dollars.
1974 Average
$0.93
LME/COMEX annual average, USD/lb
Change vs 1973
+14.8%
from $0.81 in 1973
What happened to the copper price in 1974
Copper averaged $0.93 per pound in 1974, up 14.8% from $0.81 the year before.
Copper spent the 1970s buffeted by the decade's twin oil crises and inflation. Priced near $0.52 a pound in 1971, it swung sharply with the 1973-74 commodity boom and the recession that followed, closing the decade around $0.90.
Adjusted for inflation, copper's 1974 average of $0.93 equals about $6.08 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 copper in 1974?
What is a 1974 copper price worth in today's dollars?
Annual averages are LME and COMEX copper prices per pound in US dollars. Where shown, the yearly high, low, and close come from MetalCharts daily historical data and may differ slightly from figures published elsewhere. Inflation adjustments use BLS CPI-U annual averages.