Copper Price in 1981
In 1981, the price of copper averaged $0.79 per pound, down 20.2% from the year before. This page covers the 1981 average, high, low, and year-end close, the events that moved the market, and what that copper would be worth in today's dollars.
1981 Average
$0.79
LME/COMEX annual average, USD/lb
Change vs 1980
-20.2%
from $0.99 in 1980
What happened to the copper price in 1981
Copper averaged $0.79 per pound in 1981, sliding 20.2% from the $0.99 average of 1980.
The 1980s were mostly difficult for copper. Volcker's rate hikes, a deep early-decade recession, and the Latin American debt crisis kept prices depressed for years before a late-decade surge on strong global demand pushed copper back above a dollar.
Adjusted for inflation, copper's 1981 average of $0.79 equals about $2.80 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 1981?
What is a 1981 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.