Copper Price in 2018

In 2018, the price of copper averaged $2.96 per pound, up 5.7% from the year before. This page covers the 2018 average, high, low, and year-end close, the events that moved the market, and what that copper would be worth in today's dollars.

2018 Average

$2.96

LME/COMEX annual average, USD/lb

Change vs 2017

+5.7%

from $2.80 in 2017

2018 High

$3.32

from daily trading data

2018 Low

$2.55

from daily trading data

Year-End Close

$2.63

last trading day of 2018

What happened to the copper price in 2018

Copper averaged $2.96 per pound in 2018, up 5.7% from $2.80 the year before. Daily trading data shows copper moved between a low of $2.55 and a high of $3.32 during the year, ending 2018 at $2.63. The notable development of 2018: U.S.-China trade war begins.

The 2010s opened at record highs near $4.65 a pound in 2011, then ground lower for years as Chinese growth slowed, commodities sold off, and US-China trade tensions weighed on sentiment, before a late-decade stabilization.

Adjusted for inflation, copper's 2018 average of $2.96 equals about $3.80 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 2018?

Copper averaged $2.96 per pound in 2018, based on LME and COMEX annual average data. Daily prices ranged from a low of $2.55 to a high of $3.32, and the year closed at $2.63. That average was up 5.7% from $2.80 in 2017.

What is a 2018 copper price worth in today's dollars?

Adjusted with the US Consumer Price Index, copper's 2018 average of $2.96 works out to roughly $3.80 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 copper price in 2018?

The defining story of 2018: U.S.-China trade war begins. Against that backdrop, the annual average climbed 5.7%, from $2.80 in 2017 to $2.96.

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.