Copper Price in 2022
In 2022, the price of copper averaged $3.99 per pound, down 5.7% from the year before. This page covers the 2022 average, high, low, and year-end close, the events that moved the market, and what that copper would be worth in today's dollars.
2022 Average
$3.99
LME/COMEX annual average, USD/lb
Change vs 2021
-5.7%
from $4.23 in 2021
What happened to the copper price in 2022
Copper averaged $3.99 per pound in 2022, down 5.7% from $4.23 the year before. The notable development of 2022: Fed hikes; China lockdowns.
The 2020s have been a structural bull market for copper. After a COVID crash to $2.10, unprecedented stimulus, tight mine supply, and surging demand from electric vehicles, renewables, and AI data centers drove copper to fresh records above $5 a pound.
Adjusted for inflation, copper's 2022 average of $3.99 equals about $4.39 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 2022?
What is a 2022 copper price worth in today's dollars?
What moved the copper price in 2022?
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.