Lead Price in 2008

In 2008, the price of lead averaged $2,091 per tonne, down 19.0% from the year before. This page covers the 2008 average, high, low, and year-end close, the events that moved the market, and what that lead would be worth in today's dollars.

2008 Average

$2,091

LME annual average, USD/tonne

Change vs 2007

-19.0%

from $2,580 in 2007

What happened to the lead price in 2008

Lead averaged $2,091 per tonne in 2008, sliding 19.0% from the $2,580 average of 2007. The notable development of 2008: Global financial crisis; prices collapsed through H2.

From an early-2000s trough near $450, the China supercycle and tightening supply spiked lead to about $2,580 in 2007, before the 2008 crisis crash.

Adjusted for inflation, lead's 2008 average of $2,091 equals about $3,130 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 lead in 2008?

Lead averaged $2,091 per tonne in 2008, based on World Bank and LME annual average data. That average was down 19.0% from $2,580 in 2007.

What is a 2008 lead price worth in today's dollars?

Adjusted with the US Consumer Price Index, lead's 2008 average of $2,091 works out to roughly $3,130 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 lead price in 2008?

The defining story of 2008: Global financial crisis; prices collapsed through H2. Against that backdrop, the annual average fell 19.0%, from $2,580 in 2007 to $2,091.

Annual averages are World Bank and LME lead prices per tonne in US dollars (LME cash and settlement basis). 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.