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

2008 High

$3,423

from daily trading data

2008 Low

$845

from daily trading data

Year-End Close

$1,012

last trading day of 2008

Lead Price Chart, 1998 to 2018

Annual average lead price per tonne, 1998 to 2018, with 2008 marked.

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. Daily trading data shows lead moved between a low of $845 and a high of $3,423 during the year, ending 2008 at $1,012. 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. Daily prices ranged from a low of $845 to a high of $3,423, and the year closed at $1,012. 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.