Nickel Price in 1971
In 1971, the price of nickel averaged $2,932 per tonne, up 3.0% from the year before. This page covers the 1971 average, high, low, and year-end close, the events that moved the market, and what that nickel would be worth in today's dollars.
1971 Average
$2,932
LME annual average, USD/tonne
Change vs 1970
+3.0%
from $2,846 in 1970
What happened to the nickel price in 1971
Nickel averaged $2,932 per tonne in 1971, up 3.0% from $2,846 the year before.
Nickel traded as a producer-set metal through the 1970s, well before the LME launched its nickel contract in April 1979; prices rose with inflation from around $2,850 to roughly $5,100 per tonne.
Adjusted for inflation, nickel's 1971 average of $2,932 equals about $23,333 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 nickel in 1971?
What is a 1971 nickel price worth in today's dollars?
Annual averages are World Bank and LME nickel prices per tonne in US dollars (LME cash and settlement basis). Values before the LME nickel contract launched in April 1979 are producer and reference prices, and 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.