Tin Price in 1974

In 1974, the price of tin averaged $8,184 per tonne, up 70.4% from the year before. This page covers the 1974 average, high, low, and year-end close, the events that moved the market, and what that tin would be worth in today's dollars.

1974 Average

$8,184

LME annual average, USD/tonne

Change vs 1973

+70.4%

from $4,802 in 1973

What happened to the tin price in 1974

Tin averaged $8,184 per tonne in 1974, surging 70.4% from the $4,802 average of 1973. Annual moves of that size are rare and put 1974 among the most explosive years in the metal's modern history. The defining story of 1974: Oil-shock/inflation spike; price nearly doubled..

Tin rose steeply through the 1970s inflation era and the International Tin Council's buffer-stock support, climbing from around $3,700 to over $15,000 per tonne by 1979.

Adjusted for inflation, tin's 1974 average of $8,184 equals about $53,503 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 tin in 1974?

Tin averaged $8,184 per tonne in 1974, based on World Bank and LME annual average data. That average was up 70.4% from $4,802 in 1973.

What is a 1974 tin price worth in today's dollars?

Adjusted with the US Consumer Price Index, tin's 1974 average of $8,184 works out to roughly $53,503 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 tin price in 1974?

The defining story of 1974: Oil-shock/inflation spike; price nearly doubled.. Against that backdrop, the annual average climbed 70.4%, from $4,802 in 1973 to $8,184.

Annual averages are World Bank and LME tin prices per tonne in US dollars (LME cash and settlement basis). The 1985 to 1988 values reflect the Kuala Lumpur Tin Market basis during the LME tin-trading suspension, 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.