Tin Price in 1978
In 1978, the price of tin averaged $12,875 per tonne, up 19.2% from the year before. This page covers the 1978 average, high, low, and year-end close, the events that moved the market, and what that tin would be worth in today's dollars.
1978 Average
$12,875
LME annual average, USD/tonne
Change vs 1977
+19.2%
from $10,804 in 1977
What happened to the tin price in 1978
Tin averaged $12,875 per tonne in 1978, climbing 19.2% from the $10,804 average of 1977.
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 1978 average of $12,875 equals about $63,644 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 1978?
What is a 1978 tin price worth in today's dollars?
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.