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Tin Price in 1981

In 1981, the price of tin averaged $14,159 per tonne, down 15.6% from the year before. This page covers the 1981 average, high, low, and year-end close, the events that moved the market, and what that tin would be worth in today's dollars.

1981 Average

$14,159

LME annual average, USD/tonne

Change vs 1980

-15.6%

from $16,775 in 1980

What happened to the tin price in 1981

Tin averaged $14,159 per tonne in 1981, sliding 15.6% from the $16,775 average of 1980. The notable development of 1981: 1981-82 recession; ITC ramps up buffer-stock buying on credit..

Tin peaked near $16,800 in 1980, then the 1985 collapse of the International Tin Council's buffer stock triggered a default and a suspension of LME tin trading that halved the price.

Adjusted for inflation, tin's 1981 average of $14,159 equals about $50,203 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 1981?
Tin averaged $14,159 per tonne in 1981, based on World Bank and LME annual average data. That average was down 15.6% from $16,775 in 1980.
What is a 1981 tin price worth in today's dollars?
Adjusted with the US Consumer Price Index, tin's 1981 average of $14,159 works out to roughly $50,203 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 1981?
The defining story of 1981: 1981-82 recession; ITC ramps up buffer-stock buying on credit.. Against that backdrop, the annual average fell 15.6%, from $16,775 in 1980 to $14,159.

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.