Tin Price in 1982
In 1982, the price of tin averaged $12,826 per tonne, down 9.4% from the year before. This page covers the 1982 average, high, low, and year-end close, the events that moved the market, and what that tin would be worth in today's dollars.
1982 Average
$12,826
LME annual average, USD/tonne
Change vs 1981
-9.4%
from $14,159 in 1981
What happened to the tin price in 1982
Tin averaged $12,826 per tonne in 1982, down 9.4% from $14,159 the year before.
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 1982 average of $12,826 equals about $42,838 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 1982?
What is a 1982 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.