Tin Price in 1986

In 1986, the price of tin averaged $6,161 per tonne, down 46.6% from the year before. This page covers the 1986 average, high, low, and year-end close, the events that moved the market, and what that tin would be worth in today's dollars.

1986 Average

$6,161

LME annual average, USD/tonne

Change vs 1985

-46.6%

from $11,539 in 1985

What happened to the tin price in 1986

Tin averaged $6,161 per tonne in 1986, collapsing 46.6% from the $11,539 average of 1985. The defining story of 1986: Crash aftermath; LME tin SUSPENDED all year. Value is KLTM/substitute basis, not true LME cash. Price ~halved..

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 1986 average of $6,161 equals about $18,118 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 1986?

Tin averaged $6,161 per tonne in 1986, based on World Bank and LME annual average data. That average was down 46.6% from $11,539 in 1985.

What is a 1986 tin price worth in today's dollars?

Adjusted with the US Consumer Price Index, tin's 1986 average of $6,161 works out to roughly $18,118 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 1986?

The defining story of 1986: Crash aftermath; LME tin SUSPENDED all year. Value is KLTM/substitute basis, not true LME cash. Price ~halved.. Against that backdrop, the annual average fell 46.6%, from $11,539 in 1985 to $6,161.

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.