Tin Price in 1987
In 1987, the price of tin averaged $6,665 per tonne, up 8.2% from the year before. This page covers the 1987 average, high, low, and year-end close, the events that moved the market, and what that tin would be worth in today's dollars.
1987 Average
$6,665
LME annual average, USD/tonne
Change vs 1986
+8.2%
from $6,161 in 1986
What happened to the tin price in 1987
Tin averaged $6,665 per tonne in 1987, up 8.2% from $6,161 the year before. The notable development of 1987: LME tin still suspended. Non-LME (KLTM) quotation basis..
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 1987 average of $6,665 equals about $18,910 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 1987?
What is a 1987 tin price worth in today's dollars?
What moved the tin price in 1987?
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.