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Tin Price in 1989

In 1989, the price of tin averaged $8,534 per tonne, up 21.0% from the year before. This page covers the 1989 average, high, low, and year-end close, the events that moved the market, and what that tin would be worth in today's dollars.

1989 Average

$8,534

LME annual average, USD/tonne

Change vs 1988

+21.0%

from $7,052 in 1988

What happened to the tin price in 1989

Tin averaged $8,534 per tonne in 1989, climbing 21.0% from the $7,052 average of 1988. The notable development of 1989: LME tin trading resumed June 1989 under new contract..

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 1989 average of $8,534 equals about $22,182 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 1989?
Tin averaged $8,534 per tonne in 1989, based on World Bank and LME annual average data. That average was up 21.0% from $7,052 in 1988.
What is a 1989 tin price worth in today's dollars?
Adjusted with the US Consumer Price Index, tin's 1989 average of $8,534 works out to roughly $22,182 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 1989?
The defining story of 1989: LME tin trading resumed June 1989 under new contract.. Against that backdrop, the annual average climbed 21.0%, from $7,052 in 1988 to $8,534.

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.