Tin Price in 1997
In 1997, the price of tin averaged $5,647 per tonne, down 8.4% from the year before. This page covers the 1997 average, high, low, and year-end close, the events that moved the market, and what that tin would be worth in today's dollars.
1997 Average
$5,647
LME annual average, USD/tonne
Change vs 1996
-8.4%
from $6,165 in 1996
What happened to the tin price in 1997
Tin averaged $5,647 per tonne in 1997, down 8.4% from $6,165 the year before.
With LME trading resumed under a new contract in 1989, tin spent the 1990s depressed by post-crisis oversupply, mostly between $5,000 and $6,200.
Adjusted for inflation, tin's 1997 average of $5,647 equals about $11,340 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 1997?
What is a 1997 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.