Copper Price History
- Monthly average, not real-time
- Source: World Bank Commodity Price Data (The Pink Sheet) — World Bank monthly average of LME grade A settlement
- World Bank file updated: Oct 2, 2026
- Last updated on this site: Oct 4, 2026, 11:17 AM CEST
Chart shows monthly averages.
Statistics
- All-time high
- $14,474
- Sep 2026
- All-time low
- $607.00
- Jan 1961
- 52-week high
- $14,474
- Sep 2026
- 52-week low
- $10,740
- Oct 2025
- History since
- Jan 1960
Based on monthly averages in USD per tonne; daily highs and lows are not available from this source.
Price change over time
| Period | From | To | Change | Per year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Y | $9,984 Sep 2025 | $14,474 Sep 2026 | +44.97% | — |
| 5Y | $9,325 Sep 2021 | $14,474 Sep 2026 | +55.22% | +9.19% |
| 10Y | $4,722 Sep 2016 | $14,474 Sep 2026 | +206.52% | +11.85% |
| 20Y | $7,602 Sep 2006 | $14,474 Sep 2026 | +90.40% | +3.27% |
| Since Jan 1960 | $715.00 Jan 1960 | $14,474 Sep 2026 | +1,924.34% | +4.61% |
Each change is measured from the last observation on or before the same calendar date 1, 5, 10 or 20 years earlier. "Per year" is the compound annual growth rate. Periods longer than the available history are left out.
Decade by decade
| Decade | Start | End | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | $715.00 | $1,700 | +137.76% |
| 1970s | $1,700 | $2,214 | +30.24% |
| 1980s | $2,214 | $2,419 | +9.26% |
| 1990s | $2,419 | $1,765 | -27.04% |
| 2000s | $1,765 | $6,982 | +295.58% |
| 2010s | $6,982 | $6,077 | -12.96% |
| 2020s (partial) | $6,077 | $14,474 | +138.18% |
Start = last value of the previous decade (or the first available value). Partial decades are marked.
Annual price history
| Year | Average | Last | Year change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 (partial) | $13,431 | $14,474 | +22.82% |
| 2025 | $9,947 | $11,785 | +32.18% |
| 2024 | $9,142 | $8,916 | +6.14% |
| 2023 | $8,490 | $8,400 | +0.30% |
| 2022 | $8,822 | $8,375 | -12.31% |
| 2021 | $9,317 | $9,551 | +22.89% |
| 2020 | $6,174 | $7,772 | +27.89% |
| 2019 | $6,010 | $6,077 | +0.03% |
| 2018 | $6,530 | $6,075 | -11.11% |
| 2017 | $6,170 | $6,834 | +20.74% |
| 2016 | $4,868 | $5,660 | +22.01% |
| 2015 | $5,511 | $4,639 | -28.03% |
| 2014 | $6,863 | $6,446 | -10.66% |
| 2013 | $7,332 | $7,215 | -9.43% |
| 2012 | $7,962 | $7,966 | +5.30% |
| 2011 | $8,828 | $7,565 | -17.30% |
| 2010 | $7,535 | $9,147 | +31.01% |
| 2009 | $5,150 | $6,982 | +127.28% |
| 2008 | $6,956 | $3,072 | -53.37% |
| 2007 | $7,118 | $6,588 | -1.30% |
| 2006 | $6,722 | $6,675 | +45.84% |
| 2005 | $3,679 | $4,577 | +45.53% |
| 2004 | $2,866 | $3,145 | +42.89% |
| 2003 | $1,779 | $2,201 | +37.91% |
| 2002 | $1,560 | $1,596 | +8.42% |
| 2001 | $1,578 | $1,472 | -20.48% |
| 2000 | $1,814 | $1,851 | +4.87% |
| 1999 | $1,573 | $1,765 | +19.74% |
| 1998 | $1,654 | $1,474 | -16.35% |
| 1997 | $2,277 | $1,762 | -22.31% |
| 1996 | $2,295 | $2,268 | -22.49% |
| 1995 | $2,936 | $2,926 | -1.98% |
| 1994 | $2,307 | $2,985 | +73.14% |
| 1993 | $1,913 | $1,724 | -21.88% |
| 1992 | $2,281 | $2,207 | -0.72% |
| 1991 | $2,339 | $2,223 | -10.54% |
| 1990 | $2,662 | $2,485 | +2.73% |
| 1989 | $2,848 | $2,419 | -30.87% |
| 1988 | $2,602 | $3,499 | +21.96% |
| 1987 | $1,783 | $2,869 | +114.75% |
| 1986 | $1,374 | $1,336 | -3.95% |
| 1985 | $1,418 | $1,391 | +5.30% |
| 1984 | $1,378 | $1,321 | -6.64% |
| 1983 | $1,592 | $1,415 | -3.94% |
| 1982 | $1,481 | $1,473 | -11.00% |
| 1981 | $1,742 | $1,655 | -11.92% |
| 1980 | $2,182 | $1,879 | -15.13% |
| 1979 | $1,985 | $2,214 | +44.42% |
| 1978 | $1,365 | $1,533 | +21.57% |
| 1977 | $1,309 | $1,261 | -2.02% |
| 1976 | $1,401 | $1,287 | +11.82% |
| 1975 | $1,235 | $1,151 | -10.71% |
| 1974 | $2,059 | $1,289 | -42.56% |
| 1973 | $1,785 | $2,244 | +119.14% |
| 1972 | $1,058 | $1,024 | -1.35% |
| 1971 | $1,081 | $1,038 | -0.76% |
| 1970 | $1,416 | $1,046 | -38.47% |
| 1969 | $1,467 | $1,700 | +43.46% |
| 1968 | $1,242 | $1,185 | -10.50% |
| 1967 | $1,135 | $1,324 | +8.97% |
| 1966 | $1,532 | $1,215 | -19.96% |
| 1965 | $1,293 | $1,518 | +19.62% |
| 1964 | $969.67 | $1,269 | +95.23% |
| 1963 | $646.33 | $650.00 | +0.62% |
| 1962 | $645.42 | $646.00 | +1.73% |
| 1961 | $633.00 | $635.00 | -0.31% |
| 1960 | $678.75 | $637.00 | — |
About this price
Copper is the benchmark industrial metal, used in power cables, buildings, electronics and electric vehicles. Because demand follows construction and manufacturing, its price history is often read as a gauge of global economic activity.
Long upswings in copper have tended to coincide with periods of fast industrial growth and long downturns with recessions, which makes the decade table below a compact summary of the world economy.
Data notes
World Bank monthly averages of the London Metal Exchange (LME) grade A settlement price, quoted per metric tonne. Per-kg and per-lb values are exact unit conversions (1 lb = 0.45359237 kg).
Source: World Bank Commodity Price Data (The Pink Sheet), CC BY 4.0. Licence per World Bank Data Catalog (dataset 0038238): Creative Commons Attribution 4.0.