What is the highest annual aluminum value in this dataset?

$2,705 ($/metric ton) in 2022 annual value. This is the highest annual observation within 1900–2025, rather than a daily market record.

How are inflation-adjusted prices calculated?

Each nominal observation is multiplied by the site’s reference CPI divided by the CPI for that observation’s year. The same inflation calculation is used across commodity charts.

Industrial Metals Series coverage: 1900–2025

Aluminum Historical Price Archive

Annual Aluminum Price Archive

Cite Data

Aluminum is the most abundant metallic element in Earth's crust, but refining it requires immense electrical energy (14,000 kWh per metric ton), earning it the moniker 'congealed electricity'.

Annual Aluminum benchmark price: World Bank annual nominal observations from the Pink Sheet workbook. Unit conversions and CPI adjustments are calculated by CommoditiesHistory.com. No incomplete 2026 annual value is included. Before 1960, the series uses USGS nominal unit values. The measure changes to the World Bank benchmark in 1960.

Aluminum Interactive Price History (1900–2025)

Inflation-Adjusted (Real 2026 USD)

Drag to pan, scroll to zoom, and hover for annual values.

Loading chart. Annual values are also available in the table below.

Data sources: World Bank, U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Annual Observations

Aluminum Historical Eras & Macro Cycles

Detailed analysis of secular supercycles, wartime allocations, and price shocks

Aluminum historical observations

1900–2025

World Bank annual nominal observations from the Pink Sheet workbook. Unit conversions and CPI adjustments are calculated by CommoditiesHistory.com. No incomplete 2026 annual value is included. Before 1960, the series uses USGS nominal unit values. The measure changes to the World Bank benchmark in 1960.

Price Behavior Annual observations range from $331 to $2,705 ($/metric ton).

Key Catalysts

Supply and production
Industrial and consumer demand
International trade

Aluminum Complete Historical Price Table (1900–2025)

Nominal vs. Real Inflation-Adjusted Prices in 2026 USD

Year	Nominal Price ($/metric ton)	Real Price (2026 USD)	CPI / Historical Estimate	Historical Context / Market Event
2025	$2,632.00	$2,738.58	321.9	—
2024	$2,419.00	$2,583.18	313.7	Automotive Lightweighting & Solar Mounting Frame Demand
2023	$2,256.00	$2,480.18	304.7	European High Electricity Prices Idles 50% of Regional Smelters
2022	$2,705.00	$3,096.21	292.7	Historic Peak ($3,980/t on March 7 Following European Smelter Power Cuts)
2021	$2,473.00	$3,057.19	271.0	China Enforces Smelter Power Consumption Caps (Dual Control)
2020	$1,704.00	$2,205.49	258.8	COVID-19 Pandemic Lows
2019	$1,794.00	$2,350.63	255.7	—
2018	$2,108.00	$2,812.10	251.1	US Sanctions on UC Rusal Spark Global Panic
2017	$1,968.00	$2,689.46	245.1	—
2016	$1,604.00	$2,238.72	240.0	—
2015	$1,665.00	$2,353.17	237.0	Chinese Smelter Overcapacity Floods Global Markets
2014	$1,867.00	$2,641.79	236.7	—
2013	$1,847.00	$2,655.89	233.0	—
2012	$2,023.00	$2,951.58	229.6	—
2011	$2,401.00	$3,575.58	224.9	—
2010	$2,173.00	$3,338.19	218.1	—
2009	$1,665.00	$2,599.75	214.5	—
2008	$2,573.00	$4,003.21	215.3	Pre-GFC High ($3,300/t in July 2008)
2007	$2,638.00	$4,261.93	207.3	—
2006	$2,570.00	$4,270.33	201.6	—
2005	$1,898.00	$3,255.46	195.3	—
2004	$1,716.00	$3,043.02	188.9	—
2003	$1,431.00	$2,605.20	184.0	China Coal-Fired Smelter Capacity Wave Begins
2002	$1,350.00	$2,513.75	179.9	—
2001	$1,444.00	$2,731.29	177.1	—
2000	$1,549.00	$3,013.26	172.2	—
1999	$1,361.00	$2,736.54	166.6	—
1998	$1,357.00	$2,788.76	163.0	—
1997	$1,599.00	$3,337.28	160.5	—
1996	$1,506.00	$3,215.30	156.9	—
1995	$1,806.00	$3,969.64	152.4	—
1994	$1,477.00	$3,338.50	148.2	Brussels Memorandum of Understanding Curtailment Pact
1993	$1,139.00	$2,640.43	144.5	Post-Soviet Smelter Export Flood Collapses Market
1992	$1,254.00	$2,994.05	140.3	—
1991	$1,302.00	$3,202.23	136.2	—
1990	$1,639.00	$4,200.71	130.7	—
1989	$1,951.00	$5,270.53	124.0	—
1988	$2,550.00	$7,220.62	118.3	Global Smelter Deficit (Spot $4,200/t Spike)
1987	$1,565.00	$4,614.82	113.6	—
1986	$1,150.00	$3,514.84	109.6	—
1985	$1,041.00	$3,240.84	107.6	—
1984	$1,251.00	$4,033.30	103.9	—
1983	$1,438.00	$4,836.36	99.6	—
1982	$992.00	$3,443.52	96.5	—
1981	$1,263.00	$4,654.34	90.9	—
1980	$1,775.00	$7,215.89	82.4	—
1979	$1,603.00	$7,396.32	72.6	—
1978	$1,325.00	$6,807.49	65.2	LME Commences Aluminum Futures Trading
1977	$1,144.00	$6,323.71	60.6	—
1976	$890.00	$5,239.58	56.9	—
1975	$868.00	$5,404.51	53.8	—
1974	$765.00	$5,197.97	49.3	—
1973	$599.00	$4,519.21	44.4	Energy Crisis Escalates Smelter Power Costs
1972	$590.00	$4,728.19	41.8	—
1971	$628.00	$5,194.26	40.5	—
1970	$614.00	$5,300.97	38.8	—
1969	$588.00	$5,366.98	36.7	—
1968	$553.00	$5,323.10	34.8	—
1967	$540.00	$5,415.84	33.4	—
1966	$540.00	$5,583.00	32.4	—
1965	$540.00	$5,742.51	31.5	—
1964	$526.00	$5,683.85	31.0	—
1963	$499.00	$5,462.58	30.6	—
1962	$498.00	$5,523.84	30.2	—
1961	$511.00	$5,724.91	29.9	—
1960	$511.00	$5,782.93	29.6	—
1959	$545.00	$6,273.68	29.1	—
1958	$547.00	$6,340.28	28.9	—
1957	$560.00	$6,675.76	28.1	—
1956	$529.00	$6,514.87	27.2	—
1955	$522.00	$6,524.61	26.8	—
1954	$481.00	$5,989.79	26.9	—
1953	$461.00	$5,783.74	26.7	—
1952	$428.00	$5,410.24	26.5	—
1951	$419.00	$5,398.33	26.0	—
1950	$390.00	$5,420.84	24.1	—
1949	$375.00	$5,278.05	23.8	—
1948	$346.00	$4,809.26	24.1	—
1947	$331.00	$4,972.12	22.3	—
1946	$331.00	$5,686.07	19.5	—
1945	$331.00	$6,159.91	18.0	—
1944	$331.00	$6,299.91	17.6	—
1943	$331.00	$6,409.15	17.3	—
1942	$331.00	$6,802.35	16.3	WWII Aircraft Production Miracle (50,000 Planes/Year)
1941	$364.00	$8,294.74	14.7	—
1940	$412.00	$9,857.98	14.0	—
1939	$441.00	$10,627.78	13.9	—
1938	$441.00	$10,477.03	14.1	—
1937	$439.00	$10,212.24	14.4	—
1936	$452.00	$10,892.87	13.9	—
1935	$441.00	$10,782.93	13.7	—
1934	$516.00	$12,899.23	13.4	—
1933	$514.00	$13,244.59	13.0	—
1932	$514.00	$12,567.86	13.7	Alcoa Monopoly Price Defense
1931	$514.00	$11,327.61	15.2	—
1930	$525.00	$10,530.81	16.7	—
1929	$536.00	$10,499.96	17.1	—
1928	$536.00	$10,499.96	17.1	—
1927	$560.00	$10,780.97	17.4	—
1926	$595.00	$11,260.63	17.7	—
1925	$595.00	$11,389.32	17.5	—
1924	$595.00	$11,655.74	17.1	—
1923	$560.00	$10,970.11	17.1	—
1922	$412.00	$8,214.99	16.8	—
1921	$487.00	$9,113.70	17.9	—
1920	$721.00	$12,076.03	20.0	—
1919	$708.00	$13,709.01	17.3	—
1918	$739.00	$16,394.05	15.1	—
1917	$1,140.00	$29,834.16	12.8	—
1916	$1,340.00	$41,181.03	10.9	—
1915	$750.00	$24,874.75	10.1	WWI Military Airframe & Zeppelin Construction
1914	$410.00	$13,734.18	10.0	—
1913	$520.00	$17,594.91	9.9	—
1912	$485.00	$16,857.44	9.6	—
1911	$443.00	$15,872.26	9.3	—
1910	$492.00	$17,627.89	9.3	—
1909	$485.00	$18,003.09	9.0	—
1908	$633.00	$23,496.82	9.0	—
1907	$992.00	$35,483.96	9.4	—
1906	$789.00	$29,335.61	9.0	—
1905	$772.00	$28,751.09	9.0	—
1904	$772.00	$28,703.54	9.0	—
1903	$728.00	$27,023.20	9.0	—
1902	$728.00	$28,006.05	8.7	—
1901	$728.00	$29,186.22	8.4	—
1900	$721.00	$28,953.05	8.3	Hall-Héroult Commercial Electrolysis Expansion

Frequently Asked Questions: Aluminum History

Targeted answers to high-frequency historical and economic queries

What does this aluminum chart measure?: Annual Aluminum benchmark price. World Bank annual nominal observations from the Pink Sheet workbook. Unit conversions and CPI adjustments are calculated by CommoditiesHistory.com. No incomplete 2026 annual value is included. Before 1960, the series uses USGS nominal unit values. The measure changes to the World Bank benchmark in 1960.
What is the highest annual aluminum value in this dataset?: $2,705 ($/metric ton) in 2022 annual value. This is the highest annual observation within 1900–2025, rather than a daily market record.
How are inflation-adjusted prices calculated?: Each nominal observation is multiplied by the site’s reference CPI divided by the CPI for that observation’s year. The same inflation calculation is used across commodity charts.

Cite This Dataset

World Bank: Commodity Price Data (Pink Sheet): Aluminum — Data providers: Bloomberg Finance L.P.; Engineering and Mining Journal; Platts Metals Week; Thomson Reuters Datastream; World Bank. — Underlying source data: CC BY 4.0. Source terms and acknowledgment requirements. Unit conversions and inflation adjustments by CommoditiesHistory.com.

U.S. Geological Survey (USGS): Aluminum Historical Statistics, Data Series 140

APA (7th Edition)

Commodities History Project. (2026). Aluminum Historical Prices and Inflation-Adjusted Series (1900–2025) [Data set]. CommoditiesHistory.com. https://commoditieshistory.com/aluminum

BibTeX

@dataset{commoditieshistory_aluminum_2026,
  author = {{Commodities History Project}},
  title = {Aluminum Historical Prices and Inflation-Adjusted Series (1900–2025)},
  year = {2026},
  publisher = {CommoditiesHistory.com},
  url = {https://commoditieshistory.com/aluminum}
}