What is the highest annual lithium carbonate value in this dataset?

$8,030 ($/metric ton) in 2019 annual value. This is the highest annual observation within 1960–2021, 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: 1960–2021

Lithium Carbonate Historical Price Archive

Annual Lithium Carbonate and Import Values

Cite Data

Lithium carbonate is used in ceramics, glass and battery materials. This archive uses the USGS carbonate proxy and import unit-value history, rather than a battery-grade spot benchmark.

Annual lithium carbonate unit value: USGS carbonate price proxy through 2000 and average import unit values from 2001. This series is not a battery-grade spot benchmark; it ends with the last observation in the public-domain workbook.

Lithium Carbonate Interactive Price History (1960–2021)

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: U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Annual Observations

Lithium Carbonate Historical Eras & Macro Cycles

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

From industrial chemicals to battery materials

1960–2021

Lithium demand expanded from glass, ceramics and lubricants into rechargeable batteries. The USGS series changes from a carbonate price proxy to import unit values in 2001, so that transition matters when comparing periods.

Price Behavior Annual observations range from $970 to $8,030 ($/metric ton).

Key Catalysts

Glass and ceramics
Rechargeable batteries
Brine and mineral supply

Lithium Carbonate Complete Historical Price Table (1960–2021)

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
2021	$6,200.00	$7,664.60	271.0	Global Automaker EV Commitment Pivot
2020	$6,400.00	$8,283.54	258.8	COVID-19 Cyclical Trough ($6,000/t Lows)
2019	$8,030.00	$10,521.48	255.7	Supply Response Glut & China Subsidy Shift
2018	$7,300.00	$9,738.29	251.1	Australian Spodumene Hard-Rock Wave Comes Online
2017	$4,900.00	$6,696.32	245.1	—
2016	$4,920.00	$6,866.89	240.0	China EV Subsidies Drive Spot Scramble
2015	$4,540.00	$6,416.46	237.0	First EV Battery Demand Wave Begins
2014	$4,510.00	$6,381.62	236.7	—
2013	$4,390.00	$6,312.59	233.0	—
2012	$4,220.00	$6,157.02	229.6	Tesla Model S Launches
2011	$3,870.00	$5,763.22	224.9	—
2010	$4,350.00	$6,682.52	218.1	—
2009	$4,530.00	$7,073.18	214.5	—
2008	$4,440.00	$6,907.99	215.3	Pre-GFC Industrial Boom
2007	$3,530.00	$5,703.04	207.3	—
2006	$2,320.00	$3,854.93	201.6	—
2005	$1,460.00	$2,504.20	195.3	Laptop and Mobile Phone Battery Expansion
2004	$1,720.00	$3,050.11	188.9	—
2003	$1,550.00	$2,821.84	184.0	—
2002	$1,590.00	$2,960.63	179.9	Low-Cost Chilean Brine Competition
2001	$1,490.00	$2,818.30	177.1	—
2000	$4,470.00	$8,695.47	172.2	—
1999	$4,470.00	$8,987.76	166.6	—
1998	$4,480.00	$9,206.81	163.0	—
1997	$4,480.00	$9,350.22	160.5	Salar de Atacama Brine Production Enters Market
1996	$4,340.00	$9,265.86	156.9	—
1995	$4,340.00	$9,539.46	152.4	—
1994	$4,410.00	$9,968.03	148.2	—
1993	$4,210.00	$9,759.62	144.5	—
1992	$4,320.00	$10,314.42	140.3	—
1991	$4,210.00	$10,354.37	136.2	Sony Commercializes First Li-ion Battery
1990	$4,030.00	$10,328.76	130.7	—
1989	$3,810.00	$10,292.53	124.0	—
1988	$3,590.00	$10,165.50	118.3	—
1987	$3,420.00	$10,084.79	113.6	—
1986	$3,310.00	$10,116.64	109.6	—
1985	$3,310.00	$10,304.68	107.6	—
1984	$3,400.00	$10,961.81	103.9	—
1983	$3,260.00	$10,964.20	99.6	—
1982	$3,110.00	$10,795.73	96.5	—
1981	$3,110.00	$11,460.81	90.9	—
1980	$2,660.00	$10,813.67	82.4	1980 Inflationary Peak
1979	$2,260.00	$10,427.75	72.6	—
1978	$2,110.00	$10,840.61	65.2	—
1977	$1,940.00	$10,723.78	60.6	—
1976	$1,830.00	$10,773.52	56.9	—
1975	$1,720.00	$10,709.40	53.8	—
1974	$1,740.00	$11,822.82	49.3	—
1973	$1,220.00	$9,204.41	44.4	—
1972	$1,160.00	$9,296.10	41.8	—
1971	$1,120.00	$9,263.64	40.5	—
1970	$1,150.00	$9,928.53	38.8	Lubricating Grease and Ceramic Flux Demand
1969	$1,010.00	$9,218.80	36.7	—
1968	$992.00	$9,548.86	34.8	—
1967	$970.00	$9,728.46	33.4	—
1966	$1,060.00	$10,959.22	32.4	—
1965	$992.00	$10,549.21	31.5	—
1964	$1,170.00	$12,642.79	31.0	—
1963	$1,170.00	$12,808.06	30.6	—
1962	$1,190.00	$13,199.54	30.2	—
1961	$1,480.00	$16,580.95	29.9	—
1960	$1,630.00	$18,446.53	29.6	US Bureau of Mines Industrial Chemical Era

Frequently Asked Questions: Lithium Carbonate History

Targeted answers to high-frequency historical and economic queries

What does this lithium carbonate chart measure?: Annual lithium carbonate unit value. USGS carbonate price proxy through 2000 and average import unit values from 2001. This series is not a battery-grade spot benchmark; it ends with the last observation in the public-domain workbook.
What is the highest annual lithium carbonate value in this dataset?: $8,030 ($/metric ton) in 2019 annual value. This is the highest annual observation within 1960–2021, 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

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

APA (7th Edition)

Commodities History Project. (2026). Lithium Carbonate Historical Prices and Inflation-Adjusted Series (1960–2021) [Data set]. CommoditiesHistory.com. https://commoditieshistory.com/lithium

BibTeX

@dataset{commoditieshistory_lithium_2026,
  author = {{Commodities History Project}},
  title = {Lithium Carbonate Historical Prices and Inflation-Adjusted Series (1960–2021)},
  year = {2026},
  publisher = {CommoditiesHistory.com},
  url = {https://commoditieshistory.com/lithium}
}