What is the highest annual zinc value in this dataset?

$3,481 ($/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

Zinc Historical Price Archive

Annual Zinc Price Archive

Cite Data

Over 60% of global zinc production is consumed in galvanizing steel to prevent corrosion in bridges, automobiles, wind turbines, and buildings.

Annual Zinc 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.

Zinc 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

Zinc Historical Eras & Macro Cycles

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

Zinc 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 $64 to $3,481 ($/metric ton).

Key Catalysts

Supply and production
Industrial and consumer demand
International trade

Zinc 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	$2,868.00	$2,984.14	321.9	—
2024	$2,776.00	$2,964.42	313.7	Mine Concentrate Tightness & Low Treatment Charges (TCs)
2023	$2,653.00	$2,916.63	304.7	European Power Subsidies & China Smelter Ramp
2022	$3,481.00	$3,984.44	292.7	European Power Crisis Peak ($4,530/t in April 2022 as Glencore & Nyrstar Idle Smelters)
2021	$3,003.00	$3,712.38	271.0	—
2020	$2,266.00	$2,932.89	258.8	COVID-19 Mining Suspensions in Peru & Mexico
2019	$2,550.00	$3,341.19	255.7	—
2018	$2,922.00	$3,897.99	251.1	Global Refined Zinc Inventories Hit 10-Year Lows
2017	$2,891.00	$3,950.83	245.1	—
2016	$2,090.00	$2,917.03	240.0	—
2015	$1,932.00	$2,730.53	237.0	Glencore Cuts 500,000t of Mine Production
2014	$2,161.00	$3,057.80	236.7	—
2013	$1,910.00	$2,746.48	233.0	—
2012	$1,950.00	$2,845.07	229.6	—
2011	$2,194.00	$3,267.31	224.9	—
2010	$2,161.00	$3,319.75	218.1	—
2009	$1,655.00	$2,584.13	214.5	—
2008	$1,875.00	$2,917.23	215.3	GFC Liquidation
2007	$3,242.00	$5,237.75	207.3	—
2006	$3,275.00	$5,441.76	201.6	All-Time Historic Record Spike ($4,580/t in November 2006)
2005	$1,381.00	$2,368.70	195.3	—
2004	$1,048.00	$1,858.44	188.9	—
2003	$828.00	$1,507.41	184.0	—
2002	$779.00	$1,450.52	179.9	—
2001	$886.00	$1,675.85	177.1	—
2000	$1,128.00	$2,194.29	172.2	—
1999	$1,076.00	$2,163.50	166.6	—
1998	$1,024.00	$2,104.41	163.0	Asian Financial Crisis Lows
1997	$1,316.00	$2,746.63	160.5	—
1996	$1,025.00	$2,188.37	156.9	—
1995	$1,031.00	$2,266.17	152.4	—
1994	$998.00	$2,255.80	148.2	—
1993	$962.00	$2,230.11	144.5	—
1992	$1,240.00	$2,960.62	140.3	—
1991	$1,117.00	$2,747.23	136.2	—
1990	$1,513.00	$3,877.77	130.7	—
1989	$1,659.00	$4,481.71	124.0	Global Smelter Strike Shortages
1988	$1,242.00	$3,516.87	118.3	—
1987	$799.00	$2,356.07	113.6	—
1986	$754.00	$2,304.52	109.6	—
1985	$783.00	$2,437.63	107.6	—
1984	$922.00	$2,972.58	103.9	—
1983	$764.00	$2,569.53	99.6	—
1982	$745.00	$2,586.12	96.5	—
1981	$846.00	$3,117.64	90.9	—
1980	$761.00	$3,093.69	82.4	—
1979	$742.00	$3,423.62	72.6	—
1978	$594.00	$3,051.81	65.2	—
1977	$590.00	$3,261.36	60.6	—
1976	$711.00	$4,185.78	56.9	—
1975	$745.00	$4,638.66	53.8	—
1974	$1,240.00	$8,425.46	49.3	—
1973	$845.00	$6,375.18	44.4	First Oil Shock Smelter Squeeze
1972	$378.00	$3,029.24	41.8	—
1971	$309.00	$2,555.77	40.5	—
1970	$296.00	$2,555.52	38.8	—
1969	$286.00	$2,610.47	36.7	—
1968	$263.00	$2,531.60	34.8	—
1967	$273.00	$2,738.01	33.4	—
1966	$281.00	$2,905.23	32.4	—
1965	$311.00	$3,307.26	31.5	—
1964	$326.00	$3,522.69	31.0	—
1963	$212.00	$2,320.78	30.6	—
1962	$186.00	$2,063.12	30.2	—
1961	$214.00	$2,397.52	29.9	—
1960	$246.00	$2,783.96	29.6	—
1959	$253.00	$2,912.37	29.1	—
1958	$227.00	$2,631.16	28.9	—
1957	$251.00	$2,992.17	28.1	—
1956	$297.00	$3,657.69	27.2	—
1955	$271.00	$3,387.30	26.8	—
1954	$236.00	$2,938.86	26.9	—
1953	$239.00	$2,998.51	26.7	—
1952	$357.00	$4,512.75	26.5	—
1951	$397.00	$5,114.89	26.0	—
1950	$306.00	$4,253.27	24.1	—
1949	$268.00	$3,772.04	23.8	—
1948	$299.00	$4,155.98	24.1	—
1947	$232.00	$3,484.99	22.3	—
1946	$192.00	$3,298.26	19.5	—
1945	$182.00	$3,387.02	18.0	WWII Strategic Price Ceiling
1944	$182.00	$3,464.00	17.6	—
1943	$182.00	$3,524.07	17.3	—
1942	$182.00	$3,740.27	16.3	—
1941	$165.00	$3,759.98	14.7	—
1940	$140.00	$3,349.80	14.0	—
1939	$113.00	$2,723.22	13.9	—
1938	$102.00	$2,423.26	14.1	—
1937	$144.00	$3,349.80	14.4	—
1936	$108.00	$2,602.72	13.9	—
1935	$96.00	$2,347.31	13.7	—
1934	$92.00	$2,299.86	13.4	—
1933	$89.00	$2,293.32	13.0	—
1932	$64.00	$1,564.87	13.7	Great Depression All-Time Low
1931	$80.00	$1,763.05	15.2	—
1930	$101.00	$2,025.93	16.7	—
1929	$143.00	$2,801.29	17.1	—
1928	$133.00	$2,605.40	17.1	—
1927	$138.00	$2,656.74	17.4	—
1926	$163.00	$3,084.84	17.7	—
1925	$169.00	$3,234.95	17.5	—
1924	$139.00	$2,722.94	17.1	—
1923	$148.00	$2,899.24	17.1	—
1922	$126.00	$2,512.35	16.8	—
1921	$104.00	$1,946.25	17.9	—
1920	$172.00	$2,880.83	20.0	—
1919	$154.00	$2,981.90	17.3	—
1918	$176.00	$3,904.40	15.1	—
1917	$196.00	$5,129.38	12.8	—
1916	$300.00	$9,219.63	10.9	—
1915	$313.00	$10,381.06	10.1	WWI Cartridge Brass Munitions Boom
1914	$112.00	$3,751.78	10.0	—
1913	$123.00	$4,161.87	9.9	—
1912	$152.00	$5,283.16	9.6	—
1911	$126.00	$4,514.46	9.3	—
1910	$119.00	$4,263.66	9.3	—
1909	$119.00	$4,417.25	9.0	—
1908	$101.00	$3,749.10	9.0	—
1907	$128.00	$4,578.58	9.4	—
1906	$135.00	$5,019.40	9.0	—
1905	$130.00	$4,841.50	9.0	—
1904	$112.00	$4,164.24	9.0	—
1903	$119.00	$4,417.25	9.0	—
1902	$106.00	$4,077.80	8.7	—
1901	$90.00	$3,608.19	8.4	—
1900	$97.00	$3,895.21	8.3	Galvanized Corrugated Iron Roofing Demand

Frequently Asked Questions: Zinc History

Targeted answers to high-frequency historical and economic queries

What does this zinc chart measure?: Annual Zinc 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 zinc value in this dataset?: $3,481 ($/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): Zinc — 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): Zinc Historical Statistics, Data Series 140

APA (7th Edition)

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

BibTeX

@dataset{commoditieshistory_zinc_2026,
  author = {{Commodities History Project}},
  title = {Zinc Historical Prices and Inflation-Adjusted Series (1900–2025)},
  year = {2026},
  publisher = {CommoditiesHistory.com},
  url = {https://commoditieshistory.com/zinc}
}