LME cash, grade A cathode averaged $14,326/t in August 2026, +48% over twelve months and +201% over ten years. The nominal all-time high was $14,326/t in August 2026; in 2024 dollars the real peak was $19,774/t in April 1974. Monthly averages, World Bank Pink Sheet.
LME cash, grade A cathode
Derived price statistics per series
Series
Latest
1 month
12 months
5 years
10 years
20 years
All-time high (nominal)
All-time high (real, 2024 US$)
LME cash, grade A cathode $/t, since 1960
14,326 August 2026
+6%
+48%
+53%
+201%
+86%
14,326 August 2026
19,774 April 1974
Percentage changes compare the latest monthly average with the monthly average 1, 12, 60, 120 and 240 months earlier. Real prices deflate by the US consumer price index (BLS via FRED) to 2024 dollars.
Prices are monthly benchmark averages that may lag the market; informational only, not investment, legal or trade advice. For what these benchmarks mean and how they are set, see how copper is priced.
Monthly copper prices by decade
Choose a decade. Values are monthly averages in the unit shown; blank cells mean no quote was published.
LME cash, grade A cathode ($/t)
LME cash, grade A cathode monthly prices, 1960s, $/t
Year
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec
Average
1960
715
728
685
723
685
692
702
676
647
613
642
637
678.8
1961
607
617
621
632
668
652
633
636
633
630
632
635
633
1962
635
648
648
646
646
646
646
646
646
646
646
646
645.4
1963
646
646
646
646
646
646
646
646
646
646
646
650
646.3
1964
656
694
745
862
828
808
855
999
1,162
1,358
1,400
1,269
969.7
1965
1,001
1,180
1,237
1,348
1,379
1,309
1,134
1,210
1,328
1,402
1,469
1,518
1,293
1966
1,679
1,874
1,875
1,907
1,664
1,696
1,568
1,195
1,128
1,275
1,302
1,215
1,532
1967
1,244
1,220
1,098
995
1,036
1,015
997
1,045
1,060
1,138
1,444
1,324
1,135
1968
1,409
1,720
1,701
1,255
1,097
1,137
1,054
1,056
1,110
1,080
1,100
1,185
1,242
1969
1,256
1,285
1,278
1,388
1,392
1,483
1,454
1,607
1,579
1,554
1,631
1,700
1,467
LME cash, grade A cathode monthly prices, 1970s, $/t
Year
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec
Average
1970
1,626
1,657
1,754
1,742
1,598
1,458
1,367
1,267
1,247
1,142
1,085
1,046
1,416
1971
1,010
1,020
1,144
1,252
1,114
1,074
1,115
1,098
1,056
1,041
1,014
1,038
1,081
1972
1,078
1,112
1,108
1,133
1,106
1,063
1,035
1,047
1,061
918
1,007
1,024
1,058
1973
1,119
1,244
1,510
1,588
1,552
1,749
2,021
2,123
1,936
2,065
2,273
2,244
1,785
1974
2,032
2,292
2,743
3,032
2,876
2,440
1,919
1,803
1,461
1,399
1,417
1,289
2,059
1975
1,211
1,267
1,344
1,329
1,254
1,193
1,222
1,277
1,210
1,179
1,180
1,151
1,235
1976
1,193
1,219
1,329
1,510
1,512
1,550
1,647
1,539
1,459
1,285
1,279
1,287
1,401
1977
1,396
1,426
1,515
1,429
1,371
1,312
1,248
1,160
1,195
1,210
1,182
1,261
1,309
1978
1,261
1,217
1,254
1,285
1,303
1,333
1,337
1,426
1,442
1,506
1,481
1,533
1,365
1979
1,659
1,944
2,050
2,100
1,926
1,878
1,814
1,976
2,096
2,076
2,090
2,214
1,985
LME cash, grade A cathode monthly prices, 1980s, $/t
Year
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec
Average
1980
2,601
2,918
2,306
2,070
2,037
2,006
2,176
2,082
2,060
2,040
2,010
1,879
2,182
1981
1,869
1,801
1,818
1,821
1,742
1,700
1,682
1,787
1,710
1,666
1,651
1,655
1,742
1982
1,611
1,598
1,510
1,522
1,528
1,300
1,441
1,452
1,427
1,461
1,444
1,473
1,481
1983
1,572
1,647
1,598
1,675
1,766
1,701
1,704
1,640
1,561
1,435
1,389
1,415
1,592
1984
1,376
1,430
1,501
1,533
1,421
1,367
1,331
1,338
1,294
1,273
1,345
1,321
1,378
1985
1,359
1,389
1,390
1,502
1,531
1,432
1,475
1,420
1,366
1,385
1,370
1,391
1,418
1986
1,418
1,406
1,445
1,435
1,419
1,413
1,344
1,303
1,347
1,317
1,303
1,336
1,374
1987
1,346
1,380
1,466
1,484
1,520
1,572
1,695
1,756
1,811
1,967
2,524
2,869
1,783
1988
2,663
2,330
2,359
2,286
2,448
2,540
2,214
2,201
2,436
2,940
3,305
3,499
2,602
1989
3,394
3,097
3,264
3,118
2,739
2,546
2,505
2,762
2,884
2,861
2,591
2,419
2,848
LME cash, grade A cathode monthly prices, 1990s, $/t
Year
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec
Average
1990
2,367
2,360
2,626
2,686
2,742
2,585
2,769
2,957
3,031
2,744
2,586
2,485
2,662
1991
2,449
2,449
2,410
2,472
2,306
2,219
2,236
2,233
2,325
2,364
2,380
2,223
2,339
1992
2,139
2,206
2,227
2,215
2,217
2,299
2,520
2,522
2,414
2,249
2,158
2,207
2,281
1993
2,257
2,213
2,153
1,950
1,795
1,853
1,927
1,947
1,862
1,646
1,630
1,724
1,913
1994
1,805
1,866
1,915
1,882
2,151
2,364
2,458
2,406
2,506
2,548
2,802
2,985
2,307
1995
3,009
2,878
2,924
2,904
2,773
2,995
3,076
3,037
2,916
2,814
2,977
2,926
2,936
1996
2,616
2,538
2,561
2,596
2,658
2,173
1,986
2,009
1,941
1,961
2,231
2,268
2,295
1997
2,435
2,406
2,421
2,391
2,514
2,613
2,450
2,251
2,107
2,052
1,917
1,762
2,277
1998
1,688
1,665
1,748
1,801
1,733
1,661
1,651
1,621
1,648
1,586
1,574
1,474
1,654
1999
1,431
1,411
1,378
1,466
1,511
1,422
1,640
1,648
1,750
1,724
1,728
1,765
1,573
LME cash, grade A cathode monthly prices, 2000s, $/t
Year
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec
Average
2000
1,844
1,801
1,739
1,679
1,786
1,753
1,799
1,856
1,960
1,899
1,795
1,851
1,814
2001
1,788
1,766
1,739
1,664
1,682
1,608
1,525
1,464
1,426
1,377
1,428
1,472
1,578
2002
1,504
1,562
1,605
1,590
1,596
1,648
1,589
1,480
1,479
1,484
1,582
1,596
1,560
2003
1,648
1,684
1,659
1,587
1,648
1,687
1,710
1,760
1,790
1,921
2,055
2,201
1,779
2004
2,424
2,760
3,009
2,949
2,734
2,687
2,808
2,846
2,895
3,012
3,123
3,145
2,866
2005
3,170
3,254
3,379
3,394
3,249
3,524
3,614
3,798
3,858
4,060
4,269
4,577
3,679
2006
4,734
4,982
5,103
6,388
8,046
7,198
7,712
7,696
7,602
7,500
7,029
6,675
6,722
2007
5,670
5,676
6,452
7,766
7,681
7,474
7,973
7,514
7,649
8,008
6,967
6,588
7,118
2008
7,061
7,888
8,439
8,685
8,383
8,261
8,414
7,635
6,991
4,926
3,717
3,072
6,956
2009
3,221
3,315
3,750
4,407
4,569
5,014
5,216
6,165
6,196
6,288
6,676
6,982
5,150
LME cash, grade A cathode monthly prices, 2010s, $/t
Year
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec
Average
2010
7,386
6,848
7,463
7,745
6,838
6,499
6,735
7,284
7,709
8,292
8,470
9,147
7,535
2011
9,556
9,868
9,503
9,493
8,960
9,067
9,650
9,001
8,300
7,394
7,581
7,565
8,828
2012
8,040
8,441
8,471
8,289
7,956
7,423
7,584
7,516
8,088
8,062
7,711
7,966
7,962
2013
8,047
8,061
7,646
7,234
7,249
7,000
6,907
7,193
7,159
7,203
7,071
7,215
7,332
2014
7,291
7,149
6,650
6,674
6,891
6,821
7,113
7,002
6,872
6,737
6,713
6,446
6,863
2015
5,831
5,729
5,940
6,042
6,295
5,833
5,457
5,127
5,217
5,216
4,800
4,639
5,511
2016
4,472
4,599
4,954
4,873
4,695
4,642
4,865
4,752
4,722
4,731
5,451
5,660
4,868
2017
5,755
5,941
5,825
5,684
5,600
5,720
5,985
6,486
6,577
6,808
6,827
6,834
6,170
2018
7,066
7,007
6,799
6,852
6,825
6,966
6,251
6,051
6,051
6,220
6,196
6,075
6,530
2019
5,939
6,300
6,439
6,438
6,018
5,882
5,941
5,709
5,759
5,757
5,860
6,077
6,010
LME cash, grade A cathode monthly prices, 2020s, $/t
Year
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec
Average
2020
6,031
5,688
5,183
5,058
5,240
5,755
6,372
6,499
6,705
6,714
7,069
7,772
6,174
2021
7,972
8,471
8,988
9,325
10,162
9,632
9,451
9,370
9,325
9,829
9,729
9,551
9,317
2022
9,782
9,943
10,231
10,161
9,377
9,024
7,545
7,982
7,746
7,651
8,050
8,375
8,822
2023
9,038
8,937
8,856
8,809
8,217
8,397
8,477
8,349
8,277
7,937
8,190
8,400
8,490
2024
8,339
8,305
8,689
9,464
10,139
9,648
9,385
8,972
9,237
9,534
9,076
8,916
9,142
2025
8,991
9,331
9,740
9,177
9,533
9,835
9,771
9,670
9,984
10,740
10,812
11,785
9,947
2026
13,012
12,951
12,529
12,951
13,543
13,552
13,543
14,326
13,301
Method
Nominal prices are the source's monthly averages in US dollars, stored in the source's unit and never mixed on one chart. Real prices divide each month by the US consumer price index for all urban consumers (BLS series CPIAUCSL, via FRED) and multiply by the 2024 average, so they read as "2024 dollars". Changes are ratios of monthly averages. The all-time high is the highest monthly average, not an intraday peak.
Cite as: Commodity Origins, "Copper price history (1960–2026)", https://commodityorigins.com/prices/copper/, data 2026-09-02. Data updated 6 September 2026.