FX & Commodity Almanac

ECB fixings to 16 Oct 2026 · World Bank prices to September 2026

Base metals & ore · World Bank monthly average

What is the Aluminium price and how has it changed?

Aluminium averaged 3,283 US dollars per metric ton in September 2026, according to the World Bank Pink Sheet. That is 1.0% above Aug 2026 and 23.7% above Sept 2025, and in the top tenth of all monthly averages since January 2000.

Sept 2026 average
3,283$/mt · US dollars per metric ton
Month on month
▲ +1.0%from 3,251 in Aug 2026
Year on year
▲ +23.7%from 2,653 in Sept 2025
12-month range
2,793–3,666low Oct 2025 · high May 2026

The last five years

Aluminium, monthly average price, last five yearsAluminium from 2,835 $/mt in Sept 2021 to 3,283 in Sept 2026; five-year high 3,666 (May 2026), low 2,137 (Aug 2023). 2,0002,5003,0003,5004,000 20222023202420252026
Monthly averages, Sept 2021 – Sept 2026, $/mt. Yellow dot: latest month.

What the record shows

  1. Over five years the price ranged from 2,137 (Aug 2023) to 3,666 (May 2026). Sept 2026 sits 75% of the way from that low to the high.
  2. Since January 2000 the record high is 3,666 (May 2026) and the low 1,283 (Oct 2001). The latest month is higher than 98% of the 321 monthly averages in that span, in nominal dollars (not adjusted for inflation).
  3. The highest full-year average since 2000 was 2022 (2,705); the lowest was 2002 (1,350).
  4. Annualised volatility of monthly changes over the past five years was 18.8%, close to the 17.1% for the whole record since 2000. Monthly averages smooth out intra-month swings, so daily markets move more than this.
  5. Five years earlier, in Sept 2021, the average was 2,835: the price is 15.8% above that level.

Yearly averages

Aluminium yearly average, change, high month and low month
YearAveragevs prior yearHighest monthLowest month
2026 9 mo. 3,331 ▲ +26.6% 3,666 May 3,065 Feb
2025 2,632 ▲ +8.8% 2,876 Dec 2,372 Apr
2024 2,419 ▲ +7.2% 2,596 Oct 2,179 Feb
2023 2,256 ▼ −16.6% 2,502 Jan 2,137 Aug
2022 2,705 ▲ +9.4% 3,498 Mar 2,225 Sep
2021 2,473 ▲ +45.1% 2,934 Oct 2,004 Jan
2020 1,704 ▼ −5.0% 2,015 Dec 1,460 Apr
2019 1,795 ▼ −14.9% 1,871 Mar 1,726 Oct
2018 2,109 ▲ +7.2% 2,300 May 1,920 Dec
2017 1,967 ▲ +22.6% 2,131 Oct 1,791 Jan
2016 1,604 ▼ −3.6% 1,737 Nov 1,481 Jan
2015 1,665 ▼ −10.8% 1,819 Apr 1,468 Nov
2014 1,867 ▲ +1.1% 2,056 Nov 1,695 Feb
2013 1,847 ▼ −8.7% 2,054 Feb 1,740 Dec
2012 2,023 ▼ −15.7% 2,208 Feb 1,845 Aug
2011 2,401 ▲ +10.5% 2,678 Apr 2,022 Dec
2010 2,173 ▲ +30.5% 2,351 Dec 1,931 Jun
2009 1,665 ▼ −35.3% 2,180 Dec 1,330 Feb
2008 2,573 ▼ −2.5% 3,071 Jul 1,490 Dec
2007 2,638 ▲ +2.7% 2,832 Feb 2,382 Dec
2006 2,570 ▲ +35.4% 2,861 May 2,378 Jan

Average = simple mean of the monthly averages published for that year. Rows in italics are incomplete years. Table shows 2006 onward; the charts and statistics use the full record from Jan 2000.

Since January 2000

Aluminium, monthly average price since January 2000Aluminium monthly averages from Jan 2000 to Sept 2026; highest 3,666 $/mt in May 2026, lowest 1,283 in Oct 2001. 1,0001,5002,0002,5003,0003,5004,000 200020032006200920122015201820212024
Monthly averages, nominal US dollars ($/mt).

Largest one-month moves since 2000

MonthFromToMove
Dec 20081,8521,490▼ −19.5%
Oct 20082,5262,121▼ −16.0%
Aug 20091,6681,934▲ +15.9%
Feb 20082,4462,777▲ +13.5%
Jun 20062,8612,477▼ −13.4%

What exactly is being priced?

Aluminum (LME), unalloyed primary ingots, high grade, minimum 99.7% purity, settlement price since 2005. The World Bank publishes the series as a monthly average in US dollars per metric ton ($/mt). Benchmark definitions occasionally change, as noted above, so very long comparisons mix slightly different contracts. See commodity price units explained for converting units.

Sources