BLS International Price Program (EIUIP74) · Import price index, Harmonized 74, copper and articles thereof, not seasonally adjusted
How much have the prices of imported copper changed?
The import price index for copper was 604.7 in the month ended , up 37.9% from a year earlier.
Import price index, copper, not seasonally adjusted, each month
Shaded bands are US recessions as the National Bureau of Economic Research dates them: to , to , to .
Shaded bands are US recessions as the National Bureau of Economic Research dates them: to .
Import price index, copper, change from a year earlier, each month (ours)
Shaded bands are US recessions as the National Bureau of Economic Research dates them: to , to , to .
Shaded bands are US recessions as the National Bureau of Economic Research dates them: to .
Each point is one month of the series as the source publishes it, or a change worked out from those values (ours). The US recessions are shaded. Pointing at the chart shows the month and the value.
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Inspect and compare dates
The newest month beside the one before it and the nearest ones a year, five and ten years earlier. The last ten years are in the table under "The numbers behind the chart".
| Measure | Latest | The month before | A year earlier | Five years earlier | Ten years earlier |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | |||||
| Import price index, copper | 604.7 | 597.8 | 438.4 | 410.2 | 241.9 |
| Change over a year | +37.9% | +31.8% | +6.6% | +36.1% | −5.5% |
The table scrolls sideways; the first column stays in place.
Observed .
Right now
The import price index for copper was 604.7 in September 2026, the highest since our record begins in January 1995.
Over a year it is up 37.9% (ours).
ChangeOurs
| Period | Then | Change |
|---|---|---|
| One month | 597.8 in | +1.2% |
| Three months | 576.9 in | +4.8% |
| Twelve months | 438.4 in | +37.9% |
| Five years | 410.2 in | +47.4% |
| Ten years | 241.9 in | +150.0% |
In historyOurs
The import price index for copper of 604.7 in was higher than in 380 of the 380 other months since , the same in 0 and lower in 0.
Highest since : 604.7 in . Lowest since : 87.9 in .
AverageOurs
Average since : 257.24 (ours, a plain mean of the 381 months).
ComparedOurs
Over a year the import price index for copper is up 37.9%, which ranks 2 of the 12 rows of the table, where 1 is the largest change.
The table sets the import price index for copper beside the metals price indexes, by the change over a year in each one's newest month.
Understanding the import price index for copper
Where it stands today
The import price index for copper was 604.7 in September 2026.
What does the import price index for copper measure?
The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) measures the change in the prices of goods that the United States imports, and publishes its import price indexes each month, about two weeks after the month ends. The index covers copper and articles of copper that the United States imports (Harmonized chapter 74): refined copper, wire, tube, plate and other copper goods. BLS builds it from the prices that a sample of US importers report.
Read more
What 500metrics adds: the change over one month, three months, a year and five years, the highest and lowest value since the series begins, and how the change over a year compares with the other lines of the metals prices page.
The numbers behind the chart
What was the import price index for copper in each month?The last ten years, 120 months, newest first; the chart and the file have every month since Jan 1995
| Month | Value | Change over a year |
|---|---|---|
| 604.7 | +37.9% | |
| 597.8 | +31.8% | |
| 584.4 | +25.9% | |
| 576.9 | +29.0% | |
| 557.6 | +25.6% | |
| 546.8 | +20.7% | |
| 531.3 | +20.9% | |
| 533.3 | +27.0% | |
| 495.5 | +19.3% | |
| 468.1 | +14.1% | |
| 462.5 | +8.7% | |
| 440.8 | +0.7% | |
| 438.4 | +6.6% | |
| 453.7 | +11.1% | |
| 464.1 | +5.4% | |
| 447.2 | −1.5% | |
| 444.0 | −1.8% | |
| 453.1 | +6.8% | |
| 439.5 | +13.0% | |
| 419.9 | +11.2% | |
| 415.5 | +8.9% | |
| 410.2 | +9.3% | |
| 425.3 | +16.2% | |
| 437.8 | +21.7% |
Show 96 more rows
| Month | Value | Change over a year |
|---|---|---|
| 411.4 | +11.7% | |
| 408.4 | +7.3% | |
| 440.2 | +18.2% | |
| 453.8 | +22.2% | |
| 452.1 | +19.2% | |
| 424.2 | +9.1% | |
| 389.1 | −1.3% | |
| 377.7 | −4.5% | |
| 381.4 | +1.0% | |
| 375.3 | −1.3% | |
| 365.9 | +2.8% | |
| 359.8 | +3.8% | |
| 368.3 | +5.4% | |
| 380.6 | +8.7% | |
| 372.5 | +7.8% | |
| 371.5 | −11.0% | |
| 379.2 | −7.0% | |
| 388.8 | −12.0% | |
| 394.3 | −10.1% | |
| 395.6 | −5.7% | |
| 377.7 | −9.6% | |
| 380.2 | −7.4% | |
| 355.9 | −12.9% | |
| 346.7 | −13.6% | |
| 349.4 | −14.8% | |
| 350.1 | −14.9% | |
| 345.7 | −17.9% | |
| 417.5 | −3.4% | |
| 407.9 | −5.8% | |
| 441.8 | +10.0% | |
| 438.8 | +8.5% | |
| 419.7 | +16.8% | |
| 417.6 | +21.0% | |
| 410.4 | +22.3% | |
| 408.6 | +29.2% | |
| 401.3 | +32.1% | |
| 410.2 | +36.1% | |
| 411.2 | +39.6% | |
| 420.9 | +48.8% | |
| 432.1 | +62.0% | |
| 432.8 | +68.6% | |
| 401.8 | +70.5% | |
| 404.6 | +59.4% | |
| 359.4 | +39.7% | |
| 345.2 | +24.5% | |
| 335.7 | +24.0% | |
| 316.2 | +17.2% | |
| 303.7 | +15.6% | |
| 301.3 | +13.9% | |
| 294.5 | +10.4% | |
| 282.9 | +2.8% | |
| 266.8 | −1.7% | |
| 256.7 | −10.2% | |
| 235.7 | −19.5% | |
| 253.8 | −13.9% | |
| 257.2 | −11.0% | |
| 277.3 | −0.1% | |
| 270.8 | −5.1% | |
| 269.9 | −4.4% | |
| 262.8 | −8.1% | |
| 264.6 | −2.3% | |
| 266.7 | −4.6% | |
| 275.1 | −6.3% | |
| 271.5 | −14.1% | |
| 285.7 | −10.4% | |
| 292.9 | −0.8% | |
| 294.8 | −1.8% | |
| 288.9 | −4.7% | |
| 277.5 | −9.4% | |
| 285.4 | −2.7% | |
| 282.3 | −6.0% | |
| 286.0 | −2.1% | |
| 270.9 | −9.9% | |
| 279.7 | −2.0% | |
| 293.6 | +8.1% | |
| 316.2 | +18.8% | |
| 319.0 | +19.9% | |
| 295.3 | +8.8% | |
| 300.2 | +8.8% | |
| 303.3 | +10.9% | |
| 306.2 | +15.7% | |
| 293.2 | +8.6% | |
| 300.2 | +20.8% | |
| 292.0 | +22.1% | |
| 300.7 | +24.3% | |
| 285.5 | +18.2% | |
| 271.7 | +12.4% | |
| 266.1 | +10.4% | |
| 266.1 | +8.0% | |
| 271.3 | +9.2% | |
| 275.9 | +10.9% | |
| 273.5 | +13.1% | |
| 264.6 | +7.0% | |
| 269.9 | +6.4% | |
| 248.6 | −3.5% | |
| 239.2 | −8.0% |
How does it compare with the metals price indexes?Ranked by the change over a year
| Series | Month | Value | Change over a year | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Silver, imports | 254.4 | +44.7% | 1 | |
| Copper, imports (this page) | 604.7 | +37.9% | 2 | |
| Copper, exports | 415.5 | +35.7% | 3 | |
| Zinc, imports | 313.4 | +33.8% | 4 | |
| Aluminum, imports | 282.7 | +31.3% | 5 | |
| Platinum, imports | 117.7 | +28.2% | 6 | |
| Platinum, exports | 70.7 | +27.4% | 7 | |
| Aluminum, exports | 206.0 | +21.8% | 8 | |
| Gold, exports | 163.1 | +20.2% | 9 | |
| Gold bullion (Harmonized 7108), exports | 163.6 | +17.0% | 10 | |
| Gold, imports | 160.1 | +14.4% | 11 | |
| Gold bullion (Harmonized 7108), imports | 160.2 | +14.0% | 12 |
The table scrolls sideways; the first column stays in place.
What do these figures leave out, and how are they cited?Limits, dates and how to cite
What this number cannot tell you
- The index follows the prices that importers report for the copper goods they import. It is not a price of copper on any exchange.
- The index is not adjusted for the season. A month-to-month change can include the usual swings of the calendar year.
- The index has no unit. BLS sets a base period for each series and gives it the value 100 there, so the values of two series cannot be compared with each other; only their changes can.
- BLS revises an index in the months after it first publishes it, and this page shows the newest values. A month with no value shows as a gap in the chart.
- The index is shown to one decimal. The changes, the ranks and the highest and lowest values are ours, worked out from the values BLS publishes; a change is in percent.
Observed . Checked .
How to cite this
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Import/Export Price Indexes, Import price index, Harmonized 74, copper and articles thereof, not seasonally adjusted, through September 2026. Compiled by 500metrics, "How much have the prices of imported copper changed?", https://500metrics.com/metals-prices/copper-imports.
Can the data be downloaded?metals-prices-copper-imports.csv
Download the full history as CSV: 381 rows, to , 7,165 bytes.
Our text and compilation: CC BY 4.0.
Recession dates from the National Bureau of Economic Research.
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