Powder Inflation – Price of Powder Today vs. 46 years ago

Has inflation (and shortages in the supply chain) affected the price? You bet. You’d be surprised. Forum member “Two Time HM LR”, posted this interesting photo above, showing Hodgdon Powder prices from 1978 as sold by O.K. Weber in Oregon.
You may not be interested in the prices, which range from $20 to $44. Take note that these are the prices for EIGHT POUND jugs. Eight-pounders were under $45 all the time! In 1978, for example, H4895 cost $44 for eight pounds. H335 cost $20 for eight pounds, or $2.50 a pound.
A single pound of H4831 powder, for example, can cost up to $65 in some stores. Hodgdon’s website shows that H4831 powder will cost $58.99 per pound by October 2023. Using the current $58.99/lb price, H4831 powder is now nearly ELEVEN TIMES higher than it was back in 1978 when H4831 only cost $44 for eight pounds. $5.50 per pound.
Here are some comments made by our forum members:
“Hell, those prices are about the same as what we have now. Just a smaller container.” — Joe
“I have some H4831 in an empty can marked ‘WWII surplus powder’ with a $2.75 price tag. We’ll also never see it again.” Rick in Oregon
“1978 prices would be nice and [2024] earnings would be nice. Unfortunately, that doesn’t work. When you compare powder prices to income, they are about the same. You have to take into account the temporary price gouging we are experiencing.” — Tmwinds
“I used to buy gasoline for 10 cents a gallon, and they would pump it, check the engine oil, and clean the windscreen.” — Pirate Ammo
One comment suggests the price increase of powder actually tracks the general inflation in the U.S. dollar over the past four decades. The price hikes in powder may not be as bad as they appear when compared with the overall inflation rate since 1978.
“Using H4895 [8 lbs.] As a comparison, the list price in 1978 was $58.50. This is equivalent to $276 today. It looks like the price of the same item today is around [$380], so it hasn’t really gone up that much [as corrected for inflation]. The availability of powder is another issue. If someone really needs it, they may have to pay more than suggested retail.