The lot size is important for participants in the F&O market. It defines your margin and the calculation of your profits or loss.
Standardised Trading Unit: Lot size is the lowest amount you can trade in a single contract that is determined by the exchange.
Impact on Margin: The amount of money you have to deposit in order to start a trade is directly dependent on the size of the lot.
Price Movement Calculation: The gains and the losses are calculated by multiplying the price change and the lot size of the contract.
Tick Size Connection: Tick size is defined separately by the exchange and determines the minimum price movement.
Understanding Lot Sizes
A lot size refers to the fixed quantity of a commodity that must be bought or sold in a single futures or options trading contract. You cannot choose your own quantity. Instead, exchanges such as MCX define this lot size to ensure uniformity in trades.
For Futures Contracts
Product
| Lot Size
| Margin Required*
| Tick Size
| P/L per Tick
|
Gold
| 1kg
| 7.25%
| ₹1
| ₹100
|
Gold Mini
| 100gm
| 7.25%
| ₹1
| ₹10
|
Gold Ten
| 10gm
| 7.25%
| ₹1
| ₹1
|
Gold Guinea
| 8gm
| 7.25%
| ₹1
| ₹1
|
Gold Petal
| 1gm
| 7.25%
| ₹1
| ₹1
|
Silver
| 30kg
| 14.25%
| ₹1
| ₹30
|
Silver Mini
| 5kg
| 14.25%
| ₹1
| ₹5
|
Silver Micro
| 1kg
| 14.25%
| ₹1
| ₹1
|
Crude Oil
| 100 bbl
| 34.25%
| ₹1
| ₹100
|
Crude Oil Mini
| 10 bbl
| 34.25%
| ₹1
| ₹10
|
Natural Gas
| 1250 MMBTU
| 26.68%
| 10p
| ₹125
|
Natural Gas Mini
| 250 MMBTU
| 24.81%
| 10p
| ₹25
|
*As of 4th July 2025.
For Options Contracts
Product
| Lot Size
| Tick Size
| P/L per Tick
|
Gold
| 1kg
| 50p
| ₹50
|
Gold Mini
| 100gm
| 50p
| ₹5
|
Silver
| 30kg
| 50p
| ₹15
|
Silver Mini
| 5kg
| 50p
| ₹2.5
|
Crude Oil
| 100 bbl
| 10p
| ₹1
|
Crude Oil Mini
| 10 bbl
| 5p
| ₹0.5
|
Natural Gas
| 1250 MMBTU
| 5p
| ₹62.5
|
Natural Gas Mini
| 250 MMBTU
| 5p
| ₹12.5
|
Foundation of Standardised Trading
Standard lot sizes create consistency in commodity trading. For example, when the lot size for crude oil is set at 100 barrels, every trade must happen in multiples of 100. This helps you clearly understand how much you're trading, makes order matching easier, and avoids confusion during execution. It also ensures that your profits or losses are easy to calculate and track.
Influence on the Options Market
In futures and options trading, lot size also matters when you’re dealing with strike prices. Since options are based on futures contracts—and those futures have fixed lot sizes—the strike price needs to reflect how many units of the commodity each contract covers. If you are trading options, knowing the lot size helps you understand how much exposure you're taking and how price changes will affect your gains or losses.
Enhancing Market Accessibility
Lot size has a direct impact on how easy it is for regular retail investors to enter the market. If the lot size for commodity contracts is too large, it raises the capital you need to get started. That can make it hard for smaller investors to participate. But when lot sizes are smaller, you can access the market with less money and take more control of your position sizing. This also helps you manage your margin better and apply smarter risk strategies. Tools like margin calculators can help you estimate how much capital is needed.
Understanding the Concept of Strike Prices
In options trading, the strike price is the agreed-upon rate at which you have the right to buy (for calls) or sell (for puts) the underlying commodity. This price is agreed upon when the contract is made. Once the option reaches expiry, this strike price is used to calculate your profit or loss based on where the market price ends up.
Importance of Strike Prices in Options Trading
Strike prices play a big role in whether your options trade makes money or not. If you’re holding a call option, you want the market price to go above your strike price. If it’s a put option, you want the market price to fall below the strike price. Choosing the right strike price helps you trade more efficiently. Pick the wrong one, and you might miss out on potential profits—or worse, face losses.
Relationship Between Strike Prices and Lot Sizes
Feature
| Description
|
Lot Size
| The minimum amount of the good you must trade in one contract.
|
Strike Price
| The price at which the option holder has the right to buy or sell the commodity.
|
Settlement Calculation
| Gains or losses are found by multiplying the price difference by the total lot size.
|
Exchange Control
| Exchanges standardise both based on how liquid the assets are, how prices are changing, and how volatile the market is.
|
Trading Goal
| All of these things help assess position value and risk exposure.tures?
|