How is average price calculated in commodities?

In commodities trading (like Gold, Crude Oil, Natural Gas, etc.), the average price is calculated in a similar way to futures in equities. The goal is to track your net open position and calculate unrealized profit or loss (MTM) accurately.


✅ Average Price in Commodities = Weighted Average Price


📘 Example – Commodity Futures (Crude Oil):


Assume lot size = 100 barrels


Trades:

  1. Buy 1 lot Crude Oil at ₹6,500
  2. Buy 2 lots at ₹6,600


👉 Calculation:


  1. Total quantity = 1 + 2 = 3 lots = 300 units
  2. Total cost = (1 × ₹6,500 × 100) + (2 × ₹6,600 × 100)
  3. = ₹6,50,000 + ₹13,20,000 = ₹19,70,000


Average Price = ₹19,70,000 / 300 = ₹6,566.67


🔄 When You Sell – Same Logic as Equity Futures:


Let’s say now you:


3. Sell 1 lot at ₹6,700


  1. Realized P&L = (6,700 - 6,566.67) × 100 = ₹13,333
  2. New open position = 2 lots at average price ₹6,566.67


📌 Key Points: Commodity platforms (like MCX in India) use FIFO for P&L calculation, but average price is shown for convenience.

For immediate support, click here to raise a help ticket

Close

Let's Open Free Demat Account