Strota / NSE F&O Contract Specifications

NSE F&O Contract Specifications

Lot size, tick size, strike spacing, expiry calendar — the technical details every NSE F&O trader needs to know.

NSE F&O contracts are standardised — every contract on a given underlying has the same lot size, tick size, and strike spacing. Knowing the specs is the difference between placing orders correctly and getting rejected at exchange level.

Specs occasionally change. NSE revises lot sizes periodically; tick size and strike spacing are more stable but have changed historically. Always check the live option chain page for the authoritative current value.

Index futures and options specs

NIFTY 50: lot 25, tick ₹0.05, strike spacing 50 points.

BANK NIFTY: lot 15, tick ₹0.05, strike spacing 100 points.

FIN NIFTY: lot 40, tick ₹0.05, strike spacing 50 points.

MIDCAP NIFTY: lot 50, tick ₹0.05, strike spacing 25 points.

Tick size means the minimum price increment for orders. ₹0.05 means premium prices move in 5-paise steps. Strike spacing means the distance between consecutive strike prices.

Stock futures and options specs

Stock contracts have lot sizes ranging from ~25 (large-cap, high-priced) to 6,000+ (low-priced stocks). Tick size is uniform at ₹0.05 across all stock options.

Strike spacing varies by stock price level. Below ₹50: typically ₹2.50 spacing. ₹50-200: ₹5 spacing. ₹200-500: ₹10. ₹500-1500: ₹20. ₹1500-3000: ₹50. Above ₹3000: ₹100.

The Strota stock page for any F&O symbol shows the current contract specs alongside the live data.

Contract series and expiry cycle

Weekly index options: three series available at any time — current week, next week, the week after.

Monthly index options: three series — current month, next month, far month.

Monthly index futures: three series — current, next, far.

Stock futures and options: three monthly series — current, next, far.

All contracts trade in parallel. The further-dated series typically have wider bid-ask spreads and lower liquidity.

What to do with this: Before placing your first order in a new underlying, look up the lot size and tick size. A market-order mistake on a high-lot stock (e.g. 6,000-lot Vodafone Idea) can produce a much larger position than intended if you typed the lot count thinking in NIFTY units.

Common misreads

Assuming all indices have the same strike spacing. NIFTY's 50-point and BANK NIFTY's 100-point spacing mean the chains 'look' very different at the same width.
Forgetting that tick size applies to premium, not strike. You can't place a NIFTY option order at ₹100.01 — must be ₹100.00 or ₹100.05.
Trading far-month contracts assuming similar liquidity to current-month. Far-month spreads are 2-5x wider for most stocks; large orders can move the price visibly.

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Rollover Percentage

Module 1 recap

Key takeaways

NIFTY: 25 lot, ₹0.05 tick, 50-point strike spacing.
BANK NIFTY: 15 lot, ₹0.05 tick, 100-point spacing.
FIN NIFTY: 40 lot, ₹0.05 tick, 50-point spacing.
MIDCAP NIFTY: 50 lot, ₹0.05 tick, 25-point spacing.
Stock specs vary widely — always look up the symbol before trading.
Three series of each contract trade in parallel: current, next, far.

Contract specs — quick lookups

Tick size NIFTY?

₹0.05. Options trade in 5-paise increments.

Strike spacing BANK NIFTY?

100 points. Consecutive strikes are 46000, 46100, 46200 — no 46050.

Strike spacing NIFTY?

50 points. Consecutive strikes are 22000, 22050, 22100.

How many weekly contracts trade at once?

Three: current, next, and the week after that. The series rolls forward as each weekly expires.

How many monthly series for stock options?

Three: current month, next month, far month. Far-month liquidity is typically much thinner than current month.

Does the tick size differ for stock vs index options?

No — both are ₹0.05 across all NSE option contracts.

Where do I find the most-current spec for a stock?

Strota's /stock/<SYMBOL> page F&O section shows the live lot, tick, and strike spacing. Or check the option chain on your broker terminal.

See current NIFTY contract details →