Futures Symbol Guide

Every futures symbol breaks down into three parts: the root symbol (the contract), the month code (a single letter for the expiration month), and the year code (one or two digits depending on the platform). Once you know the pattern, every symbol is decodable.

The futures industry uses a single-letter code for each expiration month. These codes are universal across exchanges and platforms — only the year format changes.

Different platforms use different year-code lengths. Most modern platforms use a two-digit year (26 for 2026), but some older or simplified platforms use only the last digit (6 for 2026), which can create ambiguity over decade boundaries.

The symbol format you'll use depends on the data feed (or 'routing') your platform connects to — not the platform itself. Many platforms (NinjaTrader, Quantower, MotiveWave, Bookmap) support multiple feeds and will use whichever feed's format you've selected. The table below shows the same E-mini S&P 500 June 2026 contract across the most common data feeds and native platforms.

Most modern trading platforms are feed-agnostic — they can connect to multiple data sources, and your symbol format follows whichever you've chosen. Use this reference to identify which row of the format table applies to your setup.

If you're unsure which feed you're connected to, check your platform's connection settings or contact the Discount Trading desk — we can confirm your routing setup.

Quick reference for the most-traded futures contracts across the four main symbol conventions — all examples use the June 2026 expiration where applicable.