Volume Profile

Volume Profile displays the distribution of traded volume at each price level over a configurable session period. Unlike traditional volume bars that show volume over time, Volume Profile shows volume over price — revealing where the market considers value to be. It is one of the most important tools for understanding market auction theory and identifying high-probability support and resistance levels.

Key Concepts

Point of Control (POC)

The POC is the price level with the highest traded volume within the profile period. It represents the “fairest” price where the most agreement between buyers and sellers occurred. Price tends to gravitate toward the POC, making it a powerful magnet and reference level.

Value Area (VA)

The Value Area encompasses the price range where a specified percentage (default 70%) of the total volume was traded. The boundaries are:

VAH (Value Area High): Upper boundary of the value area.
VAL (Value Area Low): Lower boundary of the value area.

Price trading within the value area is in “balance.” A breakout above VAH or below VAL suggests a directional move.

Naked POC

A Naked POC is the POC from a previous session that price has not yet revisited. Naked POCs act as strong magnets — price often travels to fill them days or even weeks later.

Naked POCs from previous sessions are among the most reliable support/resistance levels available. Enable extendNakedPOC to automatically project unvisited POCs forward until price fills them.

Period Settings

These parameters define what time range each profile covers.

Parameter	Description	Default
periodType	The aggregation period for each profile. Options: `M1`, `M5`, `M15`, `M30`, `H1`, `H4`, `D1`, `W1`, `MN`, `CustomBars`.	D1
sessionStartUtcHour	Hour (0–23, UTC) at which each session starts. Only applies to period types that use sessions (D1, W1).	0
customBarsCount	Number of bars per profile when `periodType` is set to `CustomBars`.	50
maxPeriodsBack	Maximum number of past profiles to display on the chart. Higher values show more history but increase rendering load.	20

Period Type Guide

Period	Use Case
M1–M30	Micro profiles for scalping. See volume distribution within short windows.
H1	Intraday profiles. Identify hourly rotation levels.
H4	Intraday swing profiles. Good for 4-hour session analysis.
D1	Daily profiles — the most commonly used. Each trading day gets its own profile.
W1	Weekly profiles for swing trading context.
MN	Monthly profiles for position trading and macro context.
CustomBars	Fixed bar count per profile. Useful for non-time-based analysis.

The sessionStartUtcHour parameter lets you align daily profiles with your preferred session boundary. For crypto markets (24/7), the default of 0 (midnight UTC) works well. For futures, set it to your exchange’s session open time.

Value Area Settings

Parameter	Description	Default
valueAreaPct	Percentage of total volume that defines the value area. The standard value in market profile theory is 70%.	70
showValueArea	Display the value area boundaries (VAH and VAL) as shaded zones or lines on the profile.	true

POC Settings

Parameter	Description	Default
showPOC	Display the Point of Control line on each profile.	true
onlyPOC	Hide the volume histogram bars and show only the POC line. Useful for a clean chart that still shows the most important level.	false
pocLineColor	Color of the POC line.	#ef4444
pocLineWidth	Thickness of the POC line in pixels.	1
pocLineStyle	Line style: `solid`, `dashed`, `dotted`.	solid
pocLineTransparency	Opacity of the POC line from 0 (fully opaque) to 100 (invisible).	0
showPOCLabel	Display a text label next to the POC line.	true
showPOCPrice	Include the price value in the POC label.	true
pocLabelPosition	Horizontal position of the POC label: `left`, `right`, or `center`.	left
pocLabelVerticalPosition	Vertical position of the label relative to the line: `above` or `below`.	above
extendNakedPOC	Extend POC lines from previous sessions forward until price touches them. Naked POCs are powerful support/resistance magnets.	false

VAH / VAL Line Settings

Parameter	Description	Default
showVAHLines	Display VAH and VAL as horizontal lines.	true
vahValLineColor	Color for VAH and VAL lines.	#ffffff
vahValLineWidth	Thickness of VAH/VAL lines.	1
vahValLineStyle	Line style for VAH/VAL: `solid`, `dashed`, `dot`.	dot
showVAHVALLabels	Display text labels on VAH/VAL lines.	true
showVAHPrice	Include price value in the VAH label.	true
showVALPrice	Include price value in the VAL label.	true

Profile Appearance

Parameter	Description	Default
colorScheme	Color theme for the volume histogram bars. Options: `solid`, `blue`, `green`, `orange`, `red`, `purple`, `cyan`, `yellow`, `heatmap`, `heatmapFire`, `heatmapPlasma`.	solid
profileColor	Base color when using the `solid` color scheme.	#9ca3af
profileOpacity	Overall opacity of the profile bars from 0 to 100.	50
barCornerRadius	Corner radius for profile bars in pixels. Higher values create rounded bars.	8
showBarBorder	Draw a border around each profile bar.	false
profileWidthPixels	Maximum width of the profile histogram in pixels.	300
autoWidth	Automatically size profile width as a percentage of the available period width. When enabled, defaults to 15% of the period width.	true
showValues	Display volume numbers on each profile bar. Useful for exact volume analysis.	false

Color Schemes

Scheme	Description
solid	Single color (uses `profileColor`). Clean and minimal.
blue / green / orange / red / purple / cyan / yellow	Monochrome gradient from light to dark based on volume intensity.
heatmap	Multi-color gradient from cool (low volume) to hot (high volume).
heatmapFire	Fire-themed gradient: yellow → orange → red → dark red.
heatmapPlasma	Scientific plasma palette: purple → pink → orange → yellow.

Heatmap color schemes make it immediately obvious where the highest volume concentration is. Use heatmapFire for quick visual identification of high-volume nodes.

Pattern Detection

Volume Profile can automatically detect classic profile shapes that carry specific market implications.

Parameter	Description	Default
showPattern	Enable automatic pattern detection and labeling.	false
patternLabelColor	Color for pattern labels.	#eab308
patternLabelFontSize	Font size for pattern labels.	12

Detected Patterns

Pattern	Shape	Interpretation
P	Volume concentrated in the upper portion	Auction completed to the upside. Long-term buying occurred. Often seen in accumulation.
b	Volume concentrated in the lower portion	Auction completed to the downside. Long-term selling occurred. Often seen in distribution.
D	Volume concentrated in the middle (bell curve)	Balanced, normal distribution. Market found fair value.

Volume Filters

Volume filters highlight specific price levels where volume exceeds a threshold. Up to four independent filters can be configured, each with its own threshold and color.

Parameter	Description	Default
enableFilters	Master toggle for volume filters.	false
filter1 / filter2 / filter3 / filter4	Volume threshold for each filter level. Bars exceeding this volume get highlighted.	0
filter1Color / filter2Color / filter3Color / filter4Color	Color for each filter level.	per-filter
filterLineStyle	Line style for filter highlight lines.	solid
extendFilterLines	Extend filter lines forward beyond the profile period.	false

Use filters to find exceptionally high-volume levels that stand out from the rest of the profile.

Delta Profile Mode

Parameter	Description	Default
deltaProfileMode	Split the profile into bid and ask sides. The histogram shows buy volume on one side and sell volume on the other, revealing directional bias at each price level.	false

When enabled, the profile displays two histograms side by side:

Bid (sell) volume on the left.
Ask (buy) volume on the right.

This reveals whether a high-volume node was driven by aggressive buying or selling — information that a standard volume profile hides.

Practical Usage

Daily Profile Workflow

For intraday trading with D1 profiles:

Before the session opens, review yesterday’s profile: note the POC, VAH, and VAL.
Mark any Naked POCs from previous sessions.
As price opens, determine whether it is inside or outside yesterday’s value area.
Open inside VA: Expect range-bound action. Trade between VAH and VAL.
Open outside VA: Expect directional action. If above VAH, bias is bullish. If below VAL, bias is bearish.

Key Levels Hierarchy

Level	Significance
Naked POC	Strongest magnet — price tends to fill these eventually.
Current session POC	Intraday fair value — price rotates around this level.
VAH / VAL	Session boundaries — breakout or rejection signals.
High Volume Node (HVN)	Strong S/R — lots of agreement at this price.
Low Volume Node (LVN)	Rejection area — price moves quickly through these.

Confluence with Other Indicators

Order Blocks: An order block at a Volume Profile POC is a high-confluence zone.
FVG: An FVG that overlaps with a low-volume node suggests price will move quickly through this area.
TPO Profile: Volume Profile shows where volume occurred; TPO shows where time was spent. Together they provide a complete auction picture.
Multiple HVN: Cross-reference Volume Profile HVNs with the Multiple HVN indicator for levels confirmed across multiple bars.

Common Pitfalls

Ignoring context: A POC in a trending market behaves differently than in a range. In trends, price often leaves the POC behind.
Too many profiles: Displaying 20 profiles simultaneously creates visual clutter. Use 3–5 profiles for context and focus on the current and previous sessions.
Static analysis: Profiles are dynamic during the session. A POC can shift as new volume prints. Re-evaluate levels periodically.

Volume Profile shows where volume was traded, not direction. A high-volume node could be accumulation (bullish) or distribution (bearish). Use delta mode or order flow tools to determine directional intent.

Getting Started

Chart

Appearance

Indicators

Workspace

Advanced

Support

Key Concepts

Point of Control (POC)

Value Area (VA)

Naked POC

Period Settings

Period Type Guide

Value Area Settings

POC Settings

VAH / VAL Line Settings

Profile Appearance

Color Schemes

Pattern Detection

Detected Patterns

Volume Filters

Delta Profile Mode

Practical Usage

Daily Profile Workflow

Key Levels Hierarchy

Confluence with Other Indicators

Common Pitfalls

​Key Concepts

​Point of Control (POC)

​Value Area (VA)

​Naked POC

​Period Settings

​Period Type Guide

​Value Area Settings

​POC Settings

​VAH / VAL Line Settings

​Profile Appearance

​Color Schemes

​Pattern Detection

​Detected Patterns

​Volume Filters

​Delta Profile Mode

​Practical Usage

​Daily Profile Workflow

​Key Levels Hierarchy

​Confluence with Other Indicators

​Common Pitfalls

Key Concepts

Point of Control (POC)

Value Area (VA)

Naked POC

Period Settings

Period Type Guide

Value Area Settings

POC Settings

VAH / VAL Line Settings

Profile Appearance

Color Schemes

Pattern Detection

Detected Patterns

Volume Filters

Delta Profile Mode

Practical Usage

Daily Profile Workflow

Key Levels Hierarchy

Confluence with Other Indicators

Common Pitfalls