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Futures contract month codes
Every futures month code from F (January) to Z (December), how to read a symbol like ESZ26, and which months ES, NQ, crude oil and gold contracts trade.
What are futures month codes?
Futures contract months are written as single letters: F January, G February, H March, J April, K May, M June, N July, Q August, U September, V October, X November and Z December. A symbol joins the product code, the month code and the year, so ESZ26 is the E-mini S&P 500 contract that expires in December 2026.
The twelve month codes
The letters are the same across every exchange and every product. They skip letters that could be confused with numbers or with each other.
Code
Month
Code
Month
F
January
N
July
G
February
Q
August
H
March
U
September
J
April
V
October
K
May
X
November
M
June
Z
December
Reading a futures symbol
A full symbol is the product code, then the month code, then the year. Platforms show the year as one or two digits: NQM6 and NQM26 both mean the E-mini Nasdaq-100 contract expiring in June 2026. CLF27 is crude oil for January 2027, and GCQ26 is gold for August 2026.
Which months each contract trades
Equity index futures (ES, NQ, YM, RTY and their micros) list quarterly contracts only: March (H), June (M), September (U) and December (Z). Each expires on the third Friday of its month.
Crude oil lists a contract for every month. Gold lists many months, but trading concentrates in February (G), April (J), June (M), August (Q), October (V) and December (Z).
Rolling to the next contract
Volume moves from the expiring contract to the next one in the days before expiry; for equity index futures this roll happens about a week before the third Friday. The contract with the most volume is called the front month. Most platforms, including those prop firms provide, can show a continuous chart that switches contracts automatically, but orders are always placed in a specific month.
FAQs — Futures contract month codes
Facts checked 2026-09-15 against CME Group contract specifications.
What does Z mean in futures?
Z is the month code for December.
What does H mean in futures?
H is the month code for March.
What is the front month in futures?
The front month is the contract closest to expiry that most traders are trading, usually the one with the highest volume.
When do ES and NQ futures expire?
E-mini S&P 500 and Nasdaq-100 futures expire on the third Friday of March, June, September and December.
Related reference
More futures reference, and where these rules meet prop firm terms.
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