All lessons
Token unlocks and distribution
An unlock changes who can transfer tokens. It does not tell us, by itself, how many will be sold.
Distinguish scheduled availability from actual selling.
An unlock removes a restriction on transferring or claiming tokens. Vesting may release units gradually or at a cliff date. Read the actual schedule, contract and beneficiaries rather than assuming a dashboard's estimated date is exact.
Distribution asks who controls supply and how they obtained it. Team, investor, treasury and community allocations can create different incentives. An address is not automatically one person: custodians aggregate users and one owner can control several addresses.
An unlock can change available supply, but price depends on expectations, demand, liquidity and holders' actions. Public schedules may already be anticipated. Separate gross unlocked quantity from circulating classification and from the quantity actually sold; these are related but different observations.
Let’s use numbers · hypothetical example
Hypothetical: 1 million units unlock when circulating supply is 10 million. That equals 10% of the earlier circulation. It does not prove that all 1 million will sell or that the price must fall 10%.
Keep in mind
Schedules can change through contract provisions or governance; verify current primary disclosures.
Your turn
Make a fictional allocation table and mark concentration, vesting dates and missing information.
A quick check before we move on
Does an unlock equal an immediate market sale?
- Only when the project is popular
- No
- Yes
Check answer
No Availability creates an option to transfer; actual behavior must be observed separately.
Sources and further reading
Content reviewed: 29 October 2026
Educational material with hypothetical examples. Trading can cause substantial losses. A course, pattern, stop order or past result cannot guarantee a profit or limit every loss. Practise in simulation and check current rules and product terms in your jurisdiction.