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Footprints: read executed bid and ask volume
Before following the colours, let us read one small column of numbers.
Read a three-row footprint, total its volume and distinguish it from the resting order book.
A bid/ask footprint sorts executed trades by price and aggressor classification; it is not a list of waiting orders.
A footprint places measured activity inside each price bar, split into price rows. In our bid/ask version the left number is executed bid-classified volume and the right number is ask-classified volume. Always read the legend because layouts and methods differ.
A trade at the ask is commonly classified as buyer-initiated: an aggressive buyer meets a passive seller. A trade at the bid is seller-initiated: an aggressive seller meets a passive buyer. Every execution still has both sides; these are not counts of buyers versus sellers.
The order book or DOM, Depth of Market, shows currently displayed resting orders. A footprint records executions that have happened. A large displayed order can change or be cancelled; a large executed number does not prove an order still waits there.
Reliable bid/ask analysis needs the relevant trade and quote history plus a declared classification method. Trades between quotes may be assigned by a rule. An up/down-tick estimate is different. A broker’s OTC forex tick updates cannot simply be renamed a centralized bid/ask trade tape.
Let’s work through it
- Check the left/right legend and the data classification.
- Add both sides to find executed volume.
- Subtract bid from ask for delta and keep resting depth separate.
Let’s use numbers · hypothetical example
At 100.00 the footprint is bid 40, ask 10; at 100.25 it is 20 and 50; at 100.50 it is 10 and 20. Bid total is 70, ask total 80, volume 150 and delta 80 − 70 = +10. The largest row total is 70 at 100.25.
Easy mistakes to watch for
- Reading the left column as all sellers and the right as all buyers.
- Calling executed footprint numbers waiting limit orders.
- Treating a tick-direction estimate as verified bid/ask execution data.
Keep in mind
A detailed-looking chart can still have incomplete data, aggregation errors or a different classification method.
Your turn
Copy the three rows, verify 150 total volume, then explain why +10 delta does not mean ten more buyers existed.
A quick check before we move on
What is the footprint’s total executed volume?
- 150, bid plus ask
- 10, the difference between the columns
- 80, the ask column alone
Check answer
150, bid plus ask 70 bid-classified plus 80 ask-classified equals 150. Their difference, +10, is delta.
Sources and further reading
- static.ninjatrader.com/support/helpGuides/nt8/order_flow_volumetric_bars.htm
- www.sierrachart.com/index.php
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.
