MCX trading in India generally runs from 9:00 AM IST, Monday through Friday. Non-agricultural commodities, bullion, metals, energy, typically trade until around 11:30 PM IST, extending to roughly 11:55 PM IST during the months the US observes daylight saving. Agricultural commodities close earlier, generally by around 5:00 PM IST. Exact times can shift with exchange notifications, so check MCX's current circular before treating any of this as final.
MCX Trading Hours at a Glance
| Commodity category | Opening time | Closing time | Days | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Agricultural | 9:00 AM IST | Around 5:00 PM IST | Mon–Fri | Closes earlier, no evening overlap session |
| Bullion (gold, silver) | 9:00 AM IST | Around 11:30 PM / 11:55 PM IST | Mon–Fri | Later close during US DST period |
| Base metals | 9:00 AM IST | Around 11:30 PM / 11:55 PM IST | Mon–Fri | Later close during US DST period |
| Energy (crude oil, natural gas) | 9:00 AM IST | Around 11:30 PM / 11:55 PM IST | Mon–Fri | Later close during US DST period |
What are MCX trading hours in India?
Here's the short version. Trading on MCX starts at 9:00 AM IST, five days a week, Monday through Friday. There's no trading on Saturdays, Sundays, or exchange-declared holidays, covered in more depth in a companion guide on MCX trading holidays.
Closing time isn't quite as simple, though, because it depends on what you're actually trading.
What time does MCX open?
9:00 AM IST, across the board. Doesn't matter whether you're looking at bullion, metals, energy, or agricultural commodities, the opening bell is the same for all of them. The real variation shows up later in the day, at close, not at open.
What time does MCX close?
Depends on the category, and this is where people get tripped up. Non-agricultural commodities, gold, silver, base metals, crude oil, natural gas, generally trade until around 11:30 PM IST. That window stretches to roughly 11:55 PM IST during the months the US observes daylight saving, since Indian commodity pricing overlaps with international markets in the evening session. Why that happens specifically gets covered in a companion guide on MCX timing changes.
Agricultural commodities work differently. They close much earlier, generally by around 5:00 PM IST. There's no extended evening session for them, since the international overlap driving the later close for bullion and energy doesn't apply the same way here.
Do MCX timings differ by commodity?
Yes, genuinely, and it's the single most important thing to get right before placing a trade near the close. Agricultural commodities run on a shorter, daytime-only window. Non-agricultural commodities, bullion, metals, energy, run a much longer session stretching deep into the evening. Trading a few minutes after 5 PM assuming agricultural markets are still open is a real, avoidable mistake, and checking your specific commodity's category first takes seconds.
Which time zone does MCX use?
Indian Standard Time, IST, consistently. Every time mentioned on this page, and on MCX's own published schedule, is in IST. If you're checking timings from outside India, or cross-referencing against a global commodity benchmark, convert carefully, since a mismatch here is an easy, avoidable error.