TradingView volume candles: width encoding and comparison limits

The same five bars, with and without volume widths

Both panels use the invented OHLCV observations in the table below. Every bar covers five minutes. Equal center spacing is an illustration choice. The second panel changes body widths only, so bar D draws more attention despite closing exactly where it opened.

• Bar A rises by 2 price units on 1,000 volume units. Bar B falls by 1 price unit on 4,000 units. A larger width therefore does not mean a larger price change or a bullish bar.
• Bar D has the most volume, but its body has zero height because open equals close. Its wick still spans 102 to 106. Total volume alone cannot explain the sequence of transactions within that range.

Reproduce the OHLCV and return calculations

Assume one fictional instrument, one session, completed five-minute bars, no missing intervals, and unchanged data adjustments. Times are bar-open times in one fixed chart time zone. Prices use arbitrary currency units; volume uses consistent trade units. There are no fees, dividends, or execution assumptions. Returns below describe prices, not a strategy.

• For each row, price change (%) = 100 × (close / open - 1). For B: 100 × (101 / 102 - 1) = -0.980392%, rounded to -0.9804%.
• Across the full sample, first open to final close is 100 × (103 / 100 - 1) = +3%. First close to final close is 100 × (103 / 102 - 1) = +0.9804%. The starting observation must be stated.
• Volume totals 16,000 units. D accounts for 8,000 / 16,000 = 50%. In this diagram its width is eight times A's, but that ratio follows our chosen linear drawing formula. Do not infer exact native volume ratios from measured pixels.
• Switching between these displays, or resizing the image, cannot change the +3% first-open-to-last-close result. If numeric results change in TradingView, reconcile the bar timestamps and data settings before attributing the difference to width.

Enable the native chart and check access

In TradingView Supercharts, open the chart-type menu on the top toolbar and select Volume candles. The current pricing page lists this chart type for Premium and Ultimate; verify the entitlement in your account before upgrading. A subscription feature and the availability of volume for a particular symbol are separate checks.

• In Chart settings, open Symbol to inspect body, border, wick, and color settings. Record whether Color based on previous close is enabled: that setting uses the previous close for direction instead of the current open.
• Choose one closed bar, record its timestamp and OHLCV, then switch back to Candles. Add the built-in Volume indicator if you need a numeric volume reference alongside the price bars.
• A community script with "volume candles" in its name can use its own colors, lookback, or drawing formula. Check its description and settings before treating it as the native chart type.

Keep screen width separate from elapsed time

In the example, A and D each cover five minutes even though D is eight times as wide in the schematic. Adding body widths, measuring gaps between their edges, or judging the duration of a move from its visual bulk gives the wrong quantity. Read the bar timestamps and interval; account for session gaps when measuring clock time.

• The official Volume candles guide specifies the width encoding but does not specify its normalization window, minimum width, or clipping formula. This guide does not claim that TradingView divides volume by the maximum visible volume.
• For a reproducible screenshot comparison, freeze the visible range and panel size. Then vary one setting and recheck the same closed bar. A difference in screen width is a display observation until supported by changed numeric volume.
• In our illustration, doubling the maximum drawing width from 64 to 128 doubles all body widths while OHLCV stays fixed. This demonstrates a display-scale effect; it is not a measured TradingView zoom result.

Missing volume needs a separate decision

TradingView reports that some symbols or intervals have no supplied volume, while other feeds provide tick volume, which counts price updates. Inspect the exact exchange-prefixed symbol and interval. A valid price candle does not guarantee valid trade-volume data.

• TradingView's volume-data help lists FOREXCOM forex/CFDs and TVC CFDs among cases without volume, and documents an intraday versus daily difference for FX_IDC. Verify your selected symbol rather than applying one rule to every forex feed.
• No missing-volume fallback appearance is specified in the cited Volume candles guide. An ordinary-looking or very thin candle is not evidence of a known positive volume. Check the number instead.
• For a numeric width exercise, keep missing volume unavailable and reject negative inputs. With a positive reference maximum, zero volume gives zero calculated width. If every volume is zero, dividing by the sample maximum is undefined. These are mathematical boundaries, not claims about TradingView rendering.

Volume candles, Volume Profile, and Footprint answer different questions

A candle's total volume does not reveal how that volume was distributed inside its price range. Choosing a wider body adds a visual channel to the bar; it does not reconstruct missing price-level data.

Keep a review record that survives a chart change

Save the ordinary-candle and volume-candle screenshots with the same review ID. Include readable axes, the complete symbol, interval, session, time zone, visible range, capture time, and color rule. Store the OHLCV values separately so the review remains checkable if the layout changes.

• For a recorded trade, use Pineify Trading Journal plan and review notes to retain the review ID, assumptions, and screenshot filenames or links. Record entry and exit timestamps with the trade. Keep the original images and OHLCV file alongside your research record.
• Pineify AI Chart Analysis accepts a chart image for analysis. Annotate the image with the chart type and settings, then verify any observation against the values you saved. An image cannot recover hidden volume data or prove the native width formula.
• Log a conclusion such as "D had 8,000 volume units and a zero open-to-close change." A claim about who traded or what price will do next requires evidence beyond that candle. Neither review step executes a trade.