How to read the Kite trade book
The trade book on Zerodha Kite records every individual fill (execution) that has occurred in the current trading session. It is distinct from the order book: the order book shows one row per order placed, whereas the trade book shows one row per fill received from the exchange. A single order can generate multiple trade book rows if it is filled in partial batches. This guide explains every column in the Kite trade book and how to use it to verify your executions.
Order book vs trade book, the key distinction
| Aspect | Order book | Trade book |
|---|---|---|
| Rows | One per order submitted | One per fill received from exchange |
| Covers | Open, Rejected, Cancelled and Completed orders | Only executed fills |
| Price shown | Limit price (intended) | Executed price (actual) |
| Partial fills | Order shows as Open with filled qty | Each partial fill is a separate trade row |
If you placed one limit order for 500 shares and it was filled in two lots (300 shares at Rs 520, then 200 shares at Rs 521.50), the order book shows one row with Avg. price Rs 520.60 and status Complete. The trade book shows two rows: one for 300 shares at Rs 520 and one for 200 shares at Rs 521.50.
Accessing the trade book
On Kite web: Click Orders in the left navigation panel. At the top of the Orders section, two tabs appear: Orders and Trades. Click Trades to switch to the trade book.
On the Kite mobile app: Tap Orders in the bottom navigation, then swipe or tap to select the Trades tab.
Columns in the trade book
Instrument: The exchange symbol of the traded scrip (for example, RELIANCE, HDFCBANK, NIFTY23MAY18000CE).
Type (B/S): Buy or Sell. Blue B for a buy fill; red S for a sell fill.
Product: CNC, MIS or NRML, the product code used for the original order.
Qty: The quantity filled in this specific trade. For a single-fill order, this equals the total order quantity. For a partial fill, it is less than the total order quantity.
Price: The actual executed price for this specific fill. This is the price confirmed by the exchange matching engine, which may differ from the limit price you specified (for partial fills across multiple price levels) or from the LTP visible at the time you clicked Buy/Sell (for market orders due to slippage).
Trade ID: Zerodha’s internal identifier for the trade. Use this for any queries with Zerodha support.
Order ID: The identifier of the originating order in the order book. Click this to navigate to the corresponding order in the order book, where you can see the full order details.
Time: The timestamp at which the fill was confirmed by the exchange. For intraday reconciliation, the trade time is authoritative.
Expanding a trade row
Click a trade row to expand it and see additional details:
- Exchange trade ID: The unique trade identifier assigned by NSE or BSE. This is the authoritative number used in exchange settlement records, contract notes and any dispute with the exchange. If you need to verify a trade with the exchange or your broker, this is the number to reference.
- Exchange order ID: The exchange’s identifier for the corresponding order.
- ISIN: The International Securities Identification Number for equity instruments, useful for cross-referencing with demat statements.
Reconciling trades with your positions and holdings
Trade book entries flow through to your positions and holdings as follows:
- A Buy CNC trade creates or increases your position under Portfolio > Holdings (after T+1 settlement).
- A Sell CNC trade reduces your holdings (the demat debit occurs at settlement).
- MIS trades are reflected in Portfolio > Positions under the Day tab for the current session. At end of day, squared-off MIS positions disappear from Positions.
If a trade appears in the trade book but is not reflected in your positions or holdings, the most common cause is a settlement or display lag. Refresh the Kite page or check again after a few minutes.
Contract notes
Trade book data in Kite is not a contract note. A formal contract note is issued by Zerodha by the next trading day and is available in Console under Reports > Contract notes. The contract note includes:
- All trades for the session, itemised.
- Brokerage, STT, exchange fees, SEBI charges and GST.
- Net settlement amount.
Always reconcile your Kite trade book with the daily contract note for complete record-keeping.
Historical trades via Console
The Kite trade book shows only the current session’s fills. For historical trade data, log in to Zerodha Console at console.zerodha.com and navigate to Reports > Trades. Console provides:
- Date-range filtering for historical trades.
- Downloadable CSV or Excel exports for tax filing, reconciliation and audits.
- P&L reports calculated from historical trade data.
What can go wrong
- Trade not appearing in the trade book. If your order shows Complete in the order book but no corresponding trade appears in the trade book, refresh the trade book page. There may be a short streaming delay. If it persists for more than a few minutes, contact Zerodha support.
- Executed price differs significantly from the expected price. For market orders in illiquid stocks, significant slippage can occur. The trade book shows the actual executed price, which is always the authoritative record.
- Multiple trade rows for one order. This is expected for orders filled in multiple lots (partial fills). Sum the quantities and compute the weighted average price across all rows to determine the effective position cost.
- Trade book shows a fill but position is unchanged. For a CNC buy, the position update occurs at the settlement date (T+1). For an intraday MIS round-trip (buy and sell in the same session), the net position in the Positions screen is zero, but the trade book shows both the buy and sell trades.
Related guides
- How to read the Kite order book
- How to view holdings on Kite vs Console
- How to place your first equity buy order on Kite
- Zerodha Console reference article
References
- Zerodha Support, Understanding the trade book and order book, support.zerodha.com.
- NSE India, Trade confirmation and contract notes, investor guide, nseindia.com.
- SEBI, Circular on trade confirmation and settlement, sebi.gov.in.
- BSE India, Trade book and contract note formats, bseindia.com.