# Tick Bars

Tick ​Bars ​build a new bar after a set number of trades, for example after every 500 trades. Basic charts (like time-based) draw a new bar after a set period of time, for example after every 5 minutes or hours.

For example, each bar of a 500-tick chart represents 500 trades of any size. A tick can be a trade of just one contract, or 10,000 contracts. This is why it’s crucial to combine the use of tick charts with volume.

<figure><img src="https://4186075531-files.gitbook.io/~/files/v0/b/gitbook-x-prod.appspot.com/o/spaces%2F-LD6FsRvQ3jgwJIg6O7r%2Fuploads%2FmshKxZ9AC0ZdXVNl33VW%2Fimage.png?alt=media&#x26;token=9fea16ee-ae8a-40e7-9f92-b90a0177690b" alt=""><figcaption></figcaption></figure>

To set this chart type, open TimeFrame Selector and select in the drop-down menu — **Tick Bars**.

<figure><img src="https://4186075531-files.gitbook.io/~/files/v0/b/gitbook-x-prod.appspot.com/o/spaces%2F-LD6FsRvQ3jgwJIg6O7r%2Fuploads%2FVo0fTyq1Ygt3XqzpPdfT%2FTick%20bars.gif?alt=media&#x26;token=01309c75-b84c-4b43-91c2-8138c3d11aed" alt=""><figcaption><p>Tick Bars in Quantower platform</p></figcaption></figure>

Depending on the type of instrument (Futures, Crypto, or Forex/CFD), the user can select the required data type for constructing tick bars.

<figure><img src="https://4186075531-files.gitbook.io/~/files/v0/b/gitbook-x-prod.appspot.com/o/spaces%2F-LD6FsRvQ3jgwJIg6O7r%2Fuploads%2FedsIxgrMGNpA9tZkKlXa%2Fclipboard-image-1727202990.png?alt=media&#x26;token=9ed9f32f-602e-4b36-a407-00eb6c9f955c" alt=""><figcaption></figcaption></figure>

