Microlots

Microlots refer to very small, clearly identifiable units used in various sectors to describe limited, traceable production or investment positions. In finance, a microlot is a trading size that is smaller than a standard lot. In forex, standard is 100,000 units of base currency, a mini-lot is 10,000, and a microlot is usually 1,000 units. Some brokers also offer nano-lots of 100 units. Microlots enable traders with small accounts to participate, facilitate risk management and practice strategy on real markets with limited exposure. Margin and pip values are scaled accordingly; liquidity varies by instrument and platform.

In agriculture and specialty coffee, microlots describe very small production runs from a single farm, cooperative, or lot. They emphasize origin, terroir, and specific processing methods and are often traceable from farm to roastery. Microlot coffees are typically marketed as premium or specialty, frequently fetching higher prices and enabling producers to distinguish themselves. The concept supports quality control and responsive supply chains but can involve higher costs per unit due to lower economies of scale.

The term may also appear in other contexts, such as micro-sized futures contracts or other commodities, reflecting a broader use of “micro” to denote smaller, more manageable quantities.