Most Traded Commodities in the World

Most Traded Commodities in the World

Commodities power the global economy, from fueling transportation and generating electricity to feeding populations and supporting industry. For traders, understanding the most traded commodities in the world is essential. These markets offer the deepest liquidity, the largest futures volume, and the strongest reaction to macroeconomic changes.

In 2025, global demand trends, clean-energy transitions, geopolitical risks, and weather disruptions reshaped commodity trading. Below is an updated, fact-checked guide based on real 2025 market data.

What Makes a Commodity ‘Most Traded’?

A commodity becomes widely traded when it has:

• High global consumption
• Deep futures or spot-market liquidity
• Wide industrial or economic use
• Strong price volatility
• Consistent cross-border demand

With these factors in mind, here are the most traded commodities in the world that consistently rank among the most traded in the world.

Top 10 Most Traded Commodities In the World

1. Crude Oil: The World’s Most Traded Commodity

Crude oil sits at the top of global trading volume every year. Futures tied to WTI and Brent are consistently the highest-volume commodity contracts in the world.

Why Oil Stays on Top

• Powers global transportation
• Key input for petrochemicals and manufacturing
• Multiple global benchmarks (WTI, Brent)
• Extremely deep and liquid futures markets

According to Reuters, oil prices softened in the second half of 2025 due to slowing global manufacturing activity and rising supply from non-OPEC producers. Despite this, volatility remains high, keeping oil the most actively traded commodity globally.

2. Natural Gas: A Volatile, High-Demand Energy Market

Natural gas, especially LNG has become one of the most traded energy commodities. Europe and Asia increased LNG reliance after years of supply insecurity, boosting global flows.

Why Natural Gas Is Highly Traded

• Power generation and heating
• Seasonal swings
• LNG export/import growth
• Sensitive to weather and storage reports

A surge in LNG exports and unpredictable winter weather kept natural gas among the most volatile and actively traded energy markets in late 2025.

3. Gold: The Most Traded Precious Metal

Gold remains the ultimate safe-haven asset and one of the highest-volume commodities traded globally.

Why Gold Stands Out

• Hedge against inflation and currency risk
• Deep futures/ETF/spot liquidity
• Stable long-term global demand

World Bank data shows precious metals surged in late 2025 as investors hedged against recession fears, lifting gold trading activity significantly.

4. Silver: A Blend of Precious and Industrial Demand

Silver bridges the gap between precious and industrial metals, making it highly traded across futures and spot markets.

Why Silver Is Actively Traded

• Used in electronics, solar panels, medical devices
• Correlated with gold
• Strong industrial demand

Solar-energy manufacturing saw strong expansion in 2025, increasing industrial demand for silver and boosting trading activity.

5. Copper: A Key Barometer of Global Economic Activity

Copper is widely seen as a barometer for global economic health. In 2025, it became one of the world’s most heavily traded metals.

Why Copper Trading Is Rising

• Used in EV batteries, wiring, infrastructure
• Essential for renewable energy systems
• Highly liquid LME and COMEX markets

Reuters reported copper hit record highs in 2025, driven by supply disruptions, declining mine output, and large projected deficits into 2026. This pushed copper to the top tier of most traded global commodities.

6. Aluminium: A Top-Volume Commodity Future in 2025

Recent competitive data shows aluminium is now one of the top five traded commodities by futures volume.

Why Aluminium Is Growing

• Key for lightweight automotive manufacturing
• Used in aviation, construction, and packaging
• Strong demand from EV and clean-energy sectors

HMarkets’ 2025 futures-volume ranking lists aluminium alongside oil, gold, copper, and natural gas among the world’s most traded commodities.

7. Wheat: A Global Staple With Massive Futures Activity

Wheat is one of the most essential food commodities worldwide, and its futures markets remain deep and active.

Why Wheat Ranks Among Top Traded Softs

• Universally consumed
• Large global production and export network
• Highly weather-sensitive

Extreme heat waves in Europe and crop damage in parts of Asia drove spikes in wheat volatility, lifting global trading activity.

8. Corn: Supporting Food, Feed, and Biofuel Markets

Corn is a multi-use commodity with major demand from agriculture and energy.

Why Corn Is Widely Traded

• Livestock feed
• Processed foods
• Ethanol fuel blending

Changes in biofuel policy particularly in the U.S. and Brazil directly influenced corn prices throughout 2025, increasing trading activity.

9. Coffee: A Consistently High-Volume Soft Commodity

Coffee is among the most consumed beverages worldwide, making it a top soft commodity. Coffee futures, especially the ICE Arabica and Robusta contracts, are heavily traded because they offer deep liquidity and react sharply to weather shifts, crop cycles, and supply conditions in major producing countries.

Why Coffee Is Heavily Traded

• Massive global consumption
• Weather-driven supply shocks
• Strong futures market

Unusual weather patterns in Brazil has pushed volatility higher and kept coffee among the most traded soft commodities.

10. Sugar: Driven by Both Food and Biofuel Demand

Sugar is another soft commodity with consistently high trading volume.

Why Sugar Is Actively Traded

• Global food consumption
• Used in ethanol fuel production
• Highly sensitive to weather

Rainfall disruptions across Asia and changes in Brazil’s ethanol output supported strong trade volume in sugar futures.

Market Themes Shaping the Most Traded Commodities in 2025

1. Clean Energy and Electrification

Copper, aluminium, silver are all seeing demand growth from EVs and renewable-energy manufacturing.

2. Geopolitical Risk

Oil and gas remain extremely sensitive to OPEC+ decisions, sanctions, and regional tensions.

3. Extreme Weather

Grains and soft commodities face ongoing disruptions from heatwaves, droughts, and storms.

4. Weak Industrial Activity

Some analysts expect softer prices in 2026 due to slower manufacturing, but this often increases volatility, which traders seek.

5. Structural Shifts in Supply

Mine disruptions and declining ore grades have tightened supply for key metals, further increasing trading volume.

Why These Commodities Matter for Traders

The most traded commodities in the world share important traits:

• Deep liquidity: easier to enter/exit positions
• Volatility: opportunities for short-term strategies
• Global relevance: broad economic influence
• Transparent pricing: data-driven trading
• Multiple instruments: futures, CFDs, ETFs, spot markets

These characteristics make the top commodities attractive for both beginners and experienced traders.

Conclusion

The list of the most traded commodities in the world reflects the structure of the global economy:
energy at the centre, metals supporting industrial growth, and agriculture feeding the world.

In 2025, metals like copper and aluminium emerged alongside oil and gold as high-volume commodities due to supply deficits and clean-energy demand. Soft commodities remained volatile, and natural gas continued to react strongly to weather and LNG flows.

For traders, these markets provide deep liquidity and constant opportunities shaped by supply, demand, geopolitics, and global economic cycles.