Killzone
Written by Loïs · updated
A precise time window when volatility and volume are historically at their highest.
On a real chart
A killzone is a specific time window during the day when volume and volatility are historically highest, because it lines up with the open or overlap of major market sessions (London, New York).
The most followed killzones in ICT are the London Killzone (London open) and the New York Killzone (New York open), periods when structure moves and liquidity sweeps tend to be most reliable.
Trading only during killzones lets you focus on the windows where the market "actually moves", instead of hunting for setups during quiet periods where market noise is more misleading.
In Paris time, three windows concentrate most of the tradeable activity: the London killzone around 9-11am, the New York one around 2.30-5pm, and the London Close around 5-6pm. The first two correspond to opens, the third to a close — which is why the moves you look for in them are of a different nature.
How to use them: a killzone is not a signal, it is a filter. It does not tell you what to trade, it tells you when your setups have the best odds. A perfectly drawn order block touched at 4am in the middle of the Asian session is worth considerably less than the same order block touched at the New York open.
Why it works: institutional volume concentrates in these windows. That is where order books are thickest, where moves have enough fuel to reach their objectives, and where liquidity sweeps happen with genuine intent rather than through simple drift.
In practice this restructures a trader’s day. Rather than watching markets continuously, you prepare the analysis beforehand — bias, zones, targeted liquidity — then only sit at the screen during the windows that matter. It is also what makes the method compatible with a full-time job.
The classic mistake: forcing a trade because the killzone is open. The time window is a necessary condition, never a sufficient one. A killzone with no valid setup ends in zero trades, and that is a perfectly acceptable outcome.
Second trap: getting the hour wrong. Killzones are defined in New York time, and the US daylight-saving switch does not coincide with the European one. Twice a year there is a week or two of offset — enough to systematically miss the open if you do not check.
Frequently asked questions
What is a killzone in trading?
A specific time window when volume and volatility are historically at their highest, because it matches the open or overlap of the major sessions (London, New York).
What are the ICT killzone times?
In Paris time: London around 9–11am, New York around 2.30–5pm, and the London Close around 5–6pm. They are defined in New York time: twice a year, the US and European clock changes fall in different weeks and shift them by an hour for one or two weeks.
Is a killzone enough to take a trade?
No. It is a filter, not a signal: it tells you when your setups have the best chance of working, not what to trade. A killzone without a valid setup ends with zero trades.
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