ICE Futures U.S.: derivatives exchange in New York
ICE Futures U.S. is a derivatives exchange with an important agricultural business in soft commodities.
AGR-002 · Derivatives exchange · New York, United States · USD; CAD for canola
Global Arabica, raw sugar and cotton benchmarks
ICE Futures U.S. is a derivatives exchange with an important agricultural business in soft commodities. Its prices provide reference points for international coffee, sugar, cocoa and cotton trading. Robusta coffee and London cocoa belong to the separate ICE Futures Europe entry. That distinction matters because similar commodity names do not imply identical currencies, quality rules, delivery arrangements or contract specifications.
Coffee C is a benchmark for green Arabica coffee. The standard contract represents 37,500 pounds and is quoted in US cents per pound. Sugar No 11 represents 112,000 pounds of raw sugar and has its own delivery conditions. These are contract parameters rather than measurements of physical exports. A buyer of specialty coffee must separately negotiate the differential for origin, cup quality, certification and preparation. That differential can change independently of the exchange benchmark, so a lower futures price does not necessarily mean a cheaper delivered specialty shipment.
Buyers and sellers of contracts normally use an appropriate intermediary. A company seeking physical coffee or sugar should first decide whether it only needs a reference price or also intends to use the exchange delivery process. The latter requires checks on approved warehouses, quality certification, notice dates and costs. In a conventional supply agreement, specify the exact futures month, the price-fixing mechanism and the way any premium or discount is applied. A reference to the current ICE price alone leaves important commercial questions unanswered, especially when a shipment and its hedge have different delivery periods.
Open the relevant product page and its Data tab when looking for quotations. Compare the timestamp, bids, offers, trading volume and settlement price for the same expiry. Some information depends on data licensing and a functioning interactive display. Canola illustrates another comparison issue: its benchmark reflects a Canadian supply chain and CAD pricing even though the contract is listed on ICE Futures U.S. Businesses therefore need the full instrument identity rather than simply a price labelled ICE. Estimate brokerage, margin funding, currency conversion and possible delivery costs before choosing how to transact. For a physical sale, document responsibility for freight, insurance, storage, quality claims and the point at which ownership changes; an exchange reference does not determine these terms automatically.
What is priced: Grains, oilseeds and pulses, Coffee, cocoa, tea, sugar, cotton, rubber and spices
Where to find the prices
Products and quotations
Arabica Coffee C; Arabica Coffee C Metric; Raw sugar No 11; Sugar No 16; Cocoa; Cotton No 2; Frozen concentrated orange juice; Canola
Key figures
- Sugar No 11 futures volume: 35,481,676 contracts (2025). One product, not the whole exchange.
- Coffee C futures volume: 9,525,096 contracts (2025). One product, not the whole exchange.
Sources
- FIA — Agriculture US table
- ICE — Coffee C
- ICE — Sugar No 11
- ICE — agriculture catalogue
All agricultural exchanges, markets and price sources
