What Is Delivery Percentage?
Every share traded on NSE has two possible fates: it either gets delivered to a buyer's demat account, or it gets squared off the same day (intraday). Delivery percentage tells you what fraction of the total volume resulted in actual delivery — i.e., how many traders were genuinely buying to hold, not just speculating for the day.
A stock with 10 crore shares traded but only 20% delivery means 8 crore shares were squared off by day-end — speculative churn. A stock with 10 crore shares traded at 60% delivery means genuine buyers took 6 crore shares home to their demat accounts. That second scenario is far more meaningful for swing and positional traders.
Interpreting Delivery Percentage Levels
| Delivery % | Interpretation | Typical Context |
|---|---|---|
| Below 20% | Highly speculative session | Expiry day, news-driven momentum, circuit stocks |
| 20–35% | Moderate speculation | Typical active mid-cap on a trending day |
| 35–55% | Healthy mix of investors & traders | Large-cap in normal conditions |
| Above 55% | Strong investor conviction | Institutional buying, breakouts by quality stocks |
| Above 80% | Very high delivery — flag for investigation | Block deals, bulk deals, or low liquidity day |
The Power of Price + Volume + Delivery
Delivery percentage works best when combined with price action and volume. Here are the most powerful combinations:
Price Up + High Delivery
Strongest bullish signal. Investors are committing capital at higher prices — genuine demand. Look for this on breakout days from bases or consolidations.
Price Up + Low Delivery
Suspect rally. Intraday speculators drove the price but no one took home shares. Next day follow-through is weak — often reverses.
Price Down + High Delivery
Selling with conviction. Investors are getting out. Heavy delivery on red days signals distribution — avoid catching this falling knife.
Price Down + Low Delivery
Weak selling — likely a temporary dip or profit-booking. No panic. This often sets up good entry points if the larger trend is up.
Using Delivery Data for Stock Screening
You can screen for high-delivery stocks as a filter for swing trades. The logic: if a stock breaks out to a 52-week high with 50%+ delivery and 2x+ average volume, it has triple confirmation that the move is genuine.
Screening criteria on tools like Trendlyne / Chartink:
• Delivery % today > 45%
• Delivery % today > 20-day avg delivery % by 1.5x
• Volume today > 20-day avg volume by 1.5x
• Price making 52-week high or breaking key resistance
Where to Find Delivery Data in India
- NSE India (nseindia.com): Download the daily bhavcopy CSV — it includes delivery quantity for every equity scrip
- Trendlyne: Tracks delivery % trend over time for any stock
- Screener.in: Some delivery-related filters in their screener
- Chartink: Build real-time scanners with delivery percentage as a condition
- Zerodha Kite / Streak: Basic delivery data available in market depth for NSE stocks
Key Limitations to Keep in Mind
- Delivery percentage is not available for F&O instruments — it's equity-only
- Very high delivery on a low-liquidity stock may simply mean there's no intraday trading happening, not necessarily investor buying
- On expiry Fridays, delivery % across all stocks tends to fall as F&O hedges unwind
- Block deals and bulk deals skew delivery numbers significantly — always check if any large deals happened that day
- Compare to the stock's own historical delivery average, not to a universal benchmark