Supply refers to how many coins or tokens exist. Three key types: circulating supply, total supply, and max supply.
Circulating Supply
Coins currently in circulation — available to buy, sell, and trade. Used to calculate market cap (price × circulating supply).
Total Supply
Total coins that exist — including locked, reserved, or not yet released. Always ≥ circulating supply.
Max Supply
Maximum coins that will ever exist. Bitcoin has 21 million — fixed. Many coins (Ethereum, Dogecoin) have no max supply, meaning they can be mined/staked indefinitely — potentially inflationary.
Why It Matters
The gap between circulating and total supply reveals how many coins are yet to hit the market. If circulating is 30% of total, a large supply is still locked — when unlocked, it can pressure price downward.
Disclaimer: This is not financial advice. Always do your own research.