When trading metal contracts on Gate, understanding the full fee structure is essential for optimizing your trading costs. Unlike traditional metal investments, Gate’s metal contracts involve several types of fees, including trading fees, funding rates, overnight (swap) fees, and bid-ask spreads. This article systematically breaks down the fee rules for metal contracts based on Gate’s latest mechanisms, helping traders clearly grasp the components of holding costs.
Two Main Types of Metal Contracts and Their Fee Differences
On the Gate platform, metal contracts fall into two primary structures, each with fundamentally different fee logic.
Perpetual contracts are the core products in Gate’s metals section, supporting assets like Gold (XAUUSDT) and Silver (XAGUSDT). These contracts have no expiration date, allowing traders to hold positions indefinitely. The main holding cost is the funding rate—a periodic fee exchanged between long and short positions to keep contract prices anchored to the spot index.
TradFi contracts (CFDs) follow traditional financial market rules, featuring fixed trading sessions and market closures. The primary holding cost here is the overnight fee (swap fee), reflecting the cost of carrying positions. The fee structures for these two contract types also differ, so it’s important to distinguish them based on the specific product you’re trading.
Funding Rate: The Core Holding Cost for Perpetual Contracts
For perpetual contracts in Gate’s metals section, the funding rate is the key factor affecting holding costs.
How the Funding Rate Works
The funding rate isn’t a fee charged by the platform; instead, it’s an exchange of funds between longs and shorts. When the funding rate is positive, long positions pay shorts; when negative, shorts pay longs. This mechanism helps keep perpetual contract prices in line with the spot index.
Settlement Frequency and Timing
Funding rates for Gate’s precious metals perpetual contracts are typically settled every 8 hours. If you hold a position at the settlement time, the system will automatically deduct or credit the corresponding amount from your account balance. If you plan to hold positions long-term, be sure to check the real-time funding rate on the trading interface and factor it into your total costs.
Relationship with Market Depth
Funding rates are influenced by the balance between long and short positions. When market sentiment is highly one-sided, the rate can rise significantly, increasing holding costs. Before trading, you can view the current funding rate on the contract details page on Gate.
Overnight Fees: Holding Costs for TradFi Contracts
When trading metal CFDs (such as XAU/USD, XAG/USD) in Gate’s TradFi section, holding positions overnight incurs an overnight fee (also known as a swap fee).
Timing and Applicable Scenarios
Gate typically settles overnight fees at midnight Beijing time (refer to the platform for exact timing) for positions still open at that time. This fee only applies to specific trading pairs in the TradFi section, mainly gold and silver CFD products.
Two-Way Fee Logic
- Buy/Long positions: Usually pay an overnight fee (borrowing funds to buy)
- Sell/Short positions: Usually receive an overnight fee (earning interest on deposited funds)
Note that in cases of inverted interest rates or platform spread adjustments, short positions may also incur fees.
Overnight Fee Calculation Formula
Overnight fees for Gate’s TradFi metal contracts are calculated as follows:
Swap Fee = Position Size × Contract Quantity × Price Precision × Swap Rate × Swap Multiplier
Key factors affecting overnight fees include:
- Position Size: Larger trades result in higher absolute overnight fees
- Trade Direction: Long and short positions have different rates
- Holding Duration: Calculated daily; positions held over weekends may incur a three-day fee at once
Triple Swap Rule
Because markets are closed on weekends, Gate settles a three-day swap fee on a designated day each week (usually Wednesday) to cover Saturday and Sunday’s interest costs. This mechanism aligns with traditional financial market practices.
Trading Fees: Fixed Costs Upon Opening and Closing Positions
Both perpetual and TradFi contracts incur trading fees when opening and closing positions.
TradFi Metal Contract Fees
Gate’s TradFi metal contracts use a fixed fee per lot. According to the official fee schedule, the trading fee is $6 per lot for accounts below VIP 5, and $5.40 per lot for VIP 5 and above.
This fixed-fee model provides greater cost certainty for small to medium-sized positions and high-frequency trading compared to percentage-based models.
Perpetual Contract Fees
Perpetual contracts use a Maker/Taker fee structure. Maker (limit order) fees are generally lower, while Taker (market order) fees are higher. Using limit orders effectively can help reduce trading costs.
Bid-Ask Spread: The Hidden Trading Cost
The spread is the difference between the buy and sell prices and is an important part of trading costs.
In Gate’s metal contract trading, spreads are influenced by market liquidity, trading hours, and contract type. TradFi contracts, which follow traditional market hours, may see wider spreads during market closures. It’s advisable to check the current order book before placing trades to understand the actual spread.
Other Fee Explanations
Dividend and Interest Adjustments
When index constituents pay dividends, the index price naturally drops. Gate adjusts for this fairly through cash adjustments: users holding long positions receive cash compensation, while short positions are debited accordingly. This adjustment only applies to users holding positions on the ex-dividend date and is handled automatically by the system.
Fund Transfers
Gate’s metal contracts use a separate contract account system. Transferring USDT from your funding account to your contract account does not incur additional fees.
Latest Metal Market Updates
According to Gate market data as of March 27, 2026, the precious metals market continued its pullback:
- Gold: $4,419.28, down 2.44% in 24 hours
- Silver: $68.66, with losses widening to 4.21%
- Tether Gold (XAUT): Down 2.40% to $4,415.6
- PAX Gold (PAXG): Down 2.46% to $4,421.6
In industrial metals, copper slipped 0.15%, nickel fell 0.33%, lead remained flat, and aluminum rose 0.89% against the trend. Overall, the sector remains under pressure with continued capital outflows.
How to Check Real-Time Fees
Before opening a position, traders can confirm specific fees by:
- Opening the Gate app or website and selecting the relevant metal contract pair
- Viewing the "Contract Info" or "Specifications" section on the trading page
- Checking the real-time funding rate and next settlement time for perpetual contracts
- Reviewing overnight interest rates (long and short) for TradFi contracts
- Using the trading calculator to estimate holding costs
Conclusion
Understanding Gate’s metal contract fee structure is fundamental for professional trading. The core cost for perpetual contracts is the funding rate, settled every 8 hours, while for TradFi contracts it’s the daily overnight fee. Both contract types incur trading fees, with TradFi metal contracts using a fixed rate of $6 per lot. Before trading, always check the latest fee rates on the contract details page on Gate’s website or app and factor holding costs into your overall trading strategy.
