Volume Value Area Low (VAL)

Volume Value Area Low (VAL) is the lowest price level within the Value Area of a Volume Profile, meaning the bottom edge of the price range where a chosen percentage of total traded volume occurred during the selected profile period (commonly 70%, but configurable). In some platforms (notably Sierra Chart), volume-based value area levels may be labeled VVAL (Volume Value Area Low) to distinguish them from time-based (TPO) value area boundaries.

A Volume Profile reorganizes trading activity so you can see where volume is traded (by price) rather than only when it is traded (by time). The Value Area is the “core zone” of that distribution where most volume is concentrated (often treated as a practical proxy for “accepted/fair” prices for the chosen period). VAL is the bottom boundary of that zone, marking the lowest price level still considered “inside value” for that profile.

• Determine the total volume traded at each price level across the selected profile window, then compute the target volume using the chosen Value Area %.
• Start at the Point of Control (POC) (the price level with the highest traded volume).
• Expand the Value Area outward from POC by comparing the next price node above vs. below and adding the side with the larger volume first.
• Continue until the target % is reached; the lowest included price node becomes VAL (and the highest becomes VAH).

VAL is commonly used in three connected ways:

• Boundary of value (“inside value” vs “below value”): price trading below VAL is, by definition, trading below the prior period’s high-participation/value zone, which many traders treat as “extended” relative to that profile.
• Acceptance vs. rejection test at the boundary: if price trades below the value area and then returns back inside, many frameworks interpret that as rejection (a failed extension); if price breaks below and holds outside, it is often interpreted as acceptance of lower prices (potential continuation).
• Support/resistance reference: value area boundaries are often watched as support when approached from above and resistance when approached from below, because these levels represent where many participants previously established positions.

• Developing VAL / developing Value Area: some platforms can show how value-area boundaries evolve as new volume prints during the session/range (VAL/VAH update as the profile builds).
• Configurable Value Area %: while many workflows reference ~70%, the percentage is a setting, and some platforms default to different values (e.g., 68%).

Note: Extended (“naked”) Value Area levels: some tools extend prior value area boundaries forward until price trades them again, treating untouched levels as potential future references, Coinwise TPO PVP Indicator has this ability.

• Treating VAL as the session low: VAL is the lowest level within the Value Area; the profile low is the lowest traded price in the period—these are different by definition.
• Assuming “70%” is universal: 70% is common, but it is a parameter; some platforms set different defaults (e.g., 68%) and allow customization, which will change VAL.
• Using “below VAL = oversold” as a rule: volume profile defines location relative to prior value, not oscillator-style “oversold/overbought.” A break below VAL is better described as trading below value; whether it becomes continuation or reversal depends on acceptance/rejection and broader context.
• Ignoring data and instrument differences: “volume” can be true trade volume or proxies (e.g., tick volume) depending on instrument/platform, which can affect the profile and resulting VAL.