DELIVERABLE GRADES

The deliverable grade specifies the minimum quality of the commodity that is to be delivered under a contract. Carefully specifying the deliverable grade ensures that both parties to the contract agree on precisely what is to be delivered, allowing the contract to be priced correctly. In the futures market, firms often wish to hedge their risk to changing prices by entering contracts to buy certain commodities in advance. For example, suppose an airline wishes to hedge its risk to changes in future jet fuel prices. In this situation, the airline might have overpaid considerably and it might receive jet fuel unsuitable for its purposes.