Market capitalization (market cap) is the total value of a cryptocurrency's circulating supply. It's the primary metric used to rank and compare cryptocurrencies, and it's central to how CoinMarketGuy and other trackers organize coin listings.
How Market Cap Is Calculated
Market Cap = Current Price × Circulating Supply
For example, if Bitcoin is trading at $65,000 and has 19.6 million BTC in circulation: Market Cap = $65,000 × 19,600,000 = $1.274 trillion
Market Cap Categories
- Large Cap (>$10B): Bitcoin, Ethereum, BNB, Solana. Lower volatility, established projects.
- Mid Cap ($1B-$10B): Growing projects with higher growth potential and moderate risk.
- Small Cap ($100M-$1B): Higher risk/reward, less liquidity, more volatile.
- Micro Cap (<$100M): Highest risk, potential for massive gains or total loss.
Fully Diluted Valuation (FDV)
FDV = Current Price × Maximum Supply. This shows what the market cap would be if all tokens were in circulation. A large gap between market cap and FDV indicates significant future dilution from token unlocks.
Why Market Cap Matters
Market cap helps you understand: - Relative size of different cryptocurrencies - How much money would be needed to move the price - Whether a coin is 'cheap' or 'expensive' relative to peers - The overall crypto market health (total market cap)
Common Mistake
Don't compare coin prices directly. A $1 coin isn't 'cheaper' than a $65,000 coin — what matters is the market cap and potential for growth relative to that cap.
Track Market Caps on CoinMarketGuy
Our main table shows market cap for every listed cryptocurrency, sortable and searchable. Combined with our whale tracker, you can see not just the market cap but who is accumulating.