Current month and the next monthly projection
The Foundation’s current-month circulation endpoint reports about 4.0965 billion SUI for September 2026, or 40.97% of the 10 billion maximum. Its monthly schedule data projects about 4.1183 billion SUI for October 2026. The difference is about 21.7 million SUI between the two monthly figures. This is a dated snapshot: open those endpoints for the latest record and do not treat the difference as a single-day onchain transfer or a confirmed exchange sale.
The remaining difference between circulating supply and maximum supply is not one uniform “team unlock.” Allocations, restrictions, treasury programs and future releases have different purposes. The tokenomics guide explains the buckets; this article concentrates on interpreting the timing data.
Recent observations give a sense of scale
The official monthly series lists approximately 4.0292 billion SUI in June 2026, 4.0523 billion in July, 4.0745 billion in August and 4.0965 billion in September. These are monthly circulating-supply records, not four separate days when every token entered an exchange. The month-to-month change was about 23.1 million, 22.2 million and 22.0 million SUI respectively. The following October projection of 21.7 million fits that sequence, but future entries are subject to revision.
| Month in official series | Circulating SUI, rounded | Change from prior listed month |
|---|---|---|
| June 2026 | 4.0292 billion | — |
| July 2026 | 4.0523 billion | ~23.1 million |
| August 2026 | 4.0745 billion | ~22.2 million |
| September 2026 | 4.0965 billion | ~22.0 million |
| October 2026, projected | 4.1183 billion | ~21.7 million |
If an article or dashboard displays a much larger daily “unlock,” check whether it aggregates several categories or uses an earlier version of the release schedule. The official series gives the common baseline for comparison, while contracts or custody records would be needed to confirm a particular recipient's transfer.
How to read an unlock chart without inventing a trading signal
Start with the definition of circulation used by the publisher. Compare adjacent monthly observations on the same official dataset, not a tracker’s daily countdown with an unrelated circulating-supply number. Read the schedule’s notes for revisions. Then separate what is scheduled from what is observed onchain: a supply increase does not establish that every new holder will sell. Price impact depends on demand, liquidity, transfers and expectations, none of which the schedule alone measures.
For example, 21.7 million divided by the 10 billion cap is about 0.217 percentage points of maximum supply; compared with the September circulating amount it is roughly 0.53%. These different denominators answer different questions. Neither percentage predicts a price change. A historical chart should label the observation month and data source, because later updates can change a forecast.
A monthly projection is not an exact unlock timestamp
The official series reports a figure for each month. Subtracting September from October gives a projected monthly increase, but does not reveal which day, transaction or account produced it. A calendar that invents a minute-accurate countdown from those two records adds precision the source did not provide. If a date-specific vesting agreement is separately published, assess that agreement on its own terms.
How to compare an old chart with a new release plan
Record when the chart was exported, which publisher defined circulation and whether later corrections occurred. Comparing a historical screenshot from one data provider with a newly updated Foundation API can create a false disagreement. Past observations and future projections deserve different labels; the Foundation says the schedule is subject to updates.
Allocation, vesting and stake rewards
The Foundation describes the Community Reserve, contributor and supporter allocations, grant programs, validator support and Mysten Labs treasury on its schedule page. A vesting commitment restricts when particular recipients can access their allocation. It is not synonymous with the network minting more than its cap. The Foundation also explains that unstaking and spending already circulating rewards do not rewrite the published emission plan in its staking and supply explanation.
When an external calendar claims “the next SUI unlock is on Tuesday at 08:00,” ask whether it provides a primary contract or Foundation source for that exact timestamp and amount. The monthly Foundation API alone does not support that precision. Avoid adding various estimated categories into a single “unlock” figure without checking whether they overlap.
Before quoting a “next unlock” number in a report, make these checks:
- Read the month and year from the current official API response.
- Look up the following month in the same schedule and subtract the two values.
- Label the difference as a projected monthly change in circulating supply.
- State the denominator if converting it to a percentage: current circulation or the full cap.
- Avoid assigning a seller, exact execution date or expected price effect without a separate source.
For the displayed September-to-October comparison, 4,118,270,448 minus 4,096,537,147 is approximately 21,733,301 SUI. Rounding either month's number too early changes the displayed difference. This figure is useful for scale, not a standalone trading signal.
Use the schedule in a practical decision
If you plan to stake, the staking guide explains epoch timing and validator rewards; it does not transform supply projections into an APY forecast. If you want to exchange a holding, check a live SUI to USDT quote and the actual source and destination networks. A schedule is background context, while the executable quote establishes the amount offered for a particular order. Explore the exchange routes if your payout asset differs.