What is an ICT Kill Zone?
An ICT Kill Zone is a specific time window during which institutional participation is at its highest and
ICT Trading setups are most reliable. The concept was developed within the
Inner Circle Trader methodology to solve a fundamental problem: price action setups that look identical on a chart produce completely different outcomes depending on what time they form. A
Fair Value Gap that forms at 3 AM EST during the London Kill Zone is a high-probability entry. The same FVG at 3 PM EST is noise.
There are three primary kill zones in ICT Trading. The
London Kill Zone runs from 2 AM to 5 AM EST and is where the
Judas Swing — the engineered false break of the
Asian session range — typically occurs. The
New York Kill Zone runs from 7 AM to 10 AM EST and is where the true
Distribution phase of the AMD model delivers. The
Silver Bullet window at 10 AM–11 AM EST is a precision one-hour window inside the NY session covered in
Article 27.
The three kill zones and what each one means
How to use this timer
Kill zones and the AMD daily model
The kill zones are not arbitrary time windows — they map directly onto the three phases of the
ICT Power of 3 (AMD) model. Accumulation happens during the Asian session as price consolidates and builds the dealing range. Manipulation happens at the London open as the Judas Swing clears one side of the Asian range. Distribution happens through the New York session as price delivers in the true directional bias.
Understanding this means the timer tells you more than just the time — it tells you which phase of the daily model you are in. If it is 3 AM EST and the London Kill Zone is active, you are watching for Manipulation. If it is 8 AM EST and the NY Kill Zone is active, you are watching for Distribution. The
Judas Swing deep dive in Article 37 and the
Power of 3 guide in Article 36 give the full context for each phase.
Pre-session checklist — before each kill zone
