Financial encyclopediaReviewed 2026-10-23

Order Types

There are different types of orders investors can use to buy and sell stocks through a brokerage firm. Order types and trading instructions available to you may differ between brokerage firms.

Sources and references ↗

PROFILE / FACT FILE

Concept at a glance

Term: Order Types [1]
Subject area: Investor.gov glossary [1]
Jurisdiction / scope: US regulatory and investor-education context [1]
Primary reference: SEC · Investor.gov [1]

Definition and explanation

There are different types of orders investors can use to buy and sell stocks through a brokerage firm. Order types and trading instructions available to you may differ between brokerage firms. [1]

You should contact your brokerage firm to determine which types of orders and trading instructions it has available for buying and selling stocks as well the firm’s specific policies regarding the use of these orders and trading instructions. [1]

Frequently asked questions

What does Order Types mean in the cited reference?

There are different types of orders investors can use to buy and sell stocks through a brokerage firm. Order types and trading instructions available to you may differ between brokerage firms. [1]

Sources and review dates

US SEC · Investor.gov — Order Types ↗

Reviewed 23 October 2026. Historical dates and award-time affiliations retain their original context. A review date is not an event date. Background sources are identified separately from official records.

Content preparation: source-based compilation with AI assistance. See methods and attribution. Named sources identify the underlying records; no individual expert review is claimed.