Gann Square of Nine: A Working Guide for 2026

W.D. Gann was a trader who operated in the early twentieth century and accumulated a significant following based on claimed extraordinary market returns. The tools he developed, including the Square of Nine, have been analysed, contested, and used continuously since his death in 1955.

The Square of Nine is a calculator. It converts price levels to angular positions on a spiral grid and allows analysts to identify price and time targets based on geometric relationships. This guide explains how it works and how it's applied in practice.

What the Square of Nine is

The Square of Nine is a square matrix in which numbers are arranged in a spiral pattern outward from the centre. The centre is typically 1. Moving outward: 2, 3, 4, 5 and so on in a clockwise spiral.

The key property is that numbers at the same angular position on different rings of the spiral are separated by the square of the ring distance. Numbers at 0° from each other across rings differ by approximately the square of the difference in rings.

Gann observed, or claimed, that major price levels in commodity and stock markets tend to cluster at specific angular relationships on this grid. The main angles are the cardinal points (0°, 90°, 180°, 270°) and the diagonal points (45°, 135°, 225°, 315°).

When a price sits at 0° on the Square of Nine, nearby prices at 90°, 180°, and 270° in the same ring become support and resistance targets. When a major high is set, Gann analysts calculate its angular position and project forward to the next 0°, 90°, 180°, and 270° levels as potential turning points.

The time component

The Square of Nine doesn't just map prices to angles, it maps time as well. The number of calendar days from a significant price event to a future date can be expressed as an angular relationship on the grid.

The practical application: if a major low occurred 360 days ago, the current date is 360° ahead, a full rotation, which many Gann analysts treat as a significant time window for another turning point.

This time application is where the tool becomes genuinely complex. Gann used both calendar days and trading days. He applied the 90°, 180°, and 270° time divisions differently for different instruments. The lack of standardisation in the historical Gann literature creates real ambiguity.

The mathematical basis

Critics of Gann analysis often focus on the Square of Nine's mystical framing, Gann wrote in a deliberately obscure style that encouraged numerological interpretation. Stripping that framing away, the underlying mathematics is:

For any number N on the Square of Nine, the position angle is approximately:

angle = (sqrt(N) - 1) × 180°

Numbers at the same angle across rings satisfy:

sqrt(N2) - sqrt(N1) ≈ integer

That is, the square root difference between harmonically related price levels is approximately an integer. This is the origin of the popular "Gann square root" technique.

This mathematical structure does appear in price data more often than a random model predicts. Why that should be the case is debated. Some analysts argue it reflects the arithmetic of percentage moves in prices. Others argue it's coincidence given the density of numbers in any real price series.

For a rigorous look at the accuracy question, see our post on Gann calculator math and accuracy.

How traders use it in 2026

In current practice, the Square of Nine is typically used as follows:

Price clustering: Take a series of historical highs and lows, compute their Square of Nine angles, and test whether significant levels cluster at 0°, 90°, 180°, and 270°. If they do, future 90°-spaced levels become candidate support and resistance.

Time projections: From a confirmed major turning point, project 90°, 180°, 270°, and 360° time intervals as future date targets. Note when these dates approach and watch for turning-point behaviour.

Confluence with other methods: The strongest application is when Square of Nine price and time targets align with other independent signals, Bradley siderograph extremes, Bartels-significant cycles, trendline intersections.

The Bradley siderograph provides independent time targets. Where Bradley dates land near Square of Nine time projections, analysts treat those windows as high-probability turning points.

Practical tools

Computing Square of Nine levels manually is tedious. Crohamhurst.app includes a real-time Square of Nine calculator that generates price and time targets from user-supplied anchor points.

For comparison with commercial tools, see our Galactic Trader and Solar Fire alternatives guide.

Honest limitations

The Square of Nine produces many potential levels. Any price chart will intersect Square of Nine levels frequently just by chance, given the density of the grid. This is the principal criticism of the tool, and it's legitimate.

The answer is not to abandon the tool but to apply it more strictly: only the cardinal and diagonal angles (0°, 45°, 90°, 135°, 180°, 225°, 270°, 315°) are primary. Only levels in the current price ring and the adjacent rings matter. Confluence with time projections is required before treating a level as significant.

Applied with that discipline, the Square of Nine is a useful addition to a cycle-analysis toolkit. Applied loosely, it generates so many levels that it explains everything in retrospect and predicts nothing in advance.

Related: Bradley Siderograph Complete Guide | Gann Calculator: Math, Accuracy, and Verification | Galactic Trader and Solar Fire Alternatives