diff --git a/src/cotdata/providers/norgate.py b/src/cotdata/providers/norgate.py
index f8d1245..12b1636 100644
--- a/src/cotdata/providers/norgate.py
+++ b/src/cotdata/providers/norgate.py
@@ -115,19 +115,25 @@ def _reconstruct_volume(internal_symbol: str, continuous_df: pd.DataFrame, adjus
     all_indiv = pd.concat(frames, ignore_index=True)
     all_indiv['Date'] = pd.to_datetime(all_indiv['Date']).dt.tz_localize(None).dt.normalize()
     
-    # 5. Point-in-Time Contract Identification
+    # 5. Contract identification: First / Second = the two HIGHEST-VOLUME contracts
+    # trading that day, NOT the two nearest by expiry. Products with serial months
+    # around a bi-monthly liquid cycle (e.g. GC, SI) carry almost no volume in the
+    # nearest serial month, so an expiry-order pick would sum near-empty contracts
+    # and badly understate true volume. Rank by descending volume; ties break by
+    # nearest expiry (columns are pre-sorted by expiry and the sort is stable);
+    # NaN (contract not trading that day) sorts last.
     pivot = all_indiv.pivot(index="Date", columns="Symbol", values="Volume")
-    
+
     def get_expiry(sym):
         m = pattern.match(sym)
         return pd.Timestamp(year=int(m.group(1)), month=MONTH_CODES[m.group(2)], day=1)
-        
+
     sorted_cols = sorted(pivot.columns, key=get_expiry)
     pivot = pivot[sorted_cols]
-    
+
     vol_array = pivot.values
-    sort_key = np.isnan(vol_array).astype(int)
-    order = np.argsort(sort_key, axis=1, kind='stable')
+    rank_key = np.where(np.isnan(vol_array), -np.inf, vol_array)
+    order = np.argsort(-rank_key, axis=1, kind='stable')
     compressed = np.take_along_axis(vol_array, order, axis=1)
     names_arr = np.array(pivot.columns)
     
diff --git a/tests/test_norgate_provider.py b/tests/test_norgate_provider.py
index 2c35ed1..6605173 100644
--- a/tests/test_norgate_provider.py
+++ b/tests/test_norgate_provider.py
@@ -127,6 +127,52 @@ def mock_ts_side_effect(sym, **kwargs):
         assert written_df["SecondContract"].iloc[0] == "ES-2026M"
 
 
+@mock.patch("cotdata.providers.norgate.store.write_prices")
+@mock.patch("cotdata.providers.norgate.store.read_prices")
+@mock.patch("norgatedata.database_symbols", create=True)
+@mock.patch("norgatedata.price_timeseries", create=True)
+def test_reconstruction_picks_by_volume_not_expiry(mock_price_ts, mock_db_symbols, mock_read_prices, mock_write_prices):
+    """First/Second must be the two HIGHEST-VOLUME contracts, not the two nearest by
+    expiry. Models the GC/SI case: the nearest serial month is near-empty while a
+    later contract is dominant. An expiry-order pick would name the empty serial as
+    'First' and understate volume; volume-rank must name the dominant contract."""
+    mock_continuous = pd.DataFrame({
+        "Open": [100.0], "High": [101.0], "Low": [99.0], "Close": [100.5],
+        "Volume": [1000], "Open Interest": [5000], "Delivery Month": [202606],
+    }, index=pd.DatetimeIndex(["2026-07-01"]))
+
+    # ES-2026H (March) = nearest by expiry but near-empty; ES-2026M (June) = dominant.
+    near_empty = pd.DataFrame({"Date": [pd.Timestamp("2026-07-01")], "Volume": [50]})
+    dominant = pd.DataFrame({"Date": [pd.Timestamp("2026-07-01")], "Volume": [900]})
+
+    def mock_ts_side_effect(sym, **kwargs):
+        if sym.endswith("CCB") or "-" not in sym:
+            return mock_continuous.copy()
+        if sym == "ES-2026H":
+            return near_empty.copy()
+        if sym == "ES-2026M":
+            return dominant.copy()
+        return pd.DataFrame()
+
+    mock_price_ts.side_effect = mock_ts_side_effect
+    mock_db_symbols.return_value = ["ES-2026H", "ES-2026M"]
+    mock_read_prices.return_value = pd.DataFrame()
+
+    mock_symbol = mock.Mock()
+    mock_symbol.internal = "ES"
+    with mock.patch("cotdata.providers.norgate.all_symbols", return_value=[mock_symbol]), \
+         mock.patch.dict("cotdata.providers.norgate.REGISTRY", {"ES": mock.Mock(norgate="&ES")}):
+        norgate.update(symbols=["ES"])
+        written_df = mock_write_prices.call_args_list[0][0][2]
+
+        # Dominant (June, 900) is First even though March expires sooner.
+        assert written_df["FirstContract"].iloc[0] == "ES-2026M"
+        assert written_df["FirstVolume"].iloc[0] == 900
+        assert written_df["SecondContract"].iloc[0] == "ES-2026H"
+        assert written_df["SecondVolume"].iloc[0] == 50
+        assert written_df["Volume_Reconstructed"].iloc[0] == 950
+
+
 @mock.patch("cotdata.providers.norgate.store.write_prices")
 @mock.patch("cotdata.providers.norgate.store.read_prices")
 @mock.patch("norgatedata.database_symbols", create=True)