diff --git a/ledger/ledger-api-bench-tool/src/main/scala/com/daml/ledger/api/benchtool/generating/ContractProducer.scala b/ledger/ledger-api-bench-tool/src/main/scala/com/daml/ledger/api/benchtool/generating/ContractProducer.scala
index a06e78f3d5c2..cb12afbb5b33 100644
--- a/ledger/ledger-api-bench-tool/src/main/scala/com/daml/ledger/api/benchtool/generating/ContractProducer.scala
+++ b/ledger/ledger-api-bench-tool/src/main/scala/com/daml/ledger/api/benchtool/generating/ContractProducer.scala
@@ -7,20 +7,21 @@ import akka.actor.ActorSystem
 import akka.stream.Materializer
 import akka.stream.scaladsl.Source
 import com.daml.ledger.api.benchtool.infrastructure.TestDars
-import com.daml.ledger.api.v1.commands.Commands
-import com.daml.ledger.client.binding.Primitive.Party
 import com.daml.ledger.api.benchtool.services.LedgerApiServices
 import com.daml.ledger.api.benchtool.util.SimpleFileReader
+import com.daml.ledger.api.v1.commands.Commands
 import com.daml.ledger.client.binding.Primitive
+import com.daml.ledger.client.binding.Primitive.Party
 import com.daml.ledger.resources.{ResourceContext, ResourceOwner}
+import com.daml.ledger.test.model.Foo.Foo1
 import org.slf4j.LoggerFactory
+import scalaz.syntax.tag._
 
 import java.io.File
-import scala.concurrent.{ExecutionContext, Future}
-import scala.util.{Failure, Success, Try}
-import scalaz.syntax.tag._
-import com.daml.ledger.test.model.Foo.Foo1
+import java.nio.charset.StandardCharsets
 import scala.concurrent.duration._
+import scala.concurrent.{ExecutionContext, Future}
+import scala.util.{Failure, Random, Success, Try}
 
 case class ContractProducer(services: LedgerApiServices) {
   private val logger = LoggerFactory.getLogger(getClass)
@@ -79,10 +80,17 @@ case class ContractProducer(services: LedgerApiServices) {
     } yield ()
   }
 
-  private def createContract(index: Int, party: Party)(implicit
+  private def randomPayload(sizeBytes: Int, random: Random): String =
+    new String(random.nextBytes(sizeBytes), StandardCharsets.UTF_8)
+
+  private def createContract(index: Int, party: Party, payload: String)(implicit
       ec: ExecutionContext
   ): Future[Int] = {
-    val createCommand = Foo1(signatory = party, observers = List(party)).create.command
+    val createCommand = Foo1(
+      signatory = party,
+      observers = List(party),
+      payload = payload,
+    ).create.command
     val commands = new Commands(
       ledgerId = services.ledgerId,
       applicationId = applicationId,
@@ -105,6 +113,7 @@ case class ContractProducer(services: LedgerApiServices) {
       }
 
     implicit val resourceContext: ResourceContext = ResourceContext(ec)
+    val random = new Random(System.currentTimeMillis())
     materializerOwner()
       .use { implicit materializer =>
         Source
@@ -113,7 +122,13 @@ case class ContractProducer(services: LedgerApiServices) {
             elements = 100,
             per = 1.second,
           )
-          .mapAsync(8)(index => createContract(index, party))
+          .mapAsync(8)(index =>
+            createContract(
+              index = index,
+              party = party,
+              payload = randomPayload(descriptor.payloadSizeBytes, random),
+            )
+          )
           .runForeach(logProgress)
       }
       .map(_ => ())
diff --git a/ledger/ledger-api-bench-tool/src/main/scala/com/daml/ledger/api/benchtool/generating/ContractSetDescriptor.scala b/ledger/ledger-api-bench-tool/src/main/scala/com/daml/ledger/api/benchtool/generating/ContractSetDescriptor.scala
index 6f3ff45d8168..c7ba20586609 100644
--- a/ledger/ledger-api-bench-tool/src/main/scala/com/daml/ledger/api/benchtool/generating/ContractSetDescriptor.scala
+++ b/ledger/ledger-api-bench-tool/src/main/scala/com/daml/ledger/api/benchtool/generating/ContractSetDescriptor.scala
@@ -4,5 +4,6 @@
 package com.daml.ledger.api.benchtool.generating
 
 final case class ContractSetDescriptor(
-    numberOfInstances: Int
+    numberOfInstances: Int,
+    payloadSizeBytes: Int,
 )
diff --git a/ledger/ledger-api-bench-tool/src/main/scala/com/daml/ledger/api/benchtool/generating/DescriptorParser.scala b/ledger/ledger-api-bench-tool/src/main/scala/com/daml/ledger/api/benchtool/generating/DescriptorParser.scala
index bf89dc2a4091..04017f4ccba6 100644
--- a/ledger/ledger-api-bench-tool/src/main/scala/com/daml/ledger/api/benchtool/generating/DescriptorParser.scala
+++ b/ledger/ledger-api-bench-tool/src/main/scala/com/daml/ledger/api/benchtool/generating/DescriptorParser.scala
@@ -18,7 +18,10 @@ object DescriptorParser {
       .map(error => DescriptorParserError(error.getLocalizedMessage))
 
   implicit val decoder: Decoder[ContractSetDescriptor] =
-    Decoder.forProduct1("num_instances")(ContractSetDescriptor.apply)
+    Decoder.forProduct2(
+      "num_instances",
+      "payload_size_bytes",
+    )(ContractSetDescriptor.apply)
 
   case class DescriptorParserError(details: String)
 
diff --git a/ledger/ledger-api-bench-tool/src/main/scala/com/daml/ledger/api/benchtool/services/PartyManagementService.scala b/ledger/ledger-api-bench-tool/src/main/scala/com/daml/ledger/api/benchtool/services/PartyManagementService.scala
index 3af3ed96eda1..64815ca87043 100644
--- a/ledger/ledger-api-bench-tool/src/main/scala/com/daml/ledger/api/benchtool/services/PartyManagementService.scala
+++ b/ledger/ledger-api-bench-tool/src/main/scala/com/daml/ledger/api/benchtool/services/PartyManagementService.scala
@@ -38,5 +38,4 @@ class PartyManagementService(channel: Channel) {
             exception
           }
       }
-
 }
diff --git a/ledger/ledger-api-bench-tool/src/test/suite/scala/com/daml/ledger/api/benchtool/generating/DescriptorParserSpec.scala b/ledger/ledger-api-bench-tool/src/test/suite/scala/com/daml/ledger/api/benchtool/generating/DescriptorParserSpec.scala
index 9e3d42b71f69..87d54e9b04a6 100644
--- a/ledger/ledger-api-bench-tool/src/test/suite/scala/com/daml/ledger/api/benchtool/generating/DescriptorParserSpec.scala
+++ b/ledger/ledger-api-bench-tool/src/test/suite/scala/com/daml/ledger/api/benchtool/generating/DescriptorParserSpec.scala
@@ -13,10 +13,13 @@ class DescriptorParserSpec extends AnyWordSpec with Matchers {
     "return error when empty yaml" in {
       parseYaml("") shouldBe a[Left[_, _]]
     }
-    "parse number of instances" in {
-      parseYaml("""num_instances: 123""") shouldBe Right(
+    "parse a correct descriptor" in {
+      val yaml = """num_instances: 123
+                   |payload_size_bytes: 111""".stripMargin
+      parseYaml(yaml) shouldBe Right(
         ContractSetDescriptor(
-          numberOfInstances = 123
+          numberOfInstances = 123,
+          payloadSizeBytes = 111,
         )
       )
     }
diff --git a/ledger/test-common/src/main/daml/model/Foo.daml b/ledger/test-common/src/main/daml/model/Foo.daml
index ec9a65d2c58c..f3aa505b53bd 100644
--- a/ledger/test-common/src/main/daml/model/Foo.daml
+++ b/ledger/test-common/src/main/daml/model/Foo.daml
@@ -7,6 +7,7 @@ template Foo1
   with
     signatory : Party
     observers : [Party]
+    payload : Text
   where
     signatory signatory
     observer observers