Crypto Leverage Calculator — Margin and Notional
If the slider on the exchange says 10×, how much cash do you actually post — and what multiple is the whole wallet really running?
Guide
How to calculate crypto leverage and margin
It converts account balance, trade size, and a selected multiple into margin required, maximum size, and effective leverage. Effective leverage is trade size divided by the whole account, not the number on the exchange slider.
Initial margin is about trade size ÷ selected leverage. A $10,000 Bitcoin position at 10× needs about $1,000 before fees and maintenance. Effective leverage is trade size ÷ account. If you have $2,000 and a $10,000 position, you are at 5× whether the slider says 10× or 20×. You can select 50× and still run 2× effective if the position is small. Selected leverage is the cap on that isolated slot. Effective leverage is how hard you are actually working the wallet. Liquidation cares about both: high selected leverage pulls the wipe-out price in even when effective leverage looks modest. This page does not pick a multiple for you, and it does not pull a live price.
Example
Leverage example: $2,000 account, $10,000 Bitcoin trade
Match this on the sliders: $2,000 account, $10,000 position, 10×.
- Account
- $2,000
- Trade size
- $10,000
- Slider
- 10×
- Margin to open
- $1,000
- Effective
- 5×
- If slider is 20×
- Still 5×
The 20× slider does not make this a 20× account. It only changes how close liquidation sits. Check that next.
| Account | Position | Slider | Effective |
|---|---|---|---|
| $2,000 | $10,000 | 10× | 5× |
| $2,000 | $10,000 | 20× | Still 5× |
Limits
What this leverage calculator cannot do
- It will not estimate the wipe-out price. Use the liquidation calculator.
- It will not size the trade from a stop. Use position size first.
- It will not pull a live price.
- It will not tell you that 10× is “safe.”
If you already know the dollar size from a stop, this page tells you the cash to post. Then check liquidation so the stop still exists.
Keep going
Same toolkit, a different question — pick the next calculator.
FAQ
Questions people ask
It converts account balance, trade size, and a selected multiple into margin required, maximum size, and effective leverage. Effective leverage is trade size divided by the whole account, not the number on the exchange slider.
Trade size divided by account balance. If you have $2,000 and a $10,000 position, you are at 5× whether the slider says 10× or 20×.
About trade size ÷ selected leverage. A $10,000 position at 10× needs about $1,000, before fees and the venue's maintenance cushion.
Selected leverage is the cap on that isolated slot. Effective leverage is how hard you are actually working the wallet. You can select 50× and still run 2× effective if the position is small.
Only if the stop and the size stay the same in a way that liquidation hits first. The loss on a stop is still dollars at risk. High selected leverage pulls the wipe-out price in.
No. Size from a stop on the position-size calculator, then see what margin that size needs. Leverage is the last number, not the first.
No. High selected leverage pulls the wipe-out closer even when effective leverage looks modest. Check the liquidation calculator next.
No. You type the dollar size of the trade. Price only matters when you convert that size into coins on the position-size page.