Work it out
The starting values are an illustration, not a suggested trade or allocation.
Your inputs are not sent to a server or stored by this calculator.
Worked example
The candle has a 5-point body and two 3-point wicks. Together they fill an 11-point range; the close is 8 points above the low.
Use prices from the same completed bar
All four values must describe the same instrument, session, and time interval. A daily open paired with an intraday high is not a valid candle. A bar that has not closed can still change shape.
The high must be at least as large as the open and close. The low must be no larger than either. The calculator rejects inconsistent OHLC values rather than producing negative wicks.
The candle anatomy formulas
Body = absolute value of close − open. Upper wick = high − max(open, close). Lower wick = min(open, close) − low. Full range = high − low.
These parts partition the same range: body + upper wick + lower wick = full range. The formulas work for both up candles and down candles without swapping the upper and lower wick.
Compare proportions, not only price distances
Each part’s range percentage is its length divided by the high-to-low range, multiplied by 100. A body of 5 points means something different in an 11-point bar than in a 50-point bar.
Close location = (close − low) / range × 100. A value of 0% places the close at the low; 100% places it at the high. This location describes where the bar ended, not the probability of the next move.
Read the default candle
With open 100, high 108, low 97, and close 105, the body is 5, the upper wick is 3, and the lower wick is 3. Their sum is the full range of 11.
The body occupies 45.4545% of the range, and each wick occupies 27.2727%. The close sits 72.7273% of the way from low to high. Those measurements are reproducible even if a chart uses different colors or a different vertical scale.
Handle a flat candle honestly
If open and close are equal but high and low differ, the body is zero and the range percentages still work. The tool does not impose a threshold for labeling a candle a doji.
If all four prices are equal, the range is zero. Percentages and close location then have no denominator, so the result says they are not defined instead of inventing a percentage.
What OHLC cannot reveal
OHLC does not show whether the high happened before the low, how many transactions occurred, or the bid/ask spread at each point. Two very different intrabar paths can produce the same candle.
Keep the source, time frame, and session setting with your notes. Shape measurements become easier to compare when every observation uses the same rules.
What this tool does not calculate
- No volume, order flow, spread, or intrabar price path is supplied.
- Only positive prices are accepted in this educational version.
- The calculator describes candle geometry and does not classify a pattern as profitable.
Common questions
Does a long lower wick predict a reversal?
This calculator makes no prediction. It measures the distance between the low and the lower edge of the body. A reversal claim would require additional evidence and a defined test.
Can I compare a five-minute candle with a daily candle?
Their arithmetic is the same, but the periods summarize different amounts of trading. Keep the interval and session consistent when comparing observations.
Why does the tool reject my prices?
A valid candle must have high ≥ open and close, and low ≤ open and close. Check for swapped columns, decimal errors, or data from different bars.
Sources & method
An original calculation tool built with AI assistance. Its method and limits are documented here, and calculation examples are checked with automated tests.
About Market Frame Notes
Explore the project behind this free educational tool. The calculation and guide above work without joining a channel.
About Market Frame Notes