Leverage and margin on futures
On Bybit Futures a Grid bot has two settings that do not exist on spot: leverage and margin type. The first one defines how much of your own money is frozen for the grid, the second one defines which funds the exchange takes as collateral if the price moves against the position.
What it is
- Leverage from 1 to 20. The amount per level is the order volume in USDT; the leverage reduces the margin the exchange locks for that volume. The higher the leverage, the closer the liquidation price.
- CROSS (shared margin) — the whole account balance serves as collateral. The bot screen warns: “⚠️ CROSS: ENTIRE balance is used. Grid has no hard SL — if price moves far outside the range, the position may liquidate the account.”
- ISOLATED (per-position) — “only the bot deposit is used. Safer for grid strategy, especially with a narrow range.”
By default a bot is created with x1 leverage and CROSS margin. On spot the leverage is always x1 and there are no leverage and margin buttons.
Where it is in the bot
Main menu → 🪜 Grid Bots → ➕ Create Grid Bot → the confirmation screen → the buttons ⚡ Leverage: x1 and ⚖️ Margin: CROSS. The leverage can also be set earlier — on step 5 with the text amount_per_level [leverage], for example 6 2. Both parameters are chosen at creation: they are not among the editing buttons of a running bot. In the bot card they are shown as the line “⚡ Leverage: 2x | CROSS”.
How to set it up
- ⚡ Leverage: x1 → the screen “⚡ Grid leverage” with the text “Higher leverage tightens range requirements: if price leaves the range, the position may be liquidated. ⚠️ We recommend x1—x3 for beginners; use x5+ only with experience.” Tap a quick button x1 / x2 / x3 / x5 / x10 or send an integer from 1 to 20. The answer: “✅ Leverage saved: x2”.
- ⚖️ Margin: CROSS → the screen “⚖️ Grid margin type selection” → 🌐 CROSS (shared margin) or 🔒 ISOLATED (per-position). The answer: “✅ Margin type saved: ISOLATED”.
- Look at the summary. With leverage above 1 it gains the line “⚠️ Estimated liquidation: ~$… (-…% from average). This is an estimate — actual price depends on account balance and other positions.” With CROSS and no Stop-Loss — the warning “Cross margin without Stop-Loss”.
- Ready-made combinations of leverage and margin are given by a profile: Conservative — x1 ISOLATED, Balanced — x2 CROSS, Aggressive — x5 CROSS.
Example with a calculation
A Long grid 60,000 — 66,000, 20 levels of 6 USDT: “Total in grid: 120 USDT”. The bot counts the required balance as the total ÷ leverage + a 10 % buffer.
| Leverage | Margin for the grid | Required balance |
|---|---|---|
| x1 | 120 USDT | 120 × 1.1 = 132 USDT |
| x2 | 60 USDT | 60 × 1.1 = 66 USDT |
| x5 | 24 USDT | 24 × 1.1 = 26.4 USDT |
| x10 | 12 USDT | 12 × 1.1 = 13.2 USDT |
The volume of the grid is the same in every row — 120 USDT, only the frozen margin changes. The flip side: the smaller the margin, the closer the liquidation price is to the range. The bot shows its estimate in the summary as the line “Estimated liquidation”, and the exact figure comes from the exchange in the positions section. If the estimated liquidation turns out to be close to the lower bound of the grid, lower the leverage or widen the range.
Limits and allowed values
| Parameter | Range | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Leverage | 1–20, integer | Futures only; x1 by default |
| Margin type | CROSS / ISOLATED | Futures only; CROSS by default |
| Balance buffer | +10 % | on top of the grid total divided by the leverage |
| Margin overload | 80 % of the account capital | the bot closes itself, see Protections |
| Closeness to liquidation | less than 15 % to the liquidation price | the same |
Common mistakes and what the bot says
- “Invalid value. Enter a number between 1 and 20.” — you entered 0, 25 or a fraction.
- “Spot Grid works only with x1 leverage. Set leverage to 1 or use a LINEAR account.” — leverage above 1 on a spot bot.
- “⚠️ Warning: Cross margin without Stop-Loss. If the position goes deep into the negative, liquidation will affect the entire account (including balances of other bots). Recommended: either switch to Isolated, or set a Stop-Loss.” — this is a warning, not a refusal.
- “🔒 … Grid bot closed: used account margin 82 % reached 80 %. Orders cancelled, position closed at market” — a protection fired; usually this is a sign of leverage that is too high or of several bots on one account.
- Funding: on futures you pay a fee for holding the position; in the card it is shown as the line “💸 Funding” and is refreshed every 30 minutes.