ATR Trailing Stop Calculator
Calculate a close-anchored stop candidate from an ATR value you supply. Explore a separate constant-ATR history example; this page does not calculate ATR or place orders.
Manual ATR in price units; match your timeframe and smoothing
Positive multiplier up to 1,000; examples are not recommendations
Formula (Long):
Stop = Highest Close - (ATR × Multiplier)
Stop = 105.00 - (2.50 × 3) = 97.50
Enter 1–200 positive closes, oldest first. Defaults are constructed examples; the chart uses its own first-close anchor and constant ATR.
Trailing Stop Level
Stop Distance
7.50
Distance / Anchor %
7.14%
Constant-ATR Close Illustration
Read illustration values
| Period | Close | Stop | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 100.00 | 92.50 | No close breach |
| 2 | 102.00 | 94.50 | No close breach |
| 3 | 104.00 | 96.50 | No close breach |
| 4 | 103.00 | 96.50 | No close breach |
| 5 | 105.00 | 97.50 | No close breach |
| 6 | 104.00 | 97.50 | No close breach |
| 7 | 102.00 | 97.50 | No close breach |
| 8 | 101.00 | 97.50 | No close breach |
| 9 | 103.00 | 97.50 | No close breach |
| 10 | 105.00 | 97.50 | No close breach |
| 11 | 107.00 | 99.50 | No close breach |
| 12 | 106.00 | 99.50 | No close breach |
| 13 | 104.00 | 99.50 | No close breach |
| 14 | 103.00 | 99.50 | No close breach |
| 15 | 101.00 | 99.50 | No close breach |
Multiplier Sensitivity Examples
| Multiplier | Interpretation | Stop Level | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1.5× | Smaller ATR distance | 101.25 | 3.57% |
| 2.0× | Smaller ATR distance | 100.00 | 4.76% |
| 2.5× | Smaller ATR distance | 98.75 | 5.95% |
| 3.0×(Selected) | Reference example | 97.50 | 7.14% |
| 3.5× | Larger ATR distance | 96.25 | 8.33% |
Understand the Two Calculations
The main result is a fresh candidate from the manual anchor and ATR. For a long, subtract ATR × multiplier from the highest close you choose; for a short, add it to the lowest close. Distance / Anchor % divides that ATR distance by the anchor, not current price or entry price. Price to Stop uses the separate current-price input.
Constructed example: highest close 105, ATR 2.5 and multiplier 3 produce 97.5. The anchor distance is 7.5, or 7.14% of 105; at current price 100 the remaining distance is 2.5. This is not a demonstrated trade or performance result.
ATR Input Is Not Calculated from These Closes
True range uses the maximum of high minus low, absolute high minus previous close, and absolute low minus previous close. ATR smooths that series. TradingView’s default ATR uses RMA, with alternative smoothing settings available. A close-only list cannot reproduce that calculation because its highs and lows are missing.
Use the same instrument, timeframe, session and price units for ATR and the anchor. The chart here deliberately holds the entered ATR constant. It starts at its own first close and stops at the first close crossing. It does not synchronize the manual anchor/current price, infer intrabar fills, or restart after an exit.
Close Anchors Differ from Chandelier Exit
StockCharts documents Chandelier Exit defaults as a rolling 22-bar highest high or lowest low and ATR(22) × 3. This calculator uses closes and no rolling window. A rolling extreme can drop out, and a changing ATR can loosen a newly calculated line. A non-loosening long stop must explicitly keep the maximum of its previous value and new candidate; a short uses the minimum. An entry/reset rule is also needed. The main calculator stores no previous stop.
Test the Rule Before Treating It as an Exit
- Specify entry, anchor, ATR lookback/smoothing, bar-close or intrabar trigger, and reset/re-entry behavior.
- Compare multiple multipliers on separate development and evaluation periods. Larger distance alone does not establish fewer losing trades or better returns.
- Include spread, fees, gaps, tick size and stop-order execution assumptions. Keep position size separate from price distance.
- Check actual broker rules. A triggered stop-market order can fill away from the stop, while a stop-limit order can remain unfilled.
Sources: TradingView ATR, StockCharts Chandelier Exit, and FINRA order types.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does this calculator actually calculate?
A candidate stop from a manually entered close-price anchor and one ATR value: long = highest close − ATR × multiplier, short = lowest close + ATR × multiplier. It does not calculate ATR from the history, retrieve prices, monitor an account or submit an order.
Is this the standard Chandelier Exit?
No. StockCharts documents a rolling 22-bar highest high/lowest low with ATR(22) × 3 as its default Chandelier Exit. This page uses a manually supplied close anchor and a separate running-close illustration with constant ATR. It has no rolling lookback or dynamic ATR series.
Can an ATR stop move away from price?
Yes, a fresh anchor-minus-current-ATR calculation can loosen when ATR increases or a rolling extreme drops out. A non-loosening long stop requires max(previous stop, new candidate); short requires min(previous stop, new candidate), with a reset rule at entry. This page does not retain a previous stop for the main output.
How does the history chart work?
The initial prices are constructed examples. The illustration starts at the first entered close, holds ATR fixed, and updates a running highest or lowest close. It ends at the first close at or beyond the stop. Intrabar highs/lows, gaps, fills and re-entry are not modeled. This chart is separate from the current-price and manual-anchor inputs.
Which ATR and multiplier should I use?
Use a documented timeframe, lookback and smoothing setting from your chart, with ATR in the same price units as the anchor. Compare parameter choices on separate historical and out-of-sample periods with costs. The displayed multipliers are sensitivity examples, not settings recommended for a particular trading style.
Does a stop guarantee the displayed price or a maximum loss?
No. A stop trigger is not a guaranteed fill. Gaps and liquidity can produce a worse execution, while a stop-limit order may not execute. No tick-size rounding, broker trigger rules, quantity or fees are included.
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Automate Your ATR Trailing Stop Strategy
Use Pineify’s Pine Script coding tools to draft an explicit ATR stop rule. Review its source and test bar timing, resets and alert conditions in TradingView. This calculator does not configure alerts or predict when a stop will trigger.