Halaman ini hanya untuk tujuan informasi. Layanan dan fitur tertentu mungkin tidak tersedia di yurisdiksi Anda.

What is slippage in crypto trading?

Slippage describes a situation where the expected price of a trade is different from the price obtained when the trade is executed. Slippage usually occurs when a trading platform can’t immediately execute a trade at the preferred price.

Crypto traders usually want to avoid slippage as much as possible. This is because it adds more uncertainty and volatility to a market that’s already unpredictable. By understanding slippage, you can take steps to manage its impact on your crypto trading strategy.

In this article, we'll explore what slippage is in more depth, how it affects your trades, and what you can do to reduce the impact of slippage.

TL;DR

  • Slippage refers to situations where the fill price you receive when trading an asset is different from the price you expected.

  • Slippage can be caused by low liquidity and high market volatility, making it an unpredictable force for traders.

  • Both positive and negative slippage can be experienced. Negative slippage refers to worse than expected prices, while positive slippage refers to better than expected prices.

  • It’s possible to minimize the impact of slippage, for example, by focusing on assets with high liquidity, only trading during periods of high activity, and placing multiple small orders rather than a single large order.

What is slippage?

By now, we know that slippage is the difference between the expected price of a trade and the final price at execution. Looking more closely, both positive and negative slippage are possible. Negative slippage occurs when prices are worse than expected, while positive slippage describes when prices are better than expected. In some situations, you'll also face no slippage.

What causes slippage?

Slippage is caused by a change in the bid/ask spread between the time a trader places an order and the order being executed by the market maker. The bid/ask spread represents the difference between the lowest ask price and the highest bid price in an order book.

If an order can't be filled at the desired price, the order book will execute the order at the next best price, resulting in slippage. Sometimes, particularly with large orders, only part of the order can be filled at the desired price, with the remaining portion filled at the next best price.

An example of slippage

Let's look at an example of negative slippage. You want to buy SOL through a market order, and the token is priced at 168.19. The order is placed, but due to market volatility, the fill price rises to 168.84. That's not a disaster if you're only buying one unit of SOL, but it's clear how slippage can erode the value of trades if you're trading at high volumes.

Positive slippage is the reversal of this example — prices fall after you've placed a buy order, resulting in a better price than expected. Although that sounds positive, many traders prefer full clarity over the fill prices they receive.

How to minimize slippage

Although slippage can't always be avoided, there are steps you can take to minimize its impact on your trading strategy.

Place smaller orders

Large orders can lead to higher slippage because higher volume trades have a bigger impact on prices. You can avoid this by splitting a large order into smaller individual orders placed over time. Although this tactic can manage slippage, it's important to consider another risk here — that prices move against you before you've opened all your positions.

Use limit orders

Using a limit order when you place a trade can help you avoid slippage and get the prices you want. Both a buy limit and sell limit order can be used depending on whether you're looking to buy or sell an asset. Once a limit order is set, the exchange or broker will only buy or sell at the price you state.

Trade assets with high liquidity

Low liquidity is a common cause of slippage as there isn't enough depth in the order book to fulfill every order at the desired price. You can minimize your exposure to this situation by choosing to only trade assets with high liquidity. Look at the trading volume of tokens to understand which are being bought and sold regularly, and focus on those with a larger market cap, such as BTC, ETH, and SOL.

Only trade during hours of high activity

To avoid low liquidity and the chance of slippage, consider only trading during hours of high activity. Liquidity will also be higher during these times. To do so, you could choose to trade during hours where timezones overlap, when traders from more locations will typically be online. Meanwhile, many exchanges also provide tools for checking the volume of crypto assets being traded, so you can see what's popular in near real-time.

The final word

Slippage is an important force in crypto trading that can have a significant impact on your gains and losses, particularly if you trade often and at high volumes. It's another factor you should consider each time you plan a trade, but also one that can be minimized using the tactics outlined in this article.

There are many other steps you can take to improve your trading strategy and manage risk among crypto's inherent volatility. To learn more, read our guide to stop-loss and take profit, and our article exploring dollar cost averaging.

FAQs

Slippage means the same in crypto as it does in other forms of trading. The term refers to a situation where the fill price you receive for an asset is different to the price you expected. However, slippage is considered more common in crypto compared to forex trading, for example, because of crypto’s higher volatility.

Slippage is generally considered to be a bad occurrence when trading because it adds another layer of uncertainty into the process. In some cases, positive slippage can also be experienced, where you’d receive better prices than expected when buying or selling an asset. However, many traders would prefer no slippage, because of the clarity this brings.

Not always, and it can be difficult to predict when slippage will occur and to what extent. However, you can minimize the chance of experiencing slippage by choosing assets with high liquidity, and only trading during busier periods when the order book should be deeper.

No, slippage can also be encountered on a decentralized exchange, and it's often caused by the same forces of low liquidity and high volatility.

Penafian
Konten ini hanya disediakan untuk tujuan informasi dan mungkin mencakup produk yang tidak tersedia di wilayah Anda. Konten ini juga tidak dimaksudkan untuk memberikan (i) nasihat atau rekomendasi investasi; (ii) penawaran atau ajakan untuk membeli, menjual, ataupun memiliki kripto/aset digital, atau (iii) nasihat keuangan, akuntansi, hukum, atau pajak. Kepemilikan kripto/aset digital, termasuk stablecoin dan NFT, melibatkan risiko yang tinggi dan dapat berfluktuasi dengan signifikan. Pertimbangkan dengan cermat apakah melakukan trading atau memiliki kripto/aset digital adalah keputusan yang sesuai dengan kondisi finansial Anda. Jika ada pertanyaan mengenai keadaan Anda, silakan berkonsultasi dengan ahli hukum/pajak/investasi Anda. Informasi (termasuk data pasar dan informasi statistik, jika ada) yang muncul di posting ini hanya untuk tujuan informasi umum. Meskipun data dan grafik ini sudah disiapkan dengan hati-hati, tidak ada tanggung jawab atau liabilitas yang diterima atas kesalahan fakta atau kelalaian yang diungkapkan di sini.

© 2025 OKX. Artikel ini dapat direproduksi atau didistribusikan seluruhnya, atau petikan sebanyak 100 kata atau kurang dari artikel ini dapat digunakan, selama penggunaan tersebut bersifat nonkomersial. Setiap reproduksi atau distribusi dari seluruh artikel juga harus dinyatakan dengan jelas: “Artikel ini © 2025 OKX dan digunakan dengan izin.“ Petikan yang diizinkan harus mengutip nama artikel dan menyertakan atribusi, misalnya “Nama Artikel, [nama penulis jika ada], © 2025 OKX.“ Tidak ada karya turunan atau penggunaan lain dari artikel ini yang diizinkan.

Artikel Terkait

Lihat Selengkapnya
Open Interest article Learn thumb
Strategies

What is open interest in crypto?

*This article discusses products that are not available in all regions. Open interest (OI) is a metric that shows the total number of outstanding derivatives contracts, such as futures or options, that remain unsettled. OI is used by traders to measure market activity and sentiment towards a specific asset. The metric achieves this by showing the total number of active contracts at a certain moment in time.
9 Jun 2025
Menengah
golpe de investimento
Security

What crypto romance scams are and how to avoid them

Romance scams have been around for some time, and now often use crypto as their means of defrauding victims. This is a form of confidence trick that involves a scammer faking romantic intentions with the victim. The aim is to create an emotionally intimate relationship to persuade the victim to hand over their money, digital assets, or personal information.
4 Jun 2025
Pemula
60
OKX Bot Trading
Strategies

What is crypto bot trading: automating your trades with our bots

Does the idea of manual trading feel daunting? Thanks to the availability of crypto trading bots under our Smart Trading product suite, you too can effortlessly automate your trades and enter the world of trading algorithms and bot trading in one click. With the help of bot trading, you'll no longer have to keep your eyes glued to the charts to execute trades as your pre-programmed bots will simply make the trades for you.
31 Mei 2025
Pemula
34
Generic charts thumbnail
Strategies

What is spot trading?

If you're a beginner in the world of cryptocurrency, the term 'spot trading' might be unfamiliar to you. However, it's a common form of trading in the crypto market that you should know about. For many, spot trading is the ideal entry point for getting started with crypto trading, being a relatively straightforward method.
30 Mei 2025
Pemula
214
golpe de investimento
Security

What rug pull scams are and how to avoid them

In November 2024, a 12-year old trader made headlines after attempting a crypto rug pull on a memecoin he created, called Gen Z Quant (QUANT), during a live stream. The trader launched QUANT on the popular Solana-based platform . The token quickly gained traction as its price surged. During a live stream, the trader expressed surprise at the growth before dumping his holdings — 51 million QUANT tokens — for 128 Solana (SOL), equivalent to $30,000.Despite his attempts to exit the market, the crypto community rallied behind the token, pushing its price up by an astonishing 77,000%. QUANT briefly reached a market cap of $82.3 million, peaking at $0.08 before retracing to $50 million. Ironically, the trader’s holdings would have been worth $4 million had he not sold them prematurely.
27 Mei 2025
Pemula
17
OKXSignalTrading
Smart Trading

Signal trading 101: top 10 crypto indicators to keep an eye on

Whether you’re  new to crypto trading  or a seasoned vet, having the right tools in your trading arsenal is essential. Signal trading in crypto provides a data-driven approach to making decisions on buying or selling. These signals are generated based on market conditions, indicators, and analysis, which can help you navigate and explore digital assets to trade.
19 Mei 2025
6
Lihat Selengkapnya