Direct answer
Maintenance margin = notional × maintenance margin rate (Binance also deducts a maintenance amount); when the margin balance falls to that line plus the liquidation fee, the position is liquidated. For the same 10x long of 0.2 BTC, the simplified liquidation price is about 45,248.87 USDT at a 0.50% rate and about 45,477.51 USDT at 1.00%. Binance liquidates when its margin ratio reaches 100%, and larger positions usually fall into higher tiers with higher rates.
Maintenance margin: the minimum that keeps a position open
What goes in when a position opens is the initial margin; the minimum the account must keep while it is open is the maintenance margin. Binance defines it as notional × maintenance margin rate, less the tier's maintenance amount. When the margin balance plus unrealized PnL falls to that line, the position is liquidated.
So liquidation is not about the percentage the price has fallen but about the margin left. After the same 5% fall, a position with plenty of margin is fine while a thinly margined one may already be gone.
Notional tiers: bigger positions, higher rates
The maintenance margin rate is not one number. Binance groups positions into tiers by notional value: the larger the position, the higher the rate and the lower the maximum leverage, and within a tier the calculation does not depend on the leverage you chose.
Binance's help page gives this example: a BTCUSDT position worth 260,000 USDT falls in tier three, with a 1% rate and a 1,300 USDT maintenance amount, so maintenance margin = 260,000 × 1% − 1,300 = 1,300 USDT. Tier tables change, so check the exchange's leverage and margin page for current figures before trading.
How the maintenance rate moves liquidation
All else equal, a higher maintenance rate brings liquidation closer to entry. The table keeps the same 10x long (entry 50,000 USDT, 0.2 BTC) and a 0.05% liquidation-fee reserve, changing only the maintenance rate.
The differences look small, but they grow as positions and leverage grow — one reason the liquidation price an exchange shows is often closer than a simplified estimate.
| Maintenance rate | Liquidation (USDT) | Room |
|---|---|---|
| 0.40% | 45,203.42 | 9.59% |
| 0.50% | 45,248.87 | 9.50% |
| 0.65% | 45,317.22 | 9.37% |
| 1.00% | 45,477.51 | 9.04% |
| 2.50% | 46,177.53 | 7.64% |
Reading the margin ratio an exchange shows
Binance's margin ratio is maintenance margin divided by margin balance: the higher it is the more dangerous, and at 100% some or all positions are liquidated. Binance also notes that the more margin balance you hold, the further away the liquidation price.
OKX's maintenance margin ratio is computed the other way round: (margin balance + PnL) ÷ (maintenance margin + liquidation fee). The lower it is the more dangerous, and at 100% the margin covers exactly the maintenance margin and the liquidation fee. The names are close and the directions opposite, so check which one a screen shows.
Three ways to reduce liquidation risk
First, reduce the position: a smaller notional needs less maintenance margin and may drop back into a lower tier. Second, in isolated margin, add margin: a larger balance moves liquidation further away, though it also raises the maximum loss. Third, in cross margin, add to the account balance, with a similar effect.
Lowering leverage does not by itself change the maintenance rate, because tiers depend on notional; what it does is commit more margin.
Where to find your own tier
Binance's leverage and margin page lists each contract's notional tiers, maximum leverage, maintenance margin rates and maintenance amounts; OKX lists the corresponding parameters in its risk-limit and position-tier documentation for each contract.
Your account's tier is visible only to you after signing in, and DZPTO does not — and does not need to — read your account. Enter the maintenance rate your account shows in the liquidation calculator to recompute with your own figure.
Official sources
The maintenance margin formula, the tier example and the note on unannounced adjustments come from Binance's leverage and margin page; Binance's margin ratio from its liquidation guidance; and OKX's maintenance margin ratio from OKX's margin calculation rules. Tier tables change, so the current page applies. Recorded 2026-10-07.
- Binance: Leverage and Margin of USDⓈ-M Futures
- Binance: How to Reduce Your Chances of Getting Liquidated
- Binance: How to Calculate Liquidation Price of USDⓈ-M Futures Contracts
- OKX: Futures margin calculation rules
Keep reading
Frequently asked questions
Is the maintenance margin rate fixed?
No. It is tiered by notional, rising with position size, and exchanges can change the tier table. Binance states that where a tier's rate changes by less than 0.5%, it may apply the change without an announcement.
Why is the exchange's liquidation price closer than the calculator's?
Usually because the position has moved into a higher tier, or because the exchange includes the maintenance amount, other positions and order holds. Recomputing with the maintenance rate your account shows normally brings them close.
What does an 80% margin ratio on Binance mean?
That maintenance margin is already 80% of the margin balance, 20 percentage points from the 100% liquidation line. It is usually time to reduce the position or add margin.
Does lower leverage lower the maintenance rate?
No. The maintenance rate follows the notional tier, not the leverage; lowering leverage commits more margin, which is what moves liquidation further away.