What is Scalping?
A high-frequency trading style that targets very small price moves, often holding positions for seconds to minutes, relying on volume to accumulate profits.
Scalping is a trading style focused on capturing very small price movements — often 0.05–0.5% — across a high volume of trades throughout the day. Scalpers aim for many small wins rather than a few large ones.
Scalping characteristics:
| Feature | Value |
|---|---|
| Trade duration | Seconds to minutes |
| Trades per session | 10–50+ |
| Typical R:R | 1:1 to 1:1.5 |
| Required win rate | 55–65%+ |
| Fee sensitivity | Very high |
The fee problem with scalping:
At 0.05% taker fee per side (0.10% round trip), your break-even move is already 0.10%. If you're targeting 0.2% profit per trade, fees consume 50% of your target. Scalping at higher fees (0.1%/0.1% spot) is nearly impossible to sustain profitably.
This is why scalpers who operate at scale use futures (lower fees) or exchanges with the lowest possible fees — like MEXC (0% maker, 0.010% taker).
Infrastructure requirements:
Professional scalping requires:
Scalping vs. swing trading:
| Aspect | Scalping | Swing Trading |
|---|---|---|
| Time commitment | Full-time (4–8h/session) | Part-time (30–60 min/day) |
| Fee sensitivity | Critical | Low |
| Suitable for beginners | No | Yes |
| Compatible with a day job | No | Yes |
Related Calculators
Scalping R:R
Calculate risk-to-reward ratios optimized for scalping strategies with tight stops and quick profit targets on 1-minute to 15-minute timeframes.
Fee Calculator
Calculate exact trading fees for crypto futures and spot trades. See how fees affect your net P&L across different exchanges and fee tiers.