When your risk ratio is dangerously high, the most important rescue plan has two steps: add collateral first, then reduce positions. The order matters. Only if adding funds still doesn't fix the problem should you start reducing. Binance's risk ratio is your collateral value divided by your total debt. The lower the number, the higher the danger. 1.1 is the liquidation line, and around 1.3 is the warning zone where you should add more margin.
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Step 1: Check Your Current Risk Ratio Level – It Tells You How Much Time You Have
What to do: Verify the actual risk ratio number and decide whether to add funds or reduce positions.
How to do it: Open your margin trading page and go to the "Positions" list. Find the "Risk Ratio" column. Different leverage multiples have different warning and liquidation lines:
Cross 3x: Risk ratio at 1.3 triggers a margin call, at 1.1 liquidation happens.
Cross 5x: Risk ratio at 1.16 triggers a margin call, at 1.1 liquidation.
Isolated 3x: Risk ratio at 1.22 triggers a margin call, at 1.18 liquidation.
Isolated 5x: Risk ratio at 1.19 triggers a margin call, at 1.15 liquidation.
Isolated 10x: Risk ratio at 1.1 triggers a margin call, at 1.05 liquidation.
If your risk ratio is below the margin call line but still above the liquidation line, you still have time to act. If it's already hugging the liquidation line, your time is extremely limited. In volatile markets, the risk ratio can crash straight through the liquidation line before any warning arrives – your position could be gone in an instant.
Done when: You know the exact risk ratio number and how far it is from liquidation.
Step 2: Add Collateral First – Pull Your Risk Ratio Back Up
What to do: Transfer more assets into your margin account. This directly increases your collateral value and pushes the risk ratio higher.
How to do it: Choose the right path based on your margin mode:
Cross Margin mode: Go to 【Assets】-【Margin Account】, click【Transfer】, and move USDT or other eligible collateral from your spot account into the margin account. In cross mode, the entire margin account balance is used as collateral, so adding funds helps support all open positions at once.
Isolated Margin mode: In the 【Positions】 list, find the specific position and click the 【Add Margin】 button next to it. Enter the amount and confirm. These funds only support that one position and won't affect others.
Important: If you have turned on the 【Auto-Add Margin】 feature, the system will try to transfer money from your spot account when the risk ratio hits the set threshold. But in extreme market moves, the transfer speed may not catch up with price swings – don't rely on this completely.
Common mistake: Many people add funds but accidentally send them to the spot account instead of the margin account, so the risk ratio never changes. Double-check that the transfer target is "Margin Account" or "USDⓈ-M Futures Account", not "Spot Account".
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Step 3: If Adding Collateral Isn't Enough, Reduce Positions – Tackle the Riskiest One First
What to do: Close part of a position to reduce your total debt, which instantly lifts the risk ratio.
How to do it: The order of reducing positions matters. Don't just close anything randomly:
Prioritize the position with the highest leverage – higher leverage means the liquidation line is closer (for example, a 10x isolated position liquidates at 1.05, which is much tighter than the 5x line at 1.15). Deal with the most dangerous one first.
Prioritize the position with the biggest loss – the position with the largest unrealized loss is tying up the most debt. Closing part of it cuts your total debt the fastest.
Use the "Close" function for a one-click fix: In the 【Positions】 list, click 【Close】, choose the percentage you want to close (e.g., 50%). The system will automatically place a market sell order and repay the corresponding debt.
Done when: After reducing, the risk ratio number clearly jumps back (for example, from 1.12 to above 1.3), and red warning signs disappear from the positions list.
High-risk alert: Starting June 15, 2026, Binance adjusted the risk ratio calculation for cross margin. Collateral haircuts are now officially part of the formula. If you hold less mainstream coins as collateral, your actual margin level may already be lower than expected, even if the displayed risk ratio looks acceptable. When adding collateral, prioritize USDT, BTC, or ETH as they carry a higher collateral value in the calculation.
How to check after you're done: After adding funds or reducing positions, go back to the 【Positions】 list and double-check that the risk ratio has climbed back above 1.3 (for cross 3x) or the corresponding safe zone for your leverage tier. If the ratio has already fallen below the liquidation line, the page will show a "Liquidating" status. At that point, you can only wait for the system to finish processing – manual intervention is no longer possible.
