Use OKX Custom Formulas to Compare Relative Strength, Not Just Price Gains

OKX

27 October 2026

OKX's custom formula feature is not just about overlaying K-lines to see which coin rose more. Its real value is letting you build a ratio or difference with division or subtraction. This helps you separate "both coins are going up" from "one coin is actually stronger than the other." A price gain only tells you how much an asset changed compared to its own past. But when you compare prices, you need the strength relationship relative to another asset. OKX's custom formula supports up to 10 trading pairs. You can combine them with +, -, /, and * to generate a real-time calculated K-line.

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Where to Find It, and an Easy-to-Miss Path Difference

The entry points on web and app are different. On the web, go to the trading interface and select "Advanced." Then find "Custom Formula" in the options list. On the app, go to a coin's K-line page and enter the formula feature through the settings icon. The underlying function is the same on both. But if you cannot find it on the web, first check whether you are in the "Advanced" trading view and not the basic interface.

What Formula to Use for Price Comparison, and Why

The official documentation gives a direct example: to compare SOL and BTC performance, use SOL/BTC. To judge whether SOL or ETH is stronger relative to BTC, use SOL/BTC - ETH/BTC. These two formulas serve two different needs.

SOL/BTC is a ratio. When it goes up, SOL is getting stronger relative to BTC. When it goes down, SOL is underperforming BTC. You do not need to look at the SOL/USDT and BTC/USDT K-lines separately and compare by feel. The ratio itself is a readable strength indicator.

SOL/BTC - ETH/BTC is the difference between two ratios. If the result is positive, SOL's strength relative to BTC exceeds ETH's strength relative to BTC. If negative, it is the opposite. This formula is good for ranking several candidate assets, not just looking at one asset's performance against a benchmark.

Gain percentages cannot do this. Suppose SOL rose 15% in the past week and BTC rose 10%. Looking only at gains, you would think SOL is stronger. But if ETH rose 25% in the same period, then on the question of "who is stronger relative to BTC," SOL is not outstanding. Ratio and difference formulas directly answer relative strength. Gain percentages answer each asset's own direction and magnitude. They are not substitutes for each other. But in price comparison scenarios, the former is closer to the judgment you need to make.

Formula Limits, and When Not to Use It

The custom formula operates on trading pair prices, not your position cost or profit and loss. You can use it to judge "which asset is relatively stronger right now." But it will not tell you "whether you made or lost money on this trade." If your goal is to review your own trading performance, this tool will not help.

The formula uses at most 10 trading pairs. For most comparison needs, 2 to 3 trading pairs are enough. Putting too many pairs into one formula makes the resulting K-line hard to read. It is better to split them into several separate formulas.

Also, the custom formula generates a calculated K-line, not an original price chart. This means the price levels you see on this chart have no direct trading meaning. You cannot use them to place orders or judge whether a specific price level was touched. Its value lies in shape and trend: whether the ratio is rising or falling, and whether the difference is widening or narrowing.

A Practical Judgment Sequence

If you have several candidate assets and want to figure out which one to focus on, you can follow this sequence:

First pick a benchmark asset, usually BTC or ETH. The benchmark choice depends on your reference frame. If you are used to measuring altcoin strength against BTC, use coin/BTC. If you care more about relative performance in USDT terms, you can change the benchmark to USDT. But then you are comparing fiat purchasing power, not internal crypto market strength rotation.

Then create a separate ratio formula for each candidate asset, such as SOL/BTC, AVAX/BTC, LINK/BTC. Look at the K-line direction of each ratio. If a ratio keeps making new highs, that asset is strengthening relative to the benchmark. If multiple ratios weaken at the same time, the benchmark itself is absorbing market funds.

If you need to rank several candidates further, use a difference formula by subtracting one ratio from another. The sign and trend direction of the result are more intuitive than looking at two ratios separately.

The goal is not to "find a coin that will go up." The goal is to be able to say clearly: in the current time window, which asset's strength relative to the benchmark is continuing, and which one is just following. This judgment cannot replace your research on project fundamentals and liquidity. But it can separate "went up" from "became stronger."