What Is the Camarilla Calculator?
The Camarilla calculator is a free tool that computes eight intraday support and resistance levels — four resistance levels (R1 to R4) and four support levels (S1 to S4) — from the previous trading day's high, low and close price. It is built for intraday and swing traders who need a quick, repeatable set of reaction zones before the market opens, without working out the arithmetic by hand every morning.
How to Use the Camarilla Calculator?
To use the Camarilla calculator on Strike Money, follow these steps.
- Note the previous trading day's High: The highest price the stock or index touched in the previous session.
- Note the previous trading day's Low: The lowest price touched in the previous session.
- Note the previous trading day's Close: The final settlement price of the previous session.
- Enter these three values into the calculator: High, Low and Close, all from the same previous session.
- Read the levels as you type: There is no Calculate button — all eight Camarilla levels, the scenario for today's open and the trade plan recompute on every keystroke.
- Read the R1-R4 and S1-S4 levels: R3 and S3 are the levels most closely watched for a possible reversal, while R4 and S4 mark the breakout and breakdown zones.
For example, if a stock's previous session had a High of ₹150, a Low of ₹140 and a Close of ₹145, the range works out to ₹10. Feeding these three numbers into the formula gives R3 = ₹147.75 and S3 = ₹142.25 — the two levels intraday traders tend to watch most closely for the day ahead.
Which OHLC Values Should You Enter?
Enter the previous trading day's High, Low and Close — never today's opening price. Camarilla levels are meant to be calculated after the previous session closes and used as reference zones for the next trading session, so the Open of the previous day is not part of the formula at all, and today's Open should never be substituted in its place.
What Are Camarilla Pivot Points?
Camarilla Pivot Points are a set of eight technical analysis levels — S1, S2, S3, S4 (support) and R1, R2, R3, R4 (resistance) — calculated from a single trading session's High, Low and Close. They are used mainly by intraday traders to identify likely reversal zones and breakout zones for the next session, without needing any indicator history or chart pattern recognition.
Who Created Camarilla Pivot Points and Why?
Camarilla Pivot Points were created in 1989 by Nick Scott, a bond trader who wanted a fast, rules-based way to locate probable turning points during a trading session. His method applies a fixed constant of 1.1 to the previous day's price range, then divides it by four different arithmetic denominators — 12, 6, 4 and 2 — to produce four progressively wider levels above and below the previous close. The idea was that prices tend to revert toward the close a large proportion of the time, so levels built tightly around the previous close would flag realistic intraday reaction zones more often than pivot formulas built around the day's midpoint.
What Is the Camarilla Pivot Point Formula?
The Camarilla formula uses the previous trading day's High (H), Low (L) and Close (C). The Open is not used.
Range = High − Low
- R1 = Close + (Range × 1.1) ÷ 12
- R2 = Close + (Range × 1.1) ÷ 6
- R3 = Close + (Range × 1.1) ÷ 4
- R4 = Close + (Range × 1.1) ÷ 2
- S1 = Close − (Range × 1.1) ÷ 12
- S2 = Close − (Range × 1.1) ÷ 6
- S3 = Close − (Range × 1.1) ÷ 4
- S4 = Close − (Range × 1.1) ÷ 2
Using High = ₹150, Low = ₹140, Close = ₹145: Range = ₹10, so Range × 1.1 = 11.
- R1 = 145 + 11/12 = ₹145.92
- R2 = 145 + 11/6 = ₹146.83
- R3 = 145 + 11/4 = ₹147.75
- R4 = 145 + 11/2 = ₹150.50
- S1 = 145 − 11/12 = ₹144.08
- S2 = 145 − 11/6 = ₹143.17
- S3 = 145 − 11/4 = ₹142.25
- S4 = 145 − 11/2 = ₹139.50
Some traders extend the same logic further to informal "extreme target" levels beyond R4/S4, using additional unofficial multipliers of their own choosing. There is no standard formula for these extended levels, so this calculator computes only the eight standard levels, R1-R4 and S1-S4.
What Does Each Camarilla Level Mean?
Each of the eight levels carries a different degree of significance for the trading session ahead.
| Level | Distance From Close | What It Signals |
|---|---|---|
| R1 / S1 | Narrowest | Weak intraday resistance/support — price crosses these often during normal chop |
| R2 / S2 | Moderate | Moderate resistance/support — a slightly stronger pause point than R1/S1 |
| R3 / S3 | Wide | Important reversal zones — the levels most traders watch for a bounce back toward the close |
| R4 / S4 | Widest | Breakout/breakdown zones — a sustained move past these suggests the reversal zones have failed and momentum is continuing |
A move above R4 is generally read as a signal of possible bullish momentum, while a move below S4 is generally read as a signal of possible bearish momentum, since both mean the price has pushed past every reversal zone Camarilla defines for that session.
How to Day Trade Using Camarilla Levels?
Camarilla levels are typically traded with one of two opposing strategies, depending on whether the price stays within its expected range or pushes through it.
Reversal Strategy
The reversal strategy assumes price will bounce back toward the close after testing R3 or S3.
- Sell near R3, anticipating a pullback, with a stop-loss placed just beyond R4.
- Buy near S3, anticipating a bounce, with a stop-loss placed just beyond S4.
For a stock with a previous session's High = ₹1,250, Low = ₹1,200 and Close = ₹1,230 (Range = ₹50), the levels work out to R3 = ₹1,243.75, R4 = ₹1,257.50, S3 = ₹1,216.25 and S4 = ₹1,202.50. A reversal trader would look to sell as price approaches ₹1,243.75, with a stop just beyond ₹1,257.50, or buy as price approaches ₹1,216.25, with a stop just beyond ₹1,202.50.
Breakout Strategy
The breakout strategy assumes that once price clears R4 or S4, the reversal zones have failed and the move is likely to continue.
- Buy above R4 once price closes above it with strong volume confirmation, since this suggests the session's usual reaction zones have been overwhelmed by buying pressure.
- Sell below S4 once price closes below it with strong volume confirmation, for the same reason on the downside.
Using the same example, a breakout trader would wait for a decisive close above ₹1,257.50 before buying, or a decisive close below ₹1,202.50 before selling, rather than trading the R3/S3 reversal zones at all.
How Should You Manage Risk While Using Camarilla Levels?
Camarilla levels only mark where a reaction is likely — they do not guarantee it, so every trade built around them needs a predefined stop-loss.
| Trade Type | Entry Zone | Suggested Stop-Loss Placement |
|---|---|---|
| Reversal sell | Near R3 | Just beyond R4 |
| Reversal buy | Near S3 | Just beyond S4 |
| Breakout buy | Above R4 | Just below R4 (or the breakout candle's low) |
| Breakout sell | Below S4 | Just above S4 (or the breakdown candle's high) |
Keeping the stop just beyond the next level out, rather than an arbitrary distance away, limits the loss to roughly one "band" of the Camarilla structure if the trade goes against you.
How Do You Confirm Camarilla Levels With Other Indicators?
Camarilla levels work best when a second, independent indicator confirms the same read on the market rather than being traded in isolation.
- VWAP (Volume Weighted Average Price): Price trading above VWAP alongside a Camarilla resistance test adds weight to a bullish read, and price below VWAP alongside a Camarilla support test adds weight to a bearish read.
- RSI (Relative Strength Index): An RSI reading above 60 generally supports a bullish bias, while a reading below 40 generally supports a bearish bias. An RSI near 70 suggests the move is overbought and a reversal near R3/R4 is more plausible, while an RSI near 30 suggests the move is oversold and a reversal near S3/S4 is more plausible.
Camarilla Pivot Points and CPR (Central Pivot Range)
Central Pivot Range (CPR) measures how wide the market's expected range is for the session, and combining it with Camarilla levels helps decide which of the two Camarilla strategies is more likely to work that day.
- A narrow CPR suggests low expected volatility, which favours R4/S4 breakout trades, since a tight range that does eventually break out tends to travel further once it does.
- A wide CPR suggests high expected volatility, which favours R3/S3 reversal trades, since the market already has enough room within its expected range for price to swing between the two zones without a genuine breakout.
Camarilla vs Classic vs Fibonacci Pivot Points
Camarilla, Classic and Fibonacci pivot points all start from the same High, Low and Close, but the similarity ends there.
| Basis | Camarilla | Classic | Fibonacci |
|---|---|---|---|
| Best For | Intraday reversal and breakout zones | Reading overall market direction for the session | Identifying retracement and extension zones |
| Levels | 8 levels (R1-R4, S1-S4) tightly clustered around the close | Central pivot plus 3 support/resistance pairs spread around the average of High, Low, Close | Central pivot plus support/resistance built from 38.2%, 61.8% and 100% ratios of the range |
| Typical Use | Scalping and intraday reversal/breakout trades | Swing bias for the day (bullish/bearish above or below the pivot) | Identifying likely retracement depth within a trend |
In short, Camarilla is built specifically for intraday reversal and breakout zones, Classic pivots are used more for gauging the day's overall directional bias, and Fibonacci pivots are used to estimate how far a retracement or extension might travel.
Do Camarilla Levels Really Work?
Yes, Camarilla levels work reasonably well as reference zones, but not as a standalone trading system. They are most reliable when combined with confirmation from volume, VWAP, RSI and overall price action, rather than traded mechanically the moment price touches a level. Used this way — as one input alongside other tools rather than the only one — Camarilla levels can meaningfully sharpen intraday entry and exit timing.