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Finance · Trading

Pivot Points Calculator

Enter the previous session’s high, low, and close to map the classic floor-trader ladder — a central pivot plus three resistance and three support levels for the session ahead.

Methodology reviewed Jul 16, 20262 primary sourcesHow it worksInputs stay on this device
Your inputs

Three prices, seven levels

High of the prior session — for weekly pivots, use the prior week.

Low of the prior session — for weekly pivots, use the prior week.

Close of the prior session — for weekly pivots, use the prior week.

Your inputs are calculated locally and are not stored.
Pivot point$100.00

Above the pivot, the first resistance to watch is R1 at $105.00; below it, the first support is S1 at $95.00.

Resistance 3 (R3)
$115.00
Resistance 2 (R2)
$110.00
Resistance 1 (R1)
$105.00
Pivot point (PP)
$100.00
Support 1 (S1)
$95.00
Support 2 (S2)
$90.00
Support 3 (S3)
$85.00
Formula & methodology

How pivot points are calculated

Pivot points come from the trading pits. Before screens, floor traders needed a quick map of the day ahead, so before the open they precomputed a handful of levels from the prior session’s high, low, and close: the pivot is the plain average of the three prices, and the resistance and support rungs fold the prior day’s range around it. This calculator implements that classic set — R1 and S1 reflect the pivot doubled minus the low or the high, R2 and S2 shift the pivot by the full range, and R3 and S3 extend the same geometry one rung further.

PP = (H + L + C) ÷ 3
R1 = 2·PP − L
S1 = 2·PP − H
R2 = PP + (H − L)
S2 = PP − (H − L)
R3 = H + 2(PP − L)
S3 = L − 2(H − PP)
H
Previous session’s high
L
Previous session’s low
C
Previous session’s close
PP
Pivot point, the central reference level
R1–R3
Resistance levels above the pivot
S1–S3
Support levels below the pivot
Worked example

A $105 high, $95 low, and $100 close

Suppose yesterday’s session ran from a $95 low to a $105 high and settled at $100. The pivot is the average of the three: (105 + 95 + 100) ÷ 3 = $100. Doubling the pivot and subtracting the low puts R1 at $105, while subtracting the high instead puts S1 at $95. Shifting the pivot by the full $10 range gives R2 at $110 and S2 at $90, and the outer rungs land at R3 = $115 and S3 = $85 — a seven-level ladder for the next session.

This is an educational calculation based only on the values you provide. It does not look up live prices, and it is not trading advice.

Assumptions

What this calculator assumes

  • Levels use the classic floor-trader formulas. Woodie, Camarilla, and DeMark variants weight the inputs differently and produce different numbers — see the FAQ.
  • Pivot levels are reference points, not guarantees — price can stall short of a level or slice straight through it.
  • Use the prior day’s session for intraday pivots; swing and position traders compute the same ladder from the prior week’s or month’s data.
  • This is an educational charting aid, not trading or investment advice.
Common questions

Pivot points FAQ

Which session’s data do I use?

For intraday pivots, use the prior regular session’s high, low, and close — most platforms take the exchange session rather than pre- or post-market prints. Weekly pivots use the prior week’s values and monthly pivots the prior month’s. In 24-hour markets such as futures or crypto, pick a consistent daily cutoff — futures traders typically use the exchange settlement.

What are Woodie and Camarilla pivots?

They are variant formulas that weight the close differently. Woodie pivots count the close twice in the pivot average, Camarilla pivots build eight tighter levels from the close plus fractions of the range, and DeMark pivots condition the formula on whether the session closed above or below its open. This calculator implements the classic floor-trader set.

Do pivots actually work?

Pivot levels carry no predictive magic — they are arithmetic on yesterday’s prices. Their value is that so many traders watch the same numbers that they become self-fulfilling reference levels where orders cluster. Treat them as context for planning entries, stops, and targets, not as buy or sell signals.

Primary sources

Sources and review notes

  1. CME Group — Education: futures and options trading courses
  2. John L. Person, A Complete Guide to Technical Trading Tactics — pivot-point trading

Methodology last checked Jul 16, 2026. Formula implementation is covered by deterministic unit tests. No financial professional review is claimed yet.