Eight Reasons Orders Are Rejected: Find the Cause Behind the Error Code
The balance looks sufficient, yet the order will not go through. Exchanges often provide only a short error code. There are a limited number of common causes, and following a check order usually identifies the problem within 1 minute.
Rejection and Nonexecution Are Different
Rejection means the order never enters the exchange book; nothing remains in the order list. An unfilled order was accepted and is waiting in the book. A partial fill is the intermediate state where only some quantity executed.
Unfilled: Order remains listed; margin is reserved.
Partially filled: Some position exists; the remainder waits.
Check the order list first. A listed order that has not executed is a price issue, not a settings rejection. The sections below address true rejection, with no order listed.
① Insufficient Available Margin — The Most Common Cause
The displayed balance differs from spendable funds. Available margin subtracts existing position margin and amounts reserved by pending orders from total balance.
Existing position margin $400
Pending limit order reservation $300
= Available margin $300
Try a $5,000 order at 10× leverage:
Required margin = 5,000 ÷ 10 = $500
Plus room for entry fees
→ $300 is insufficient: rejected.
Pending orders tying up funds are often overlooked. Canceling old limits immediately returns their reserved margin. With isolated margin, only the amount allocated to that position is available, making the calculation tighter.
Fees also need room. Using 100% of available margin commonly leaves no money for entry fees and causes rejection. Staying within 95% of available funds is safer in practice. Check requirements with the margin calculator.
② Below Minimum Quantity or Incorrect Increments
Each asset has minimum quantities and price and quantity increments. Violating either can cause rejection.
0.0004 BTC → Below minimum amount: rejected.
0.0015 BTC → Not a multiple of 0.001: rejected.
0.002 BTC → Accepted.
Price tick $0.1
Limit 60,000.05 → Not a tick multiple: rejected.
Limit 60,000.1 → Accepted.
This often affects partial closes. Half of a 0.0025 position is 0.00125, which can violate the step size. Dust below minimum quantity can also resist closing. Using Close All rather than a partial close is often quicker.
③ A Post-Only Order Crossed the Quote
Post Only requests maker-only execution. An order that would immediately fill becomes a taker, so the exchange rejects it instead of executing.
Post-Only buy at 60,005 → Waits normally.
Post-Only buy at 60,010 → Immediately executable: rejected.
Post-Only buy at 60,050 → Immediately executable: rejected.
In a fast market, quotes can move past your price while the order is being submitted, rejecting a price that was valid moments earlier. If this repeats, disable Post Only or move the order several ticks farther away. Compare fees in the fee calculator before deciding.
④ Reduce Only Has No Position to Reduce
Reduce Only works solely in the direction that reduces a position. Incorrect direction or quantity causes rejection.
Reduce-Only sell 0.3 → Accepted; 0.2 remains.
Reduce-Only sell 0.5 → Accepted; fully closed.
Reduce-Only buy 0.3 → Increases exposure: rejected.
No position held
Reduce-Only sell 0.3 → Nothing to reduce: rejected.
A typical case is a remaining Reduce-Only take-profit order after the stop has already executed. This is a functioning safeguard, not an accident. Without Reduce Only, it would open a new opposite-direction position.
⑤ Position Mode Mismatch
In one-way mode, an asset can have only one net direction. A short-entry-specific order while holding a long can be rejected or offset the position. Hedge mode permits both directions, but each order must identify the relevant leg. Omitting it can cause rejection.
Long held + Short-only parameter → Rejected.
Hedge mode
Close without specifying a leg → “No position”: rejected.
→ Specify the long or short leg for acceptance.
Many exchanges block mode changes while positions exist. To change modes, first clear positions and pending orders.
⑥ Price Bands and Market-Order Protection
Exchanges reject orders too far from the current price to protect against input errors. Bands commonly extend a percentage above and below an index price.
Allowed range: 57,000–63,000
Limit buy at 45,000 → Outside range: rejected.
Limit buy at 58,000 → Accepted.
Market-order protection
If a thin book implies execution beyond the band,
the exchange trims or rejects the market order.
A low-priced limit intended to wait for a bargain may violate this band. Because the band follows price, submit again after price falls. The same protection rejects market orders during sharp moves; aggressive repeated attempts can worsen slippage.
⑦ Leverage or Position Limits Exceeded
Exchanges reduce allowed leverage as position size increases. A multiple valid for a small order can be rejected for a large one.
Up to $50,000 → Maximum 100×
Up to $500,000 → Maximum 50×
Up to $2 million → Maximum 20×
At 20×, attempt a $3 million position:
→ Exceeds that tier's leverage limit: rejected.
→ Lower leverage or reduce quantity for acceptance.
When adding or averaging down eventually triggers rejection, this limit is often responsible. Asset-specific maximum holdings can also apply. Lowering leverage can both meet the requirement and increase distance to liquidation.
⑧ API or Account Status Issues
With automation or external tools, the cause may be the account rather than the market.
IP whitelist mismatch: Blocked during authentication.
Server clock error: Timestamp validation fails.
Request limit exceeded: Temporary rejection.
Incomplete KYC or regional restrictions: The product cannot be traded.
If the same order succeeds on the website but fails through the API, this is almost certainly the category to inspect. If both fail, check causes ①–⑦.
A One-Minute Check Sequence
2. Check available margin, not total balance.
3. Are price and quantity multiples of the required increments?
4. Are Post Only or Reduce Only enabled?
5. Is the limit too far from the current price?
6. Does lower leverage make it acceptable?
7. Is the same order rejected on the website?
Halving quantity and retrying is the quickest initial diagnostic. Success points to ① margin or ⑦ limits; continued rejection points to ② increments or ③–④ options.
Three Key Points
① Rejection differs from nonexecution. First check whether the order list is empty.
② The most common cause is available margin, not balance, often because pending orders reserve funds.
③ Post-Only and Reduce-Only rejections mean safeguards are working. Understand the reason before disabling them.
Notice
Amounts, leverage tiers, band widths, minimum quantities, and ticks are hypothetical structural examples, not actual specifications for a particular asset or exchange. Rejection codes, wording, price-band rules, leverage tiers, mode-change conditions, and API error handling differ by exchange. Check actual rules with your exchange. Leveraged trading can lose all principal. Investment decisions and responsibility are yours.
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