How to short on KuCoin Futures?

Short selling on KuCoin Futures lets you profit from falling crypto prices by opening a short position without owning the asset—just set your leverage, choose “Sell/Short,” and manage risk with stop-loss orders.

Jul 29, 2025 at 08:21 am

Understanding Short Selling on KuCoin Futures

Short selling on KuCoin Futures allows traders to profit when the price of a cryptocurrency drops. Unlike traditional spot trading, where you must own an asset to sell it, futures trading enables you to open a short position without holding the underlying coin. This is done by borrowing the asset from the exchange and selling it immediately, with the obligation to buy it back later at a potentially lower price. KuCoin Futures supports this mechanism across multiple perpetual and quarterly contracts for assets like BTC, ETH, and others.

It's essential to grasp that shorting involves leveraged risk—if the market moves against your prediction, losses can exceed your initial margin. Always monitor your liquidation price and use risk management tools like stop-loss orders.

Setting Up Your KuCoin Futures Account

Before placing a short trade, ensure your KuCoin Futures account is active:

• Log into your KuCoin account and navigate to the “Futures” tab.
• Complete identity verification if not already done—this is mandatory for futures trading.
• Transfer funds from your spot wallet to your futures wallet using the “Transfer” button.
• Choose the correct contract type (e.g., BTC/USDT Perpetual) and confirm the leverage you want to use via the leverage slider (e.g., 10x, 20x).

KuCoin allows up to 100x leverage on some pairs, but higher leverage increases the chance of liquidation. Always start with lower leverage if you're new to shorting.

How to Place a Short Order on KuCoin Futures

Once your account is set up, follow these steps to open a short position:

• Select the trading pair (e.g., BTC/USDT).
• Switch the order type from “Long” to “Short”—this is critical. The interface will display “Sell/Short” when correctly selected.
• Choose your order type: Limit, Market, or Stop-limit.
  • For a Limit order, set the price at which you want to enter the short.
  • For a Market order, click “Sell” to execute immediately at the best available price.
• Enter the quantity you wish to short, either manually or by selecting a percentage of your margin (e.g., 25%, 50%).
• Review the estimated liquidation price and margin requirements before confirming.

A successful short order will appear in your “Positions” tab with a red background indicating a short position.

Managing Risk While Shorting on KuCoin

Risk management is vital when shorting due to the potential for unlimited losses if the market rises. KuCoin provides tools to help:

• Set a Take Profit (TP) to automatically close your position when a desired profit is reached.
• Set a Stop Loss (SL) to limit losses if the price moves against you.
• Monitor your Maintenance Margin—if your equity falls below this, liquidation begins.
• Use the “Auto-deleveraging” warning indicator to understand how close you are to forced closure.

For example, if you short BTC at $60,000 with 10x leverage and set a stop-loss at $62,000, KuCoin will automatically close the position if BTC hits that level, preserving part of your margin.

How to Close a Short Position on KuCoin Futures

To exit a short position and realize your profit or loss:

• Go to the “Positions” tab and locate your open short.
• Click the “Close” button next to the position.
• Confirm the order type—use Market to close immediately or Limit to set a specific price.
• Once executed, the position disappears, and your PnL (Profit and Loss) is settled in your futures wallet.

If you used a Take Profit or Stop Loss, the system closes the position automatically. You can also partially close a position by entering a smaller quantity than your full position size.

Common Mistakes to Avoid When Shorting on KuCoin

New traders often make avoidable errors:

• Overleveraging: Using 50x or 100x without understanding the liquidation risk can wipe out your position quickly.
• Ignoring funding rates: On perpetual contracts, short positions may pay funding fees if the market is in contango—this eats into profits over time.
• Not setting stop-loss: Without a stop-loss, a sudden price spike can trigger automatic liquidation at a worse rate.
• Trading without a plan: Always define your entry, target, and risk level before opening a short.

Remember, shorting requires discipline. Use demo mode first if you’re unfamiliar with KuCoin’s futures interface.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: Can I short on KuCoin without any prior futures experience?

Yes, but it’s strongly advised to use KuCoin’s demo trading feature first. This lets you practice shorting with virtual funds to understand how liquidation, leverage, and PnL work without real risk.

Q: What happens if my short position gets liquidated on KuCoin?

If your equity drops to the maintenance margin level, KuCoin will automatically close your position at the current market price. You may lose your entire margin if the market moves rapidly against you.

Q: How do I check my liquidation price on KuCoin Futures?

In the “Positions” tab, your open short will show a liquidation price in red. Hover over the info icon next to it for a detailed breakdown of how it’s calculated based on your leverage and margin.

Q: Is shorting available for all trading pairs on KuCoin Futures?

No. Only pairs marked as “Perpetual” or “Quarterly Futures” support shorting. Spot trading pairs (like BTC/USDT in the spot market) do not allow short positions—you must trade futures contracts specifically.