A candlestick filter using total range is a price-action technique that evaluates the overall movement of a candle before accepting its trading signal. Total range is calculated by subtracting the candle’s lowest price from its highest price. Unlike the candle body, which only measures the distance between the opening and closing prices, total range includes both the upper and lower wicks. This provides a broader view of the price activity during a specific period.

Traders can use total range to separate stronger candlestick signals from weaker or less meaningful ones. For example, a trader may establish a minimum range requirement and consider only candles whose total range exceeds that threshold. This can help remove very small candles that may reflect low volatility or market indecision. Conversely, extremely large candles may also be filtered because they can indicate unusually high volatility and increased trading risk.

The total-range filter can be combined with patterns such as engulfing candles, hammers, shooting stars, and breakout candles. Traders may compare the current candle’s range with the average range of previous candles to determine whether price activity is expanding or contracting. A candle with a significantly larger range than recent candles may indicate increased market participation or momentum, although range alone does not confirm the direction of future price movement.

Overall, a candlestick filter using total range is designed to provide additional context when evaluating price-action signals. It can help traders focus on candles with meaningful price movement while reducing attention to insignificant market fluctuations. However, it is generally more useful when combined with market structure, trend, support and resistance, volume, and appropriate risk management rather than being used as a standalone signal.