CRT Timeframe Pairing

The rules

1. Pairs: Monthly to Weekly, Weekly to Daily, Daily to 4H, 4H to 15m (or 5m).
2. HTF candle: mark its high and low. That is the range.
3. Purge: the next HTF candle takes one side only and closes back inside the range.
4. LTF shift: a close through the last LTF swing (MSS). An LTF FVG or order block also confirms.
5. Target: the opposite side of the HTF range. The range's 50% is the halfway reference.
6. No trade: inside bar (no side taken) or double purge (both sides taken).

How to mark it

1. Pick a pair: Daily with 4H, or 4H with 15m.
2. Mark the high and low of the last closed HTF candle.
3. Drop to the LTF and wait for price to run one side.
4. Wait for the LTF shift back inside: a close beyond the last higher low (or lower high).
5. Enter on the shift, stop beyond the purge, target the other side of the HTF range.

The 1:3 trade

Entry on the close of the 4H shift candle. Stop above the purge high. Target the daily low, the other side of the HTF range. Reward is exactly three times the risk.

Before you enter

• HTF range marked from a closed candle
• Only one side of the range was purged
• Price closed back inside the range
• LTF shift confirmed with a body close
• Target is the opposite side of the HTF range

Common mistakes

• Using the HTF candle that is still forming as the range
• Entering on the purge itself, before the LTF shift
• Pairing timeframes that are too far apart (Daily with 1m)
• Trading an inside bar or a double purge
• Taking an isolated purge that is not at a key level

Key terms

• CRT: Candle Range Theory: every candle is a range
• HTF / LTF: higher timeframe sets the range, lower timeframe times the entry
• Purge: a run through one side of the range that closes back inside
• Double purge: both sides taken; no clean setup
• Shift (MSS): a body close through the last LTF swing
• R:R: reward divided by risk; 1:3 means 3R for 1R risked

The higher timeframe says where. The lower timeframe says when.