1. What is an Order Book? In cryptocurrency trading, an order book is a list sorted by price, containing all the current buy and sell orders in the market. Most centralized exchanges use an order1. What is an Order Book? In cryptocurrency trading, an order book is a list sorted by price, containing all the current buy and sell orders in the market. Most centralized exchanges use an order
Learn/Cryptocurrency Knowledge/Basic Concepts/What is an ...rder Depth?

What is an Order Book and Order Depth?

Jul 16, 2025MEXC
0m
Orderly Network
ORDER$0.0303+4.84%
4
4$0.01123+2.25%

1. What is an Order Book?


In cryptocurrency trading, an order book is a list sorted by price, containing all the current buy and sell orders in the market. Most centralized exchanges use an order book model, where makers create orders at different price levels that are recorded in the order book, and takers match these orders to complete trades.

2. What is Order Depth?


Order depth refers to the total quantity of orders at each price point in the order book. By examining order depth, traders can understand market liquidity, i.e., the number of orders that can be executed immediately. Deeper order depth usually indicates higher liquidity, while shallow order depth can lead to higher price volatility or slower trade execution.

Order books and order depth provide market information and indicators, offering data references for traders' decisions. Traders can use order books to understand the current buying and selling situation in the market, including the best bid and ask prices and the level of competition. Order depth helps traders gauge market liquidity and the likelihood of trade execution.


3. Components of an Order Book


An order book typically consists of four parts: buy orders, sell orders, price, and order quantity.

Buy Orders: A list of orders from buyers willing to purchase assets at specific prices.

Sell Orders: A list of orders from sellers willing to sell assets at specific prices.

Price: The price levels of buy and sell orders. Each price level shows the quantity of orders for assets to be bought or sold.

Order Quantity: The quantity of assets in the buy and sell orders.

4. What Does an Order Book Do?


4.1 Receiving Orders: When traders submit buy or sell orders, the trading platform receives these orders.

4.2 Recording Order Information: Orders typically include information like trading direction, quantity, price, and time of order.

4.3 Sorting Orders: The order book sorts buy and sell orders by price from high to low or low to high, grouping orders at the same price together.

4.4 Updating the Order Book: When new orders are created, the order book inserts them in the appropriate place by price and updates the order book.

4.5 Matching Trades: When buy and sell order prices match, a trade occurs.

4.6 Updating Order Depth: The order book updates the order depth accordingly whenever orders are matched or canceled, reflecting the total quantity of buy and sell orders at each price point.

4.7 Real-time Updates: The order book updates in real-time on the trading platform, displaying new orders and completed trades, enabling traders to make decisions based on the latest market conditions.

5. Importance of the Order Book


5.1 Price Transparency: The order book provides price information for buy and sell orders in the market, allowing traders to understand current market price levels clearly.

5.2 Market Depth Assessment: Markets with greater depth are generally more attractive as they offer higher liquidity and smaller bid-ask spreads, making it easier for traders to execute buy and sell operations.

5.3 Market Monitoring and Analysis: Traders can observe changes in the order book to compare buying and selling forces in the market and use this information to devise trading strategies and predict price trends.

6. MEXC Visualization Features


6.1 Merged Depth: The system displays orders based on the display precision you set.


6.2 Order Display Methods: There are two display methods: Amount and Cumulative.

Amount: The bar chart background reflects the quantity of buy and sell orders.
Cumulative: The depth chart background reflects the depth of buy and sell orders.


6.3 Order Display: By checking "Display Avg. & Sum," the system calculates and displays the average price, token names, and the sum of exchanged tokens in a pop-up window when you hover over the order data with your mouse.


Disclaimer: This information does not provide advice on investment, taxation, legal, financial, accounting, consultation, or any other related services, nor does it constitute advice to purchase, sell, or hold any assets. MEXC Learn provides information for reference purposes only and does not constitute investment advice. Please ensure you fully understand the risks involved and exercise caution when investing. The platform is not responsible for users' investment decisions.


Market Opportunity
Orderly Network Logo
Orderly Network Price(ORDER)
$0.0303
$0.0303$0.0303
0.00%
USD
Orderly Network (ORDER) Live Price Chart

Popular Articles

View More
Best Crypto Swap Exchange 2026: 8 Platforms Priced on the Same $500 Swap

Best Crypto Swap Exchange 2026: 8 Platforms Priced on the Same $500 Swap

For anyone comparing crypto swap services in 2026, MEXC is our top pick in this comparison: its Convert tool charges zero fees on a fixed quoted rate, its spot market adds a 0% maker fee across

What Is the Cheapest Way to Buy Bitcoin? Stop Losing $30–$50 on Every $1,000

What Is the Cheapest Way to Buy Bitcoin? Stop Losing $30–$50 on Every $1,000

MEXC is our top pick for the cheapest way to buy Bitcoin in this comparison: fund through its zero-fee P2P marketplace, then place a spot limit order at 0% maker fees, and the platform-fee total is

Best Crypto Exchange for Beginners with Little Money: Where Does $100 Lose the Least to Fees?

Best Crypto Exchange for Beginners with Little Money: Where Does $100 Lose the Least to Fees?

For beginners starting with $100 or less, the best crypto exchange is the one that charges nothing to open an account, accepts orders from about one dollar, and takes the smallest possible cut of

How to Buy OKLOON on MEXC: Step-by-Step Guide

How to Buy OKLOON on MEXC: Step-by-Step Guide

Summary OKLOON is an Ondo tokenized product designed to provide economic exposure linked to Oklo Inc. (NYSE: OKLO). MEXC currently provides a dedicated: OKLOON/USDT Spot Market The MEXC market page

Hot Crypto Updates

View More
Trezor and SafePal Data Leaks Expose 53,000 Crypto Holders: How to Survive the Coming Phishing Wave

Trezor and SafePal Data Leaks Expose 53,000 Crypto Holders: How to Survive the Coming Phishing Wave

Key Takeaways SafePal disclosed on Sunday, August 16, 2026 that a flaw in the order tracking plugin on its store exposed the names, home addresses and phone numbers of 39,798 hardware wallet buyers.

Fabrinet Earnings Preview: Is the AI Optical Networking Boom Still Accelerating?

Fabrinet Earnings Preview: Is the AI Optical Networking Boom Still Accelerating?

Overview Fabrinet reports fiscal fourth quarter and full-year 2026 results after the US market close on August 17, 2026. Per the company's announcement, the release covers the quarter ended June 26,

Why Is Cisco Stock Price Down 8% Despite Strong AI Orders?

Why Is Cisco Stock Price Down 8% Despite Strong AI Orders?

Overview Following the release of its fiscal fourth quarter and full-year 2026 financial results on August 13, 2026, networking infrastructure giant Cisco Systems (NASDAQ: CSCO) saw its shares

Super Micro Forecasts Up to $72 Billion Revenue as AI Server Demand Accelerates

Super Micro Forecasts Up to $72 Billion Revenue as AI Server Demand Accelerates

Overview A company reported a 17.5% quarterly gross margin and guided the next quarter to 10.4% to 10.8%. Both numbers came from the same earnings call, and that is the most direct way into this

Trending News

View More
Tesla Phone Release Date: What Buyers Should Know Before Pre-Ordering in 2026

Tesla Phone Release Date: What Buyers Should Know Before Pre-Ordering in 2026

Search interest in the tesla phone release date has grown steadily, but much of the available information online mixes speculation with marketing claims. This article focuses specifically on how to in

Dell’s AI Server Forecast and $9.7B Pentagon Win Put Infrastructure Demand Back in Focus

Dell’s AI Server Forecast and $9.7B Pentagon Win Put Infrastructure Demand Back in Focus

Dell drew fresh market attention after raising its fiscal 2027 AI server revenue forecast to about $60 billion, up from a previous $50 billion forecast, while first-quarter revenue rose 88% to $43.84

Pakistan National Cricket Team vs South Africa National Cricket Team Match Scorecard

Pakistan National Cricket Team vs South Africa National Cricket Team Match Scorecard

The Pakistan national cricket team vs South Africa national cricket team match scorecard is one of the most searched cricket topics because both teams have a long and competitive history across Tests,

Pump.fun vs Fomo: Can onchain trading go mainstream?

Pump.fun vs Fomo: Can onchain trading go mainstream?

Pump.fun vs Fomo has become a test of whether competition among consumer-facing crypto applications can move onchain finance beyond its existing audience. Alliance co-founder Imran Khan argued on Augu

Related Articles

View More
Crypto Fear and Greed Index Drops to Extreme Fear, What It Means and How Investors Should Respond

Crypto Fear and Greed Index Drops to Extreme Fear, What It Means and How Investors Should Respond

As of May 28, 2026, the crypto fear and greed index has dropped sharply to 22 — placing the market deep inside Extreme Fear territory once again.Social media is flooded with panic alerts, and traders

What is Stablecoin?

What is Stablecoin?

A stablecoin is a stable cryptocurrency backed by fiat currency, cryptocurrencies, or other assets like gold. Its purpose is to anchor the value to fiat currencies such as the US dollar or Euro. It co

What is ERC-20?

What is ERC-20?

After years of development, Ethereum (ETH) has formed a complete ecosystem that allows developers to innovate and create complex DAPP (Decentralized Application) applications based on Ethereum. ERC-20

What is Blockchain?

What is Blockchain?

Blockchain is not only confusing to newcomers in the cryptocurrency world, but many seasoned traders in the cryptocurrency community may also find it challenging to fully understand. However, after re

Sign Up on MEXC
Sign Up & Receive Up to 10,000 USDT Bonus
Is Your Stablecoin Truly Safe?
Is Your Stablecoin Truly Safe?Is Your Stablecoin Truly Safe?
Know the risks of USDT, USDC, OpenUSD & USD1