Delta profile and bar delta
Three ways to read net delta (ask volume minus bid volume) on the footprint chart: the Delta Profile footprint type that fills each cell from its centre, the Delta Profile panel that stacks the delta of all visible bars per price beside the chart, and the Bar Delta label printed above each bar's high.
Senzoukria · Documentation · Updated September 2026
Where to find it
- Footprint type
- Chart → Footprint type → Profiles → Delta Profile (also Pos/Neg Delta Profile)
- Panel
- Chart → Indicators → Panels → Delta Profile — off by default, width 35 px, opacity 70 %
- Label
- Chart → Indicators → Overlays → Bar Delta — off by default
- Convention
- Delta = executed at ask − executed at bid; positive means aggressive buying dominated
What it does
Delta Profile as a footprint type belongs to the Profiles family of cell layouts. In each price cell a bar grows from the centre line, to the right when the level delta is positive and to the left when negative, scaled to the largest absolute delta of the bar and painted at 78 % alpha in the ask or bid colour. The number is dimmed: the silhouette carries the reading and the figure is only a confirmation. Centered Delta, which sits in the Numbers family, has the opposite hierarchy — a discreet bar behind a prominent number. Pos/Neg Delta Profile normalises positive and negative levels separately, so the weaker side keeps its internal structure.
The Delta Profile panel is a vertical histogram beside the chart. For every price it sums the level delta of all visible bars, then draws the buyer side to the right of a dotted centre line and the seller side to the left, each scaled to the largest absolute aggregate. Levels whose intensity exceeds 60 % of that maximum receive a halo. The layout engine reserves the panel width, so changing it moves the chart. Both sides are always painted.
Bar Delta prints the net delta of each visible bar just above its high, in bold 10 px monospace, coloured with the candle up-body colour when positive and the down-body colour when negative. A zero delta prints nothing. The label is an overlay: it reserves no height and is skipped while you pan to save text operations.
Settings
| Setting | Default | What it changes |
|---|---|---|
| Delta Profile panel — Opacity | 70 % (10–100) | Alpha of the histogram bars |
| Delta Profile panel — Width | 35 px (20–200) | Panel width reserved by the layout engine |
| Delta Profile panel — Positive / Negative | #7ed321 / #ef4444 | Bar colours for buyer and seller sides |
| Bar Delta | off | Net delta label above each bar's high; no parameters |
| Footprint type — Delta Profile | not selected (Bid × Ask is the default type) | Cell bars from the centre line, dimmed numbers |
| Footprint type — Pos/Neg Delta Profile | not selected | Positive and negative levels normalised separately |
How to use it
Choose the footprint type from the Footprint type chip on the chart; the Profiles family lists Delta Profile, Volume Profile, Trades Profile, Bid/Ask Profile, Bid/Ask Ladder and Pos/Neg Delta Profile. Enable the panel and the label from the Indicators button. The built-in templates Scalping bid × ask and Delta reader both turn Bar Delta on; Delta reader also uses the Centered Delta type with the CVD pane.
Read the panel as a profile of where the aggression happened over the visible bars: a right-heavy histogram around a level says buyers lifted offers there. Because it sums visible bars only, zooming changes the picture; the session-wide question is answered by the Volume Profile in Delta type or by the CVD pane.
Limits and pitfalls
- Delta depends on the source's aggressor classification. Bars without bid/ask detail contribute no delta and the cells stay empty.
- The panel aggregates the visible range, not the session; it is not a session delta profile.
- Bar Delta labels are hidden during pan and zoom interactions and reappear when the chart settles.
- The Delta Profile panel and the Cluster Statistic strip are separate panels; the strip reserves footer height, the panel reserves width.
Related pages
This page in other languages
Frequently asked questions
- What is the difference between Delta Profile and Centered Delta cells?
- Same geometry, inverted hierarchy. Delta Profile fills the bar and dims the number; Centered Delta keeps the number prominent with a discreet bar behind it.
- Why is the Delta Profile panel green on both sides of the centre?
- It is not: positive deltas are drawn to the right in the Positive colour and negative deltas to the left in the Negative colour. If everything is on one side, the visible bars had one-sided aggression at those prices.
- Does Bar Delta match the Cluster Statistic delta row?
- Both read the bar's total delta. Bar Delta prints it above the high as an overlay; Cluster Statistic prints it in a row under the chart.