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Get Free Margin (get_free_margin)

Sugar method: Returns available margin for new positions in one line.

API Information:

  • Method: sugar.get_free_margin()
  • Returns: Free margin as float
  • Layer: HIGH (MT5Sugar)

Method Signature

async def get_free_margin(self) -> float

ℹ️ Input / Output

Input Type Description
None - No parameters required
Output Type Description
free_margin float Available margin for trading

🏛️ Essentials

  • What it is: Equity minus used margin - the funds available for opening new positions.
  • Why you need it: Verify you have enough margin before opening trades.
  • Formula: Free Margin = Equity - Used Margin

⚡ Under the Hood

MT5Sugar.get_free_margin()
    ↓ calls
MT5Service.get_account_double(ACCOUNT_MARGIN_FREE)
    ↓ calls
MT5Account.account_info_double(property_id=ACCOUNT_MARGIN_FREE)
    ↓ gRPC protobuf
AccountInformationService.AccountInfoDouble(property_id=11)
    ↓ MT5 Terminal

What happens:

  1. Sugar Layer: Calls service with ACCOUNT_MARGIN_FREE constant
  2. Service Layer: Requests specific property from account
  3. Account Layer: gRPC call with property enum
  4. Result: Available margin calculated by MT5

Related files:

  • Sugar: src/pymt5/mt5_sugar.py:417
  • Service: src/pymt5/mt5_service.py:298
  • Account: package/MetaRpcMT5/helpers/mt5_account.py:578

When to Use

Before trading - Always check before opening new positions

Position sizing - Calculate maximum safe volume

Risk management - Ensure sufficient margin buffer

Multiple orders - Verify margin for planned trades

Prevent failures - Avoid "not enough money" errors

🔗 Usage Examples

1) Check before opening position

free_margin = await sugar.get_free_margin()

if free_margin < 100:
    print("Insufficient margin to trade")
    return

# Safe to proceed
ticket = await sugar.buy_market("EURUSD", 0.1)

2) Calculate maximum position size

free_margin = await sugar.get_free_margin()
# Assume 1 lot requires ~1000 margin
max_lots = free_margin / 1000

print(f"Free Margin:  ${free_margin:.2f}")
print(f"Max Lots:     {max_lots:.2f}")

# Better: use calculate_position_size()
lot_size = await sugar.calculate_position_size("EURUSD", 2.0, 50)

3) Monitor margin health

equity = await sugar.get_equity()
margin = await sugar.get_margin()
free_margin = await sugar.get_free_margin()

margin_level = (equity / margin * 100) if margin > 0 else 0

print(f"Equity:       ${equity:.2f}")
print(f"Used Margin:  ${margin:.2f}")
print(f"Free Margin:  ${free_margin:.2f}")
print(f"Margin Level: {margin_level:.0f}%")

if free_margin < 500:
    print("WARNING: Low free margin!")

Margin-related methods:

  • get_margin() - Currently used margin
  • get_equity() - Total account value
  • get_margin_level() - Margin level percentage
  • calculate_required_margin() - Calculate margin for planned trade
  • can_open_position() - Validate if trade is possible

Margin check pattern: 

# Manual check
free_margin = await sugar.get_free_margin()
required_margin = await sugar.calculate_required_margin("EURUSD", 1.0)

if free_margin >= required_margin:
    # Safe to trade
    pass

# Or use helper
can_trade = await sugar.can_open_position("EURUSD", 1.0)

Common Pitfalls

1) Not checking margin before trading

# WRONG - trading without margin check
ticket = await sugar.buy_market("EURUSD", 1.0)  # Might fail!

# CORRECT - verify free margin first
free_margin = await sugar.get_free_margin()
if free_margin >= 1000:  # Rough estimate
    ticket = await sugar.buy_market("EURUSD", 1.0)

2) Using outdated margin value

# WRONG - checking once and reusing
free_margin = await sugar.get_free_margin()
# ... later ...
ticket = await sugar.buy_market("EURUSD", 0.1)  # Margin might have changed!

# CORRECT - check before each trade
free_margin = await sugar.get_free_margin()
if free_margin >= 100:
    ticket = await sugar.buy_market("EURUSD", 0.1)

Pro Tips

  1. Always check - Never trade without verifying free margin

  2. Use calculate_required_margin() - More accurate than rough estimates

  3. Keep buffer - Don't use 100% of free margin (keep 20-30% safety)

  4. Margin changes - Free margin updates with every price tick

  5. Use can_open_position() - Combines margin check with other validations

📚 See Also