Buy Crypto Markets Spot FuturesBTC Earn Event Center Rewards Hub

A Schiff Pitchfork is a common technical analysis tool derived from Andrews' Pitchfork, also known as the standard pitchfork. Andrews was a statistician and trading expert, and Schiff was hisA Schiff Pitchfork is a common technical analysis tool derived from Andrews' Pitchfork, also known as the standard pitchfork. Andrews was a statistician and trading expert, and Schiff was his

Learn/Trading Guide/Technical Indicators/What are Schiff Pitchforks?

What are Schiff Pitchforks?

Author: MEXC

Sep 21, 2026MEXC

3 min

A Schiff Pitchfork is a common technical analysis tool derived from Andrews' Pitchfork, also known as the standard pitchfork. Andrews was a statistician and trading expert, and Schiff was his student. Similar to Andrews' Pitchfork, a Schiff Pitchfork is essentially a tool for drawing price channels used to identify medium to long-term trends, support and resistance levels, breakouts, and reversals in market trends.

Schiff Pitchforks perform well in clearly defined uptrends and downtrends but are challenging to use in sideways trading. While they excel as indicators for identifying long-term trends, Schiff Pitchforks are better suited for medium to long-term trading, although some traders also use them for intraday trading.

Components of Schiff Pitchforks

Similar to Andrews' Pitchforks, Schiff Pitchforks consist of three trendlines: the median line (trendline) and two additional lines above and below the median line. The difference lies in the starting point of the median line for Schiff Pitchforks. Additionally, Schiff Pitchforks can have additional lines, which are placed at a certain standard deviation from the median line.

To plot Schiff Pitchforks (as with standard pitchforks), you first need to identify a trend and draw a trendline between two endpoints of the trend. For an uptrend, you can use adjacent low points to draw the uptrend line. For a downtrend, you can use adjacent high points to draw the downtrend line. The third point is placed above or below the second point, depending on the nature of the trend. (Generally, the third point is placed above for uptrends and below for downtrends.) It is important to note that Schiff Pitchforks include two additional lines by default.

Schiff Pitchforks create a price trend channel. As long as the price remains within the Schiff Pitchfork channel, the trend is considered intact. If the price breaks out of the Schiff Pitchfork channel, it indicates a weakening trend or a trend reversal.

How to Draw Schiff Pitchforks on MEXC

① Go to the spot trading page and select the TradingView version of the K-line chart. (Note: This also works for the futures trading page.)

② On the toolbar on the left, click the [Fibonacci Retracement] button, and then select [Schiff Pitchfork].

③ Identify the trend. In the example below, the current Bitcoin trend displays an uptrend. Choose adjacent low points as the trend endpoints, and place the third point above the second point to draw.

④ If you want to delete the drawing, click the Schiff Pitchfork line on the chart, then click the delete button.

Currently, Schiff Pitchforks cannot be drawn on the MEXC App.

Disclaimer: Cryptocurrency trading involves risk. This information does not provide advice on investment, taxation, legal, financial, accounting, 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.