ICT Decoded · Breaker Blocks
What Is a Breaker Block in ICT Trading?
By Steve H — reads every firm’s official rulebook, checks prices and codes daily, and maintains the Enigma Score · Methodology · Editorial policy · Last updated October 31, 2026
ICT concepts were created and are taught by Michael J. Huddleston, The Inner Circle Trader (X · YouTube). This lesson is FundedEnigma’s own summary, not affiliated with or endorsed by ICT.
In short: An ICT breaker block is an order block that failed: liquidity is taken, price breaks back through the swing that block built, and its candles now work from the other side. A bullish breaker is the up-close candles of a high that failed after a lower low took the sell stops. Frame it with bodies.
What Is a Breaker Block? The ICT Order Block That Failed, on Real Charts · 6:56 · published October 31, 2026 · part of the ICT Concepts Decoded playlist
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The full video is embedded above this article: What Is a Breaker Block? The ICT Order Block That Failed, on Real Charts. This page is the written version, with every chart walked through step by step. Jump to any part of the video:
Key facts: breaker blocks at a glance
| Term | What it is | How it is used |
|---|---|---|
| Bullish breaker | Low, high, lower low that takes the sell stops, then a break back up through the high; the up-close candle(s) that built that high | A zone price may come back down into |
| Bearish breaker | High, low, higher high that takes the buy stops, then a break back down through the low; the down-close candle(s) in that low | A zone price may come back up into |
| Framing | Bodies: highest open or close to lowest; wicks for reference | The breaker's two edges |
| Mean threshold | The 50% of the bodies | Holding before it is the cleaner case; working through it is a warning |
| Minimum size | A body zone of at least 2 ticks and 0.1 x the average candle range | Smaller is a line, not a zone |
| Stronger vs weaker | A sweep of a key level vs a sweep of a minor swing | Key-level sweeps count for more |
| No sweep at all | The same shape without stops taken | A mitigation block, not a breaker |
| Retired | A body close beyond the far side | The breaker is done |
Last verified 2026-10-31. All charts below are real historical CME NQ futures data, shown in New York time.
Here is the idea on one chart. On August 3, 2026, NQ broke below the London low before the open and kept falling, to 28,313.50 at 09:32. Then it turned, and at 09:55 it traded back above the 07:00 high. The up-close candles that built that high had failed, and flipped into a breaker. At 10:08 price dipped back into them, held, and by 10:59 it was above 28,800.
How does a breaker block work?
A breaker is a four-step pattern. For a bullish one: a low, a high, a lower low that runs the sell stops under the first low, then a break back up through the high. The up-close candles that made that high are the breaker.
- Those candles were an order block that failed. Before the lower low, the up-close candles at the high were where the drop began. When price breaks back above that high, they work from the other side.
- Why it matters: the traders who sold into the sweep are now on the wrong side. A return to those candles is where they look to get out, while new buyers join the move.
Bullish breaker vs bearish breaker
A bearish breaker is the mirror: a high, a low, a higher high that runs the buy stops, then a break back down through the low. The down-close candles in that low are the breaker.
How do you mark a breaker block?
Frame it like an order block, with the bodies: from the highest open or close in those candles to the lowest. Then mark its 50%.
- Many traders draw the whole candle. On this page the edges are the bodies and the wicks stay on the chart for reference only.
- The mean threshold is the 50% of the bodies. A return that holds before it is the cleaner case; working through it is a warning.
- Keep a minimum size. A body zone under 2 ticks, or under a tenth of the average candle range, is a line, not a zone.
How do you identify a breaker block?
Three things make a breaker: a sweep, a break back through the failed swing, and the right candles.
- A sweep. The lower low takes liquidity, like the sell stops under the London low or the previous day's low. See liquidity.
- The break. Price displaces back through the high that failed. The clearest version closes through it, and it often leaves a fair value gap behind. See the market structure shift.
- The right candles. Look back from the failed high for the last up-close candles that built it. If that swing was made only by down-close candles, there is no breaker.
A sweep of a key level makes the stronger breaker; a sweep of a minor swing makes the weaker one. When no stops were taken at all, the same shape is a mitigation block, the weaker cousin.
Breaker block vs order block: what is the difference?
An order block is the last opposite-close candle(s) before the move that shifted structure; a breaker is an order block that failed. The breaker's candles sit at the swing that price later broke back through, so they work from the other side.
When is a breaker block invalid?
When a candle body closes beyond its far side: below the bottom of a bullish breaker, or above the top of a bearish one. Wicks beyond it can happen.
- Fresh: price has not come back to it.
- Tested: price trades into its near edge.
- Mean threshold: price reaches the 50% and has worked through its middle.
- Retired: a body closes beyond the far side.
Until structure changes again, each pullback in the new direction is read the same way.
What do breaker blocks look like on real charts?
A bullish breaker that held above its middle and a bearish breaker that was wicked through but never closed through, both on the 15-minute chart.
Example 1: a bullish breaker, NQ 15-minute, August 3, 2026
- The London low sits at 28,471.75. The 06:30 and 06:45 candles close up, and at 07:00 price makes a swing high at 28,547.00.
- Then it turns down. At 07:06 it takes the London low, and the selling runs to 28,313.50 at 09:32.
- At 09:55 price trades back above the 07:00 high, and the 09:45 candle closes well above it, at 28,626.25. The two up-close candles are now a bullish breaker: bodies from 28,508.00 to 28,541.00, mean threshold 28,524.50.
- At 10:08 the pullback reaches 28,529.50: inside the breaker, 5 points short of its middle. It holds.
- At 14:10 price is at 28,964.25, and through the 16:00 close no 15-minute body closes back below the breaker.
Example 2: a bearish breaker, NQ 15-minute, March 30, 2026
- Just after 05:00 price edges above the London high (23,449.50). Then the 06:30 candle closes down and makes a swing low at 23,373.25 (06:43).
- At 07:26 price spikes to 23,574.00, far above that high, running the buy stops. Then the turn: at 09:46 it trades below the swing low, and the 09:45 candle closes at 23,302.00.
- The 06:30 candle is now a bearish breaker. Its body runs from 23,387.75 to 23,405.00.
- At 11:05 a wick spikes to 23,436.25, above the breaker, but that 15-minute candle closes at 23,317.00, back under it. The 11:30 candle closes just inside, at 23,402.25, and through the 16:00 close no 15-minute body closes above 23,405.00.
- The wicks were noise and the closes told the story: at 15:29 price is down at 23,024.50.
How do you use breaker blocks in your own charting?
Treat a breaker as a zone to watch only when the sweep and the break are both there, and judge it by the closes, not the wicks.
- Say which breaker. Name the timeframe, both body edges and the mean threshold.
- Say what it swept. A key level counts for more than a minor swing; no sweep means no breaker.
- Watch the closes. Wicks beyond the far side can happen; a body close beyond it ends the breaker.
- Compare it with the order block: the same framing rules, read from the other side.
More concepts in the series are on the ICT Concepts Decoded hub. If you trade futures with a prop firm, you can look up a firm's rules on the challenges page or set two firms side by side on the compare page.
Frequently asked questions
Do you mark a breaker block with bodies or wicks?
On this page, with bodies: from the highest open or close in the candles to the lowest. Many traders draw the whole candle; here the wicks stay on the chart for reference only.
Does a breaker need a liquidity sweep?
Yes. The lower low of a bullish breaker, or the higher high of a bearish one, has to take stops. Without a sweep the same shape is a mitigation block.
What if several candles built the failed high?
Consecutive up-close candles blend into one breaker, framed from the highest body edge to the lowest.
Which timeframe should I use for breaker blocks?
The timeframe you are reading. The examples here use 15-minute breakers; say the timeframe whenever you name one.
Does price always come back to a breaker?
No. Some breakers are never revisited, and some are only tested at the near edge before price moves on.
How do you trade a breaker block?
This page does not give trade signals. It shows how to recognise a breaker, frame it, check what makes it count and follow its life by the closes.
Sources
- Concept: breaker blocks and the mean threshold as taught by ICT (The Inner Circle Trader, Michael J. Huddleston), who originated these terms. The explanation, examples and charts on this page are our own.
- Data: every chart is real historical CME Nasdaq-100 E-mini (NQ) futures data, shown in New York time.
- Video: What Is a Breaker Block? The ICT Order Block That Failed, on Real Charts, FundedEnigma.
Last verified: 2026-10-31. Written by Steve H.
Disclaimer: This page is for education only and is not financial advice. Trading futures involves substantial risk of loss. Past price behaviour does not guarantee future results.
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