Position size calculator

Position size calculator: the right lot size for every trade

This position size calculator works out how many lots to trade from your balance, risk and stop loss. Choose a currency pair, gold or silver to get your lot size, units, money at risk and pip value in your account currency.

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28 currency pairs, gold and silver: 30
Account currencies: 8
European Central Bank reference rates: Daily
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Position size calculator

1Your account

Account currency

Account balance

USD

Risk as

Risk per trade

$100.00 if the stop is hit

2The trade

Instrument

Stop loss as

Stop loss

Pips between entry and stop

pips

3Your position

Position size

0.50

lots

50,000 units, or 5 mini lots or 50 micro lots. Rounded down to the nearest 0.01 lot, so you never risk more than you meant to.

Money at risk

$100.00

1% of your balance if the stop is hit

Pip value

$5.00

Per pip, at this size

Stop loss

20 pips

0.002 in price

Same risk, different stops

Stop loss	Position size	Money at risk
10 pips	1.00 lots	$100.00
15 pips	0.66 lots	$99.00
20 pipsyours	0.50 lots	$100.00
30 pips	0.33 lots	$99.00
50 pips	0.20 lots	$100.00

Standard lots of 100,000 units for currency pairs, 100 ounces for gold and 5,000 ounces for silver. Check your broker's contract sizes, and remember that spread and slippage can add to a loss.

How position size is worked out

Set how much you can lose. Your stop then determines the lot size.

Set your risk
Use a percentage of your balance or enter a fixed amount.
Find loss per lot
Multiply your stop by the pip value of one lot in your account currency.
Divide
Divide your money at risk by the loss per lot to get your position size.
Round down
The calculator rounds down to 0.01 lots so you never risk more than planned.

An example

Risk 1% of a $10,000 account on EURUSD with a 20 pip stop. $100 divided by $200 per lot gives 0.50 lots.

Why size every trade

Fixed lot sizes change your risk whenever your stop changes.

Keep risk consistent

A 10 pip stop and 50 pip stop can risk the same money when sized correctly.

Wider stop, smaller size

Give the trade more room without quietly increasing the money at risk.

Plan for losing streaks

Consistent sizing keeps one bad run from risking more simply because your stops changed.

Know your prop risk

Exact position sizing helps you manage risk against daily and maximum loss limits.

Questions, answered

How do I calculate position size in forex?

Work out your money at risk from your balance and risk per trade. Divide it by your stop loss in pips multiplied by the pip value of one lot. The calculator then rounds the result down to the nearest 0.01 lots.

What is a lot in forex?

A standard lot is 100,000 units of the base currency. A mini lot is 10,000 units and a micro lot is 1,000 units. That makes 0.10 standard lots one mini lot. Gold uses 100 ounces per standard lot here.

What is pip value?

Pip value is how much a one-pip move is worth for your position in your account currency. For pairs that need currency conversion, the calculator uses European Central Bank daily reference rates. You can enter your broker's own exchange rate for an exact match.

How much should I risk per trade?

There is no single risk level that suits every strategy. Your win rate, payoff and losing streaks all matter. Use the risk of ruin calculator to compare how different risk levels affect your likely drawdowns before choosing one.

Does it work for gold and silver?

Yes. Choose XAUUSD or XAGUSD and enter the stop as a dollar distance or using entry and stop prices. The calculator assumes 100 ounces per lot for gold and 5,000 for silver. Check your broker's contract size before trading.