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Position size calculator

Work out how many lots to trade from your balance, the share you want to risk and your stop loss. Works for forex and gold (XAUUSD).

Common risk levels
Position size
0.40
lots of EURUSD · 40,000 units
Risk USD 100.00
Reward USD 200.00 · 1:2.0
Amount at risk
USD 100.00
Potential profit
USD 200.00
Pip value per lot
USD 10.00
Margin required
USD 1,546.67

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One lot is 100,000 base-currency units, or 100 troy ounces in Gold mode. Fees and slippage are excluded. Position sizes are rounded down to 0.01 lots using the entered conversion rate. Enter an entry price for margin when the base and account currencies differ.

Position size at other risk levels
Risk per tradeAmount at riskPosition size
0.5%USD 50.000.20 lots
1%USD 100.000.40 lots
2%USD 200.000.80 lots
3%USD 300.001.20 lots

How to use the position size calculator

  1. Choose the instrument, account currency and balance, then enter the percentage to risk.
  2. Set the stop loss in pips, or the USD price distance per ounce in Gold mode.
  3. Add a take profit to see the risk/reward ratio. Enter leverage and, when needed, an entry price in account currency per base unit for margin.
  4. Read the position size in lots and units. Supply a quote-to-account conversion rate when the quote and account currencies differ.

Formula

Risk budget = balance × risk percent ÷ 100Lots = risk budget ÷ (stop distance × value per pip or dollar move per lot), rounded down to 0.01 lotsUnits = lots × contract size10,000 × 1% = USD 100.00; USD 100.00 ÷ (25 × USD 10.00) = 0.40 lots

FAQ

How much should I risk per trade?

The percentage is your choice. The calculator multiplies your balance by that percentage to set a risk budget, then rounds the calculated size down to 0.01 lots. The rounded size can use less than the budget.

Why is gold in dollars and not pips?

Gold mode uses a USD price distance per troy ounce and a contract of 100 troy ounces per lot. Multiplying the distance by 100 gives the USD change per lot.

Does leverage change the position size?

Leverage divides the position’s value to calculate margin. It does not enter the position-size formula, which uses your risk amount, stop distance and value per pip or price unit.

Other tools

Pip value calculatorWhat one pip is worth on any pair and lot size.Compound interest calculatorHow your account grows when you reinvest returns.Average cost (DCA) calculatorYour average entry price across several buys.Risk of ruin calculatorEstimate the probability of reaching a loss threshold within a chosen number of trades.Forex market hoursWhen the Sydney, Tokyo, London and New York sessions overlap.Risk/reward calculatorCompare per-unit and position risk, target payoff and break-even win rates before and after costs.Trading journalRecord closed trades, costs and initial risk in a workbook.

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