Free risk tool

Position Size Calculator

Turn your risk into the right size for the trade: lots for forex and gold, contracts for ES, NQ and micro futures, or units for stocks and crypto. Enter your balance, risk and stop.

Market
$
%

$100.00 at risk

Risk unit
pips

1 pip = 0.0001 on EUR/USD.

Position size

Trade this many lots

0.50 lots

Exact: 0.5, rounded down so you never risk more than planned.

Actual risk

$100.00

1% of the account

Risk per lot

$200.00

Pip value per lot

$10.00

Units

50,000

EUR, at $5.00 per pip

Educational tool. Results are only as accurate as the numbers you enter, and firms word their rules differently, so check your own rulebook. Nothing here is financial advice.

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The position size formula

Every market uses the same idea: size = money at risk ÷ loss per unit at the stop.

  • Forex: lots = risk ÷ (stop in pips × pip value per lot).
  • Gold: lots = risk ÷ (stop distance in dollars × ounces per lot).
  • Futures: contracts = risk ÷ (stop in ticks × tick value).
  • Stocks and crypto: units = risk ÷ (entry − stop).

Worked examples

  • $10,000 account, 1% risk ($100), EUR/USD with a 20-pip stop: 100 ÷ (20 × $10) = 0.50 lots.
  • Same risk on gold with a $5 stop: 100 ÷ (5 × 100) = 0.20 lots.
  • $500 risk on MES with an 8-point stop: 8 points is 32 ticks × $1.25 = $40 per contract, so 12 contracts (12.5 rounded down).

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Choosing how much to risk

Many traders risk between 0.5% and 2% of the account per trade, so a losing streak of ten trades costs 5% to 20%, not the whole account. On a prop firm account, size from the room you have left today and overall: use the daily loss limit calculator and the trailing drawdown calculator first.

Want to see whether your risk per trade can pass a challenge? The challenge calculator simulates thousands of attempts with your numbers.

Frequently asked questions

How do I calculate position size?

Divide the money you are willing to lose by the loss per unit at your stop. For forex that is risk ÷ (stop in pips × pip value per lot). With $100 of risk, a 20-pip stop and $10 per pip per lot on EUR/USD, the size is 100 ÷ 200 = 0.5 lots.

What is the pip value of one lot?

On pairs quoted in US dollars, such as EUR/USD and GBP/USD, one pip on one standard lot is $10. On other pairs the pip is worth a fixed amount of the quote currency (10 units, or 1,000 yen on JPY pairs), converted to dollars at the current rate. That is why the calculator asks for the USD/JPY or GBP/USD price on those pairs.

How much is one lot of gold?

At most brokers one standard lot of XAU/USD is 100 troy ounces, so a $1 move in the gold price is worth $100 per lot. Some brokers use a different contract size, so the calculator lets you change the ounces per lot.

What are the tick values for ES, NQ and micro futures?

Per contract: ES $12.50 per 0.25 tick, MES $1.25, NQ $5.00 per 0.25 tick, MNQ $0.50, YM $5 per point, MYM $0.50, RTY $5.00 per 0.10 tick, M2K $0.50, CL $10 per 0.01, MCL $1, GC $10 per 0.10 and MGC $1. These come from CME Group contract specifications.

Why does the calculator round down?

Rounding up would put more money at risk than you chose. The calculator rounds down to the smallest step you can trade, 0.01 lots or one contract, and shows the actual risk of the rounded size.

Does it work if my account is not in US dollars?

The calculator works in US dollars, which is the account currency at most prop firms. If your account is in another currency, convert your risk amount to dollars first, or use the dollar result as a guide.

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