Forex position size calculator
Start with the loss you plan for at your stop; the calculator finds the lot size that fits it.
0.50 lot 20 pips × $10.00 a pip × 0.50 lot = $100.00 at risk.
Planned loss at the stop, before spread, commission and slippage; a stop can fill worse than its price. An illustrative account, not a recommendation.
Read as text
- The budget: 1% of a $10,000 account is $100.00. On EUR/USD, 1.00 lot moves $10.00 a pip on a USD account.
- The curve is every size that risks exactly $100.00: the stop is the box's width, the size its height, the money at risk its area.
- Stop of 10 pips: $100.00 ÷ $100.00 per lot = 1.00 lot, $100.00 at risk.
- Stop of 40 pips: $100.00 ÷ $400.00 per lot = 0.25 lot, $100.00 at risk. Four times the distance, a quarter of the size; the loss at the stop is the same.
- Your stop of 20 pips: $100.00 ÷ $200.00 per lot = 0.50 lot, $100.00 at risk.
Same price move. Different money at risk.
Decide the loss first; the stop and the pip value then set the size.
The rule, in three steps
A small trade and a large trade follow the same chart. The large one gains or loses more money. This tool comes from a simple money-management rule: decide how much you plan to lose if a trade fails, then work backward to the trade size.
- First
Choose the money at risk
For example, $100 from a $10,000 account.
- Then
Place your stop
The price where your plan says to exit a losing trade.
- The tool calculates
How much to trade
The size that fits that planned loss. This size is measured in lots.
You control the size before the outcome. Sizing helps manage a losing trade; it does not choose winning trades.
Calculate your own trade size
Replace the example numbers with your plan. Balance, planned loss and pip value all use your account currency.
The currency your balance is held in. Changing it clears the pip value: re-enter it in the new currency, or work it out from your pair below.
The balance in your USD trading account.
The share of your balance planned for one loss. 1% is an example, not a recommendation.
Measure from your planned entry to your stop. Use pips, not the smaller price points.
Dollars gained or lost for a 1-pip move at 1.00 lot. Confirm this for your pair and broker. Help finding it ↓
Work out the pip value for my pair
About $10.00 per pip on 1.00 lot (100,000 units, pip 0.0001).
More pairs and account currencies: the pip value calculator.
The first amount divided by the second gives your trade size.
Estimate before broker rounding and costs. A different fill price can change the loss.
Adjust to your broker’s lot step
Some brokers accept sizes such as 0.01, 0.02 and 0.03 lots. Enter the actual increment your broker allows; the size below rounds down.
Use a positive increment with up to 8 decimal places. Also check your broker’s minimum lot size and available margin.
Take the size back to your chart
Three quick checks before placing an order.
- 1 · Match the plan
Same entry. Same stop.
If their distance changes, calculate again. For a sell trade, the stop is above entry.
- 2 · Match the symbol
Confirm the pip value
Use your pair’s value for 1.00 lot in your account currency. The $10 example fits EUR/USD on a USD account; the helper under the pip value field and the pip value calculator convert it for JPY pairs, crosses and other account currencies.
- 3 · Match the order
Check the allowed size
Round down to the broker’s lot step. Check its minimum size, margin and trading costs.
Lot size at 1% risk by account size and stop
EUR/USD on a USD account, where 1.00 lot is worth $10.00 per pip. Rounded down to a 0.01 lot step, before costs.
| Account (1% risk) | 10 pips | 20 pips | 30 pips | 50 pips |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $100 ($1) | 0.01 lot | below 0.01 lot (0.01 lot risks 2%) | below 0.01 lot (0.01 lot risks 3%) | below 0.01 lot (0.01 lot risks 5%) |
| $500 ($5) | 0.05 lot | 0.02 lot | 0.01 lot | 0.01 lot |
| $1,000 ($10) | 0.10 lot | 0.05 lot | 0.03 lot | 0.02 lot |
| $5,000 ($50) | 0.50 lot | 0.25 lot | 0.16 lot | 0.10 lot |
| $10,000 ($100) | 1.00 lot | 0.50 lot | 0.33 lot | 0.20 lot |
Below 0.01 lot, costs and other pairs
“Below 0.01 lot” means even the smallest common size would risk more than 1%; the bracket shows how much. Planned risk is not a loss limit: spread, commission, slippage and gaps can make the loss larger. Other pairs and account currencies need their own pip value, and your broker’s contract size, minimum lot and lot step are the authority.
Go deeper, one question at a time
Open only what you need.
How is position size calculated in forex?
First calculate your planned loss in your account currency: balance × (risk % ÷ 100). Divide it by the estimated loss for 1.00 lot at your stop: stop pips × pip value per lot. The result is a trade-size estimate before costs, broker rounding and any difference in fill price.
What does a position size calculation look like with real numbers?
With a $10,000 account and 1% risk, the planned loss is $10,000 × 1% = $100. A 25-pip stop at $10 per pip for 1.00 lot loses 25 × $10 = $250 per lot. $100 ÷ $250 = 0.40 lots, before costs and broker rounding. As a formula: lots = [balance × (risk % ÷ 100)] ÷ [stop pips × pip value per lot]. This is called fixed-fractional sizing because the planned risk is a share of your balance.
What are pips and lots?
Pips measure price distance: on EUR/USD a move from 1.1000 to 1.0975 is 25 pips, because one pip is 0.0001; for many JPY pairs one pip is 0.01. Lots measure trade size: a 0.40-lot position is 40% of a 1.00-lot position, and a standard forex lot usually represents 100,000 units of the first currency in the pair, so confirm your broker's contract. A platform may also show smaller points or pipettes; on a five-decimal EUR/USD quote, 10 of those points equal 1 pip. Enter pips here.
Pip examples from OANDA ↗What pip value should I enter?
Enter the amount, in your account currency, gained or lost on a one-pip move at 1.00 lot. EUR/USD with a 100,000-unit standard lot is $10 per pip on a USD account. For other pairs and account currencies, the helper under the field converts the pip value with the price or exchange rate you enter; it does not fetch live rates. In MT5, right-click your symbol → Specification to inspect the contract and tick size and value. A tick value is not always a pip value, so confirm the value of a full pip at 1.00 lot with your broker.
How much should I risk per trade?
Choose an amount your plan and account limits can tolerate, including other open trades. The 1% default is a teaching example, not a recommendation. Smaller positions reduce the money gained or lost on the same price move. Changing the risk percentage does not make a losing strategy profitable.
What lot size for a $100 account?
At 1% risk ($1) on EUR/USD with a USD account, where 1.00 lot is worth $10 per pip: 0.01 lot with a 10-pip stop. Any wider stop needs less than 0.01 lot; at 20 pips the common 0.01-lot minimum would already risk $2, or 2%. Check your broker's minimum lot and lot step, and remember that spread, commission and slippage can make the loss larger.
What lot size for a $1,000 account?
At 1% risk ($10) on EUR/USD with a USD account: 0.10 lot with a 10-pip stop, 0.05 lot with 20 pips, 0.03 lot with 30 pips (0.0333 rounded down to a 0.01 step) and 0.02 lot with 50 pips. Other pairs need their own pip value, and another account currency needs the conversion in the pip-value helper.
Can position sizing help me make a profit?
It connects a trade idea to money. At 0.40 lots and $10 per pip per lot, a 25-pip losing move is about −$100 and a 50-pip winning move about +$200, both before costs. That does not tell you how often either outcome happens. Profitability still depends on your entries, exits, win rate and costs, and a larger size increases both potential gains and losses.
To explore how wins and losses add up, use the trading expectancy calculator.
Why can the actual loss be different?
The calculation assumes a fill at your chosen stop and the pip value you entered. Fees, spread, overnight charges and a worse fill during fast moves or gaps can make the final loss larger, and changing conversion rates can change the pip value. Margin, the money your broker requires to open the position, is separate from your planned loss; this tool does not calculate margin or the combined risk of other open trades.
How a standard stop-loss order fills ↗