Skip to main content

Free Tool — No Sign-up Required

Forex Position Size Calculator

Enter your account balance, risk %, and stop loss to get the exact lot size for any trade — Forex, Gold, Indices, or Crypto.

POSITION SIZER

Multi-Asset Protocol

Recommended Position

1.00

Standard Lots

R:R Ratio

1:1.00

Total Risk

$500.00

Trade Smart • Veteran Owned

How to Calculate Position Size in Forex

Position sizing determines how many lots to trade so that a losing trade costs exactly your planned risk — no more. Every professional trader uses a position size calculator before every entry.

01

Set Your Account Risk

Decide what percentage of your account you will risk per trade. Professional traders use 0.5%–1%. On a $10,000 account at 1% risk, your maximum loss per trade is $100.

02

Measure Your Stop Loss

Place your stop loss at a level that truly invalidates your setup — outside normal market noise. Measure the distance between entry and stop in pips or points.

03

Divide by Pip Value

Divide your dollar risk by the stop loss distance multiplied by the pip value for your instrument. The result is your lot size in standard lots.

Position Size Formula

Risk Amount ($) = Account Balance × (Risk % ÷ 100)

Pip Distance = |Entry Price − Stop Loss| ÷ Pip Size

Lot Size = Risk Amount ÷ (Pip Distance × Pip Value per Lot)

Worked Example — EUR/USD, $10,000 Account

Account Balance $10,000
Risk Percentage 1%
Dollar Risk $100
Entry Price 1.08500
Stop Loss Price 1.08200
Stop Loss Distance 30 pips
EUR/USD Pip Value $10.00 per standard lot
Calculation $100 ÷ (30 pips × $10.00)
Lot Size 0.33 standard lots

Why Position Sizing Matters

Most retail traders lose accounts not from bad entries but from incorrect position sizing. One oversized trade can erase weeks of consistent gains in a single session.

Professional forex traders — especially those funded through FTMO, MyForexFunds, The5ers, and similar prop firms — treat position sizing as the non-negotiable foundation of every trade. The lot size is what determines your actual dollar risk, regardless of what percentage you intend to risk.

For prop firm challenges with 4–5% daily loss limits and 8–10% max drawdown rules, a single over-sized losing trade can end your evaluation on day one. Risk 0.5%–1% per trade and protect the account at all costs.

Pip Values by Instrument

EUR/USD, GBP/USD, AUD/USD $10.00 / lot / pip
USD/JPY ~$6.70 / lot / pip
USD/CHF ~$10.50 / lot / pip
Gold (XAU/USD) $1.00 / lot / pip
Silver (XAG/USD) $0.50 / lot / pip
NAS100 / US30 / SPX500 $1.00 / lot / point
BTC/USD, ETH/USD $1.00 / lot / point
Full instrument list →

45+ Instrument Calculators

View All →
45+
Instruments Supported
Forex, Gold, Indices, Crypto
100
PageSpeed Score
Fastest calculator available
Free
No Cost, Ever
No account or sign-up needed

Position Sizing FAQ

Lot Size, Risk Management & Forex Calculator Questions

What is a forex position size calculator? +
A forex position size calculator determines how many lots to trade based on your account balance, risk percentage, and stop loss distance. It ensures your worst-case loss equals your planned risk — for example, 1% of a $10,000 account is $100 risk, no matter how far away the stop is.
How do I calculate lot size in forex? +
Lot Size = (Account Balance × Risk%) ÷ (Stop Loss in Pips × Pip Value per Lot). Example: $10,000 × 1% = $100 ÷ (30 pips × $10) = 0.33 lots on EUR/USD. The TRADE90 calculator handles all pip value conversions automatically for all 45+ instruments.
What percentage should I risk per forex trade? +
Professional traders and FTMO-funded accounts use 0.5%–1% per trade. At 1% risk, five consecutive losses reduce the account by only 4.9% — well within most prop firm drawdown limits. Risking more than 2% per trade is considered reckless by institutional standards.
What is a standard lot in forex? +
A standard lot is 100,000 units of the base currency. On EUR/USD, 1 standard lot = €100,000. A mini lot is 0.10 lots and a micro lot is 0.01 lots. Position size calculators output in standard lots — 0.33 lots means 33,000 units of the base currency.
How do FTMO and prop firms calculate position size? +
FTMO challenges use a 4–5% daily loss limit and 8–10% max drawdown. Sizing at 0.5%–1% per trade keeps you inside those limits even through losing streaks. Always use your current account equity (not starting balance) when calculating, since drawdown limits are applied to real-time equity.
Does position sizing work differently for gold and indices? +
Yes. Gold (XAU/USD) uses $1 pip value per standard lot (1 pip = $0.01). A $10 move = 1,000 pips = $1,000 per lot. Indices like NAS100, US30, and SPX500 use points, with values varying by broker contract. The TRADE90 calculator pre-configures the correct pip/point values for all 45+ instruments automatically.

Latest Analysis

Volatility & Risk Framework Reports

All Reports