Position size calculator
Work out the lot size for a trade from your risk and stop — forex, JPY pairs, metals, indices and crypto, in your account currency.
How the position size is calculated
Position sizing turns "I am willing to lose 1% on this trade" into a number of lots. The calculator uses the same model as the trade form of the LSG Club journal:
- Risk money = account balance × risk %, or the dollar amount you enter.
- Value of a 1.0 price move for one lot = contract size × the rate from the quote currency to your account currency.
- Loss per lot at the stop = stop distance in price × that value, plus the commission per lot.
- Lots = risk money ÷ loss per lot, rounded down to the broker's lot step (0.01 by default), never up.
Rounding down means the actual risk is equal to or slightly below what you planned; the calculator shows both. If even the minimum lot risks more than you allowed, it says so instead of quietly sizing you up.
Pips, points and contract sizes
- Currency pairs — 100,000 units per lot; a pip is 0.0001, or 0.01 for JPY pairs. On EURUSD with a USD account one pip per lot is $10.
- JPY pairs — the pip value is in yen first (1,000 JPY per lot) and is converted at the USDJPY price, so it changes with the rate.
- Gold — 100 ounces per lot with a pip of 0.10; silver — 5,000 ounces with a pip of 0.01.
- Indices — 1 unit per point by default, priced in the index currency (DAX in euros, FTSE in pounds, Nikkei in yen).
- Crypto — 1 coin per lot, measured in points.
Brokers differ. Some index CFDs are 10 per point, some gold contracts are 10 ounces, crypto lots vary. Check the contract specification in your platform (in MT5: right-click the symbol → Specification) and change the contract size field if yours is different.
Account currency and exchange rates
When the instrument is priced in your account currency no conversion is needed. When your account currency is the pair's base — USDJPY on a USD account — the entry price itself converts. Otherwise the calculator uses a reference rate from 27 September 2026 and labels the result as an estimate; type the current rate into the conversion field for an exact number. Nothing is fetched from a server: the page works offline once it has loaded.
A worked example
A $10,000 USD account risking 1% on EURUSD with a 20-pip stop: risk money is $100, one lot loses 20 × $10 = $200 at the stop, so the position is 0.50 lots. The same risk on XAUUSD with a $5.00 stop: one lot loses 5.00 × 100 = $500, so the size is 0.20 lots. More on the logic in how to calculate position size.
Frequently asked questions
What risk per trade should I use?
Many traders keep it between 0.5% and 1% of the balance so that a normal losing streak does not damage the account. Prop firm challenges with a 5% daily limit make a small fixed risk even more important. It is a personal decision, not a rule.
Why is my lot size rounded down?
Brokers accept lots in steps, usually 0.01. Rounding up would risk more than you planned, so the calculator always rounds down and shows the actual risk.
Does the calculator include spread and commission?
Commission per lot can be entered and is added to the loss per lot. Spread is not modelled; if your stop is tight, add the typical spread to the stop distance.
Is my data sent anywhere?
No. Everything is calculated in your browser; no request leaves the page.