XAGUSD position size calculator
Size a silver trade from your risk and stop: 5,000 ounces per lot, a pip of 0.01 worth $50, lots rounded down to 0.01.
How sizing works on silver
Silver is quoted in US dollars per troy ounce. The calculator assumes the standard 5,000-ounce lot and counts the stop in pips of 0.01 — one cent. One pip on one lot is 5,000 × 0.01 = $50, a full $1.00 move is $5,000 per lot, and even the minimum 0.01 lot moves $0.50 per pip. That makes silver the instrument where the smallest position can already be too big for a small account. On a USD account nothing is converted; other account currencies use the rate you type or a reference rate the calculator labels an estimate.
| Item | Typical value |
|---|---|
| Contract size | 5,000 troy ounces per lot |
| Pip in this calculator | 0.01 (a $1.00 move = 100 pips) |
| Value per pip, 1.0 lot, USD account | $50 |
| Value of a $1.00 move, 1.0 lot | $5,000 |
| Value per pip, 0.01 lot | $0.50 |
| Quote currency | US dollar |
| Typical CFD trading hours | Sunday evening to Friday 17:00 New York, with a daily break around 17:00–18:00 New York |
| Market it follows | Spot silver in London and COMEX silver futures; the LBMA Silver Price is set at 12:00 London |
A worked example, and the minimum lot
A $10,000 account risking 1% has $100 to lose. With a stop 35 cents away — 35 pips — one lot loses 35 × $50 = $1,750, so the raw size is 100 ÷ 1,750 = 0.057 lots. Rounded down that is 0.05 lots, risking 0.05 × $1,750 = $87.50: on silver the 0.01 step can cut the planned risk by more than 10%.
Now a $2,000 account at 1% ($20) with a 50-cent stop. One lot would lose $2,500, so the raw size is 0.008 — below the 0.01 minimum. The calculator shows no size and warns that even 0.01 lot would risk $25. The honest choices are a tighter stop where the setup allows it, a broker with a smaller silver contract (the contract varies by broker), or skipping the trade.
Silver volatility and typical stops
Silver usually moves more than gold in percentage terms. At $50 a 1% move is 50 cents — 50 pips here, or $2,500 on one lot. Intraday stops of 20 to 80 cents are common, and around US inflation data, the jobs report or a sharp move in gold it can travel much further in minutes. Spreads are wider than on gold, particularly outside London and New York hours and around the daily break, so add the spread to tight stops. These are general tendencies, not a forecast.
Sessions and Kill Zones for silver
Like gold, silver trades nearly 24 hours from Sunday evening to Friday afternoon New York time, with a short daily break. The Asian Kill Zone (20:00–00:00 New York) tends to be thin; the London Kill Zone (02:00–05:00) and the New York AM Kill Zone (07:00–10:00), which takes in US data at 08:30 and the busiest COMEX hours, carry most of the volume. Check the windows in your time zone with the Kill Zone converter; today's sessions and news are on the XAGUSD market page.
Common silver sizing mistakes
- Using gold's numbers. Gold here is 100 ounces with a 0.10 pip ($10); silver is 5,000 ounces with a 0.01 pip ($50). A lot size copied from XAUUSD can risk several times the plan.
- Pip confusion. When your MT5 symbol quotes silver to three decimals, its points are 0.001 and a 35-pip stop here is 350 points there — check your symbol's decimals.
- Ignoring the minimum lot on a small account: 0.01 lot is $0.50 a pip, so a 40-cent stop costs $20 even at the smallest size.
- Assuming every broker uses 5,000 ounces. Check the specification and change the contract size field if yours differs.
For gold use the XAUUSD calculator; the method behind both is in how to calculate position size.
Frequently asked questions
How much is one pip on silver?
In this calculator a pip on XAGUSD is 0.01, worth $50 on a 5,000-ounce lot and $0.50 on 0.01 lot. A $1.00 move is $5,000 per lot.
Why does the calculator say even the minimum lot is too much?
Because 0.01 lot of silver still moves $0.50 a pip. If 0.01 lot loses more at your stop than the risk you set, no size fits the plan; the calculator says so rather than rounding you up.
Is XAGUSD always 5,000 ounces per lot?
It is the common standard, but contracts differ. In MT5, right-click the symbol → Specification and check the contract size; if it is different, type it into the contract size field.