Free calculator · USD accounts
Position Size Calculator
How many lots to trade so that hitting your stop loss costs exactly the amount you chose, and no more.
- Position size
- 0.40 lots
- Amount at risk
- $100.00
- Units
- 40,000
- Pip value at this size
- $4.00
Rounded down to the nearest 0.01 lot so you never risk more than you set.
How it works
- Amount at risk
balance × risk %- Lots
amount at risk ÷ (stop in pips × pip value per lot)
Worked example
- A $10,000 account risking 1% has $100 at risk.
- On EUR/USD one pip is worth $10 per standard lot, and the stop is 25 pips away.
- $100 ÷ (25 × $10) = 0.40 lots. If the stop is hit, the loss is $100.
Why the stop decides the size, not the other way round
Put the stop where the trade idea is proven wrong, then size the position to fit. Moving the stop closer just to trade more lots makes it more likely to be hit by normal price noise.
A wider stop means fewer lots for the same risk. That is why a 100-pip gold stop and a 15-pip EUR/USD stop can both risk the same 1%.
How much to risk per trade
Many traders cap risk at 0.5% to 2% of the balance per trade. At 1%, ten losses in a row leave about 90% of the account. At 5%, the same streak leaves about 60%.
Questions
What is a standard lot?
100,000 units of the base currency on forex pairs, and usually 100 ounces on gold. A mini lot is 0.10 and a micro lot is 0.01.
Why does USD/JPY need the price?
Its pip value is in yen. Converting it to dollars needs the current exchange rate. Pairs that end in USD have a fixed $10 pip value per lot.
Should I include the spread in my stop?
Yes for sells, since a sell position closes at the ask price. Adding the typical spread to the stop distance gives a more accurate size.