Lot Size Calculator
Lot size = risk amount ÷ (stop loss in pips × pip value per lot). Enter your balance, risk and stop to get standard, mini and micro lots for forex pairs and gold, rounded down to your broker’s lot step, with the risk you actually take after rounding.
Account and trade Example values Replace them with your own numbers. The exchange rate below is an example, not a live quote.
Pip size and contract size (filled in from the instrument)
Some brokers define a gold pip as 0.10 or use a different contract size. Edit these two fields to match your broker’s contract specification.
Lot size by stop-loss distance
Same balance, risk, instrument, rate and lot step. Only the stop changes.
| Stop (pips) | Exact lots | Lots (rounded down) | Units | Actual risk | % of balance |
|---|
Everything runs in your browser. No prices are fetched, and nothing is saved or sent.
How the lot size calculator works
- Risk amount. Balance × risk % (or the fixed amount you enter). This is what you lose if the stop is hit.
- Pip value per standard lot, in the quote currency. Pip size × contract size. For EUR/USD: 0.0001 × 100,000 = 10 USD.
- Convert to your account currency. If the quote currency is your account currency, nothing changes. Otherwise multiply or divide by the exchange rate you enter, depending on which way the pair is quoted.
- Raw lot size. Risk amount ÷ (stop in pips × pip value per lot).
- Round down to the lot step. Rounding down means the actual risk is never above your target. The calculator then shows the actual risk at the rounded size.
Conventions used
| Instrument | Pip size | 1.00 lot | Pip value per lot |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pairs not quoted in JPY (EUR/USD, EUR/GBP, AUD/CAD…) | 0.0001 | 100,000 base units | 10 units of the quote currency |
| JPY-quoted pairs (USD/JPY, EUR/JPY…) | 0.01 | 100,000 base units | 1,000 JPY |
| Gold (XAU/USD) | 0.01 USD | 100 troy oz | 1 USD |
Many platforms quote one more decimal place (a “pipette” or fractional pip). A EUR/USD price of 1.08345 has 4.5 pips more than 1.08300, not 45. Enter your stop in full pips. For gold, conventions vary between brokers. Some treat a 0.10 move as a pip, which makes a pip worth 10 USD per 100-oz lot. Edit the pip size field if your broker uses that convention.
The exchange rate field changes with the instrument and account currency. It always asks for the pair as it is normally quoted, for example GBP/USD rather than USD/GBP. When the quote currency is your account currency (EUR/USD on a USD account), no rate is needed and the field is hidden.
Worked examples
All three use a 10,000 USD account and 1% risk, so the risk amount is 100 USD. The exchange rates are example values, not current market prices.
1. Pair quoted in your account currency: EUR/USD
- Pip value per lot = 0.0001 × 100,000 = 10 USD. No conversion, because USD is the quote currency.
- Stop = 25 pips. Lots = 100 ÷ (25 × 10) = 0.40 lots (4 mini lots, 40 micro lots, 40,000 EUR).
- 0.40 is already a multiple of 0.01, so the actual risk is exactly 100 USD.
2. JPY pair: USD/JPY at an example price of 150.00
- Pip value per lot = 0.01 × 100,000 = 1,000 JPY.
- Convert to USD: 1,000 ÷ 150.00 = 6.6667 USD. USD is the base currency, so divide by the price.
- Stop = 35 pips. Lots = 100 ÷ (35 × 6.6667) = 0.4286. Rounded down to the 0.01 step: 0.42 lots (42,000 USD).
- Actual risk = 0.42 × 35 × 6.6667 = 98.00 USD, or 0.98% of the balance.
3. Cross pair that needs a conversion: EUR/GBP on a USD account
- Pip value per lot = 0.0001 × 100,000 = 10 GBP. The quote currency is GBP, but the account is in USD.
- Convert with GBP/USD at an example 1.2700: 10 × 1.27 = 12.70 USD. GBP is the base of GBP/USD, so multiply.
- Stop = 20 pips. Lots = 100 ÷ (20 × 12.70) = 0.3937. Rounded down: 0.39 lots (39,000 EUR).
- Actual risk = 0.39 × 20 × 12.70 = 99.06 USD.
The same conversion rule works for every account currency. On a EUR account trading USD/JPY, the pip value is 1,000 JPY ÷ the EUR/JPY rate. On a JPY account trading EUR/USD, it is 10 USD × the USD/JPY rate.
Lot size, leverage and margin are separate
Lot size controls how much you lose per pip. Leverage controls how much margin the broker holds while the position is open. Using example rates, 0.40 lots of EUR/USD is 40,000 EUR, or 43,200 USD at 1.0800. At 30:1 the margin is 43,200 ÷ 30 = 1,440 USD. At a 2% deposit it is 864 USD. In both cases a 25-pip loss is still 100 USD. Leverage does not reduce risk. It only decides whether the account can open the position, and high leverage makes oversized positions easy to open.
Regulators cap retail leverage. In the United States, the CFTC rule on security deposits for retail forex transactions (17 CFR 5.9) says the minimum deposit cannot be less than “2% of the notional value of the retail forex transaction for major currency pairs and 5% of the notional value of the retail forex transaction for all other currency pairs”. In the EU, ESMA’s 2018 product intervention measures on CFDs set leverage limits on opening a position of “30:1 for major currency pairs” and “20:1 for non-major currency pairs, gold and major indices”. Limits for your account depend on your broker’s regulator and your client category.
Common mistakes
- Counting pipettes as pips. On a 5-digit price, a 20-pip stop is 200 points. Entering 200 as pips gives a lot size 10 times too small.
- Assuming every pip is worth 10 USD. That only holds for pairs quoted in USD on a USD account. JPY pairs, CAD and CHF pairs and crosses all have different pip values.
- Rounding up. 0.4286 lots rounded to 0.43 risks slightly more than planned. Rounding down keeps the loss at or below the target.
- Forgetting costs. Spread, commission and slippage add to the loss at the stop. A stop can also fill at a worse price in a fast market or over a gap.
- Using a stale rate. The pip value of a cross changes as the conversion rate moves. Use your broker’s current quote.
To size stock, crypto or other trades in units, use the position size calculator. To check whether a setup pays enough for the risk, use the risk/reward calculator. To see how a risk per trade affects drawdown odds over many trades, try the risk of ruin calculator.
FAQ
What is a lot size in forex?
A lot is the unit used to size a forex trade. By the usual convention a standard lot is 100,000 units of the base currency, a mini lot is 10,000 units (0.1 lot) and a micro lot is 1,000 units (0.01 lot). So 0.40 lots of EUR/USD is 40,000 euros. Contract sizes for gold and other CFDs differ by broker, so check the contract specification.
How do you calculate lot size?
Lot size = risk amount ÷ (stop loss in pips × pip value per standard lot in your account currency). Example: a 10,000 USD account risking 1% risks 100 USD. On EUR/USD one pip on a standard lot is worth 10 USD, so with a 25-pip stop the lot size is 100 ÷ (25 × 10) = 0.40 lots. Round the result down to your broker’s lot step.
How much is one pip worth on a standard lot?
Pip value per standard lot = pip size × 100,000, in the quote currency. For any pair quoted in USD, such as EUR/USD or GBP/USD, that is 0.0001 × 100,000 = 10 USD. For a JPY-quoted pair it is 0.01 × 100,000 = 1,000 JPY, which is about 6.67 USD when USD/JPY is 150.00. If the quote currency is not your account currency, convert it at the current rate.
What lot size should I use for a 1,000 dollar account?
It depends on how much you risk and how far away the stop is, not on the balance alone. Risking 1% of 1,000 USD is 10 USD. On EUR/USD with a 20-pip stop that is 10 ÷ (20 × 10) = 0.05 lots, or 5 micro lots. With a 50-pip stop it is 0.02 lots. The percentage you risk is a personal choice; this is a calculation, not a recommendation.
Does leverage change the lot size?
No. Leverage sets how much margin the broker holds for a position. It does not change how much you lose if the stop is hit. The lot size comes from your risk amount and stop distance. Leverage only decides whether the account has enough margin to open that size. Higher leverage lets you open larger positions, which can lead to larger losses.
How do you calculate lot size for gold (XAU/USD)?
Use the same formula with gold’s contract size and pip size. This calculator assumes 1 lot = 100 troy ounces and a pip = 0.01 USD, so a pip is worth 1 USD per lot. Many brokers call a 0.10 move a pip instead, which makes a pip worth 10 USD per lot. Check your broker’s contract specification and edit the pip size and contract size fields to match.
Related tools and guides
- Position size calculator
Size any trade in units from a risk %. - Risk/reward calculator
R multiple of a single setup. - Risk of ruin calculator
Odds of a deep drawdown by risk per trade. - Day trading journal
Log lot size, stop and R for every trade. - Why win rate alone doesn’t matter
Win rate vs payoff size.
Educational tool only, not financial or investment advice. Results depend on the inputs and conventions you enter, including the exchange rate, which is not a live price. Actual losses can exceed the calculated risk because of spreads, commissions, slippage and price gaps. Forex and CFD trading with leverage can lose money quickly. Sources: eCFR, 17 CFR 5.9 Security deposits for retail forex transactions, ESMA, final product intervention measures on CFDs. Retrieved 29 Oct 2026.