Free calculator
Position size calculator: how many lots to trade.
Set the amount you are willing to lose, the distance to your stop, and get the lot size that risks exactly that. Free, instant and nothing is stored.
By the verify.trading team · Last reviewed · How we write
0.50
standard lots
Risk amount
100.00 USD
Pip value / lot
10.00 USD
Units
50,000
Micro lots
50.0
Planning figure. Spread, slippage and broker lot steps shift real risk.
The maths
Lot size = risk amount / (stop in pips x pip value per lot)
Formula
Lots = (Account x Risk %) / (Stop pips x Pip value per lot)
Worked example
- Account 10,000 USD, risk 1% = 100 USD at risk.
- Stop loss 20 pips on EUR/USD, pip value 10 USD per standard lot.
- Lots = 100 / (20 x 10) = 0.50 lots.
- Widen the stop to 50 pips and the size falls to 100 / (50 x 10) = 0.20 lots.
How do I calculate position size in forex?
Divide the amount you are willing to lose by the stop distance times the pip value per lot. Risk amount is account size times risk percent, so a 10,000 account risking 1% is 100. With a 20 pip stop and 10 per pip per lot, size is 100 / (20 x 10) = 0.50 lots.
What risk percentage should I use?
There is no universal figure, and this is not a recommendation. Many traders keep single-trade risk to a small percentage of the account, and lower still on prop firm accounts with a strict daily loss limit.
Why does the pip value change between pairs?
Pip value is quoted in the pair's second currency. If your account is in another currency, it must be converted, which is why USD/JPY needs the current price to convert into dollars.
Does this work for gold, indices or crypto?
This calculator is built for forex pairs. For other instruments, enter the value of one price unit per lot from your broker's contract specification in the pip value box.
Is the result exact?
It is a planning figure. Spreads, slippage, commissions and rounding to your broker's lot step all shift the real risk slightly, so allow for them.
Size it, then check who you are trading with
Free checks on brokers and prop firms, with the source shown.
Calculators are for education and planning and are not investment advice. verify.trading provides records and analysis, not investment advice; trading involves significant risk of loss. Absence of a regulatory action is not an endorsement, and absence from a regulator's list is not proof of authorisation.