Lot Size Calculator
Lot size is the volume of a trade. In forex, one standard lot is 100,000 units of the base currency, so a one-pip move (0.0001) on EURUSD is worth $10 per lot. To find your lot size, divide the amount you are prepared to lose by your stop-loss in pips multiplied by the pip value per lot.
Calculate your position size
Your position size
0.50 standard lots
Rounded down to the nearest 0.01 lot, so the amount at risk stays at or below your target.
- Exact size
- 0.50 lots
- Mini lots (0.1 lot each)
- 5.0
- Micro lots (0.01 lot each)
- 50
- Position in units
- 50,000 EUR
- Target risk
- $100.00
- Amount at risk at this size
- $100.00
- Pip value per standard lot
- $10.00
- Per mini lot / micro lot
- $1.00 / $0.10
Daily loss limit:
This assumes each loss is the full stop. Spreads, commission, slippage and open-trade losses can reach a limit sooner, and daily limits are measured in different ways (balance or equity, and when the day resets), so check the rules of your account.
How do you calculate lot size?
Divide the money you are prepared to lose on the trade by what one lot loses if the stop-loss is hit. That loss per lot is the stop-loss distance in pips multiplied by the pip value per lot.
Lot size formula
Lot size = Risk amount ÷ (Stop-loss in pips × Pip value per lot)
Risk amount = Account balance × Risk %
Pip value per lot = Pip size × Contract size × Exchange rate into your account currency
- Set the risk amount. 1% of a $10,000 simulated account is $100.
- Find the pip value per lot. On EURUSD, 0.0001 × 100,000 = $10 for a USD account.
- Divide. $100 ÷ (20 pips × $10) = 0.50 lots.
- Round down to the lot step your platform accepts, often 0.01, so the trade never risks more than planned.
When the instrument is priced in a different currency from your account, convert the pip value. Divide by the exchange rate when your account currency comes first in the pair (a USD account trading USDJPY divides by the USDJPY price). Multiply when it comes second (a USD account trading GER30, which is priced in euros, multiplies by the EURUSD price).
What is a pip or point worth?
A pip is the standard price step for a currency pair: 0.0001 on most pairs and 0.01 on JPY pairs. Gold and indices are measured in points. Its value per lot is the pip or point size multiplied by the contract size, in the currency the instrument is priced in.
| Instrument | One pip or point | Contract size (one lot) | Value per lot |
|---|---|---|---|
| EURUSD, GBPUSD, AUDUSD, NZDUSD | 0.0001 | 100,000 units | $10.00 |
| USDCHF, USDCAD, EURGBP | 0.0001 | 100,000 units | 10 units of the quote currency (CHF 10, CAD 10, £10) |
| USDJPY, EURJPY, GBPJPY | 0.01 | 100,000 units | ¥1,000 (about $6.67 when USDJPY is 150.00) |
| XAUUSD (gold) | 0.01 | 100 oz | $1.00 per point ($100 per $1.00 move) |
| US30, NAS100 | 1.0 | Varies by platform (1 in this calculator) | $1.00 per point at a contract size of 1 |
| GER30 | 1.0 | Varies by platform (1 in this calculator) | €1.00 per point at a contract size of 1 |
How does lot size change between instruments?
The same risk gives very different sizes, because pip value and stop distance change from one instrument to the next. These examples use the calculator's default contract sizes.
Illustration only, not a typical result. Prices are examples, not live quotes.| Instrument | Simulated account | Risk | Stop-loss | Value per lot | Position size | Amount at risk |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| EURUSD | $10,000 | 1% ($100) | 20 pips | $10.00 per pip | 0.50 lots | $100.00 |
| USDJPY at 150.00 | $10,000 | 1% ($100) | 25 pips | $6.67 per pip | 0.60 lots | $100.00 |
| EURUSD, GBP account (GBPUSD 1.25) | £5,000 | 2% (£100) | 20 pips | £8.00 per pip | 0.62 lots | £99.20 |
| XAUUSD | $100,000 | 0.5% ($500) | 500 points ($5.00) | $1.00 per point | 1.00 lot | $500.00 |
| US30 | $50,000 | 1% ($500) | 100 points | $1.00 per point | 5.00 lots | $500.00 |
| GER30, USD account (EURUSD 1.08) | $20,000 | $200 fixed | 40 points | $1.08 per point | 4.62 lots | $199.58 |
In the third and last rows the exact sizes (0.625 and 4.6296 lots) are rounded down, so the amount at risk ends slightly below the target.
How does a daily loss limit affect your lot size?
A daily loss limit caps how much the balance can fall in one day, so it sets how many full losses you can absorb at a given size. Divide the limit by the amount at risk per trade. On a $10,000 simulated account with a $500 daily loss limit and $100 at risk per trade, five losses in a row reach the limit, so you could take four and stay under it. Halving the risk to $50 per trade doubles that to ten.
Evaluations (what many traders call prop firm challenges) set their own daily limits and measure them in different ways, for example from balance or from equity, with different reset times. Read the rules for your account, then enter the limit in the calculator's optional field.
Where can you practise position sizing?
Alpha Capital Group runs trading evaluations on simulated accounts: demo accounts with a virtual balance that use live market prices. Each plan has its own loss limits and rules, set out on the plan pages, so you can size positions against them before you start.
Alpha Capital provides evaluations on simulated accounts. You do not trade real money, and performance fees are not guaranteed. The evaluation fee is the money you put at risk.
Lot size calculator FAQs
How many lots should I trade on a $10,000 simulated account?
It depends on your risk per trade and your stop-loss, not on the balance alone. Risking 1% of a $10,000 simulated account is $100. With a 20-pip stop on EURUSD, where a pip is worth $10 per standard lot, that is 0.50 lots. With a 50-pip stop, the same $100 risk gives 0.20 lots, so a wider stop means a smaller position.
What is the difference between standard, mini and micro lots?
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). On EURUSD a pip is worth $10, $1 and $0.10 respectively. Many platforms accept sizes in steps of 0.01 lots, so the calculator rounds down to the nearest 0.01 to keep the amount at risk at or below your target.
How do you work out pip value on JPY pairs?
On JPY pairs a pip is a 0.01 move, not 0.0001, so one standard lot gains or loses ¥1,000 per pip. To convert that into a USD account, divide by the USDJPY price: at 150.00, ¥1,000 is about $6.67. For a GBP or EUR account, divide by the GBPJPY or EURJPY price instead. The calculator does this from the price you enter.
How is lot size worked out for gold (XAUUSD)?
Gold is often traded in contracts of 100 troy ounces per lot, but this varies between platforms. At that contract size, each 0.01 move in the gold price (one point in this calculator) is worth $1 per lot, and a $1.00 move is worth $100. Risking $500 with a 500-point ($5.00) stop gives 1.00 lot. Check your platform's contract specifications before you trade.
Does the calculator use live prices?
No. It has no price feed and does not store or send anything you type. When the instrument is priced in a different currency from your account, it asks for one current price from your platform, such as USDJPY for a USD account trading USDJPY, or GBPUSD for a GBP account trading EURUSD. Pairs priced in your account currency, such as EURUSD for a USD account, need no price.
Does the result include spread, commission or slippage?
No. The position size comes from your stop-loss distance only. Spreads, commission, slippage and price gaps can make a losing trade cost more than the amount shown, especially around news releases or on fast-moving instruments such as indices. Some traders allow for this by risking slightly less than their limit. Treat the results as estimates for planning, not a guaranteed outcome.
Related guides
General information, not financial advice. The calculator gives estimates for planning. It does not account for spreads, commission, slippage or price gaps, and it does not store or send anything you enter. Updated 20 October 2026. Next review: April 2027.