Lot Size & Profit Calculator
Know your exact position size and dollar risk before you enter. Free, no sign-up. Works for forex, gold, crude oil, indices, crypto and CME futures, on personal and prop firm challenge accounts.
Pips mode works for all forex pairs, including crosses like EUR/JPY. For indices, crypto and commodities, use the Entry/Exit Price method. Always verify the contract size in your trading platform, as values differ between brokers.
How the lot size formula works
Position sizing answers one question: how big can this trade be so that hitting your stop loss costs exactly the amount you planned to risk, and nothing more. The formula is:
Say you trade a $10,000 account and risk 1% per trade, so $100. Your EUR/USD setup has a 25-pip stop loss, and one standard lot of EUR/USD moves $10 per pip. That gives $100 ÷ (25 × $10) = 0.40 lots. If price hits your stop, you lose $100, exactly the amount you planned for.
Sizing every trade this way is what keeps one bad setup from undoing a week of good ones. It matters even more on prop firm accounts, where a single oversized loss can breach a daily drawdown limit and end the challenge.
Calculator FAQ
How does the lot size calculator work?
It takes your account balance, the percentage you want to risk, and your stop loss distance, then returns the exact position size that keeps a losing trade inside that risk. Currency conversions (e.g. JPY or GBP quoted pairs) are handled automatically using live market prices.
What is the formula for position size?
Lot size = risk amount ÷ (stop loss in pips × pip value per lot). The risk amount is your balance × risk percentage. Example: on a $10,000 account risking 1% with a 25-pip stop on EUR/USD ($10 per pip per standard lot), the size is $100 ÷ (25 × $10) = 0.40 lots.
Which method should I use: Pips or Price?
Use 'By Pips' for any forex pair (majors, minors and crosses). Use 'By Price' for indices, crypto and commodities, or whenever you already know your exact entry and stop loss levels.
Does it work for gold, indices and crypto?
Yes. It supports XAU/USD, US30, NAS100, DAX, BTC/USD and more, plus CME futures like MNQ, ES, NQ and GC. For non-forex instruments, use the Entry/Exit Price method and double-check the contract size against your broker's specification.
Is this calculator accurate for prop firm accounts?
Yes. Position sizing works the same on funded accounts — it's the fastest way to stay inside daily drawdown limits. Just make sure the contract size matches your prop firm's platform (100,000 for standard forex lots on most MT4/MT5 brokers).
How do I calculate lot size for an FTMO or prop firm challenge?
Enter your challenge account size as the balance (the funded amount, not what you paid for the challenge), then size off the rule that bites first. On a $100,000 account with a 5% daily loss limit, one 1% trade risks $1,000 — you can take five before the daily limit is in play. Most traders on evaluations size at 0.25% to 0.5% so a losing streak never touches the daily or overall drawdown.
How do I calculate lot size for gold (XAU/USD)?
Use the Entry/Exit Price method rather than pips. A standard XAU/USD lot is 100 troy ounces, so a $1.00 move in gold is $100 per lot, and a $10 stop loss on a $10,000 account risking 1% gives 0.10 lots. Micro gold futures (MGC) are 10 ounces per contract. Contract sizes differ between brokers, so confirm yours before sizing.
How do I calculate lot size for crude oil, indices or crypto?
Same method: switch to Entry/Exit Price and let the calculator work from your actual stop distance. A standard WTI lot is usually 1,000 barrels ($1,000 per $1.00 move), index CFDs like US30 and NAS100 are typically 1 unit per point, and crypto pairs are quoted per coin. Check the contract size in your platform's symbol specification, since these vary more between brokers than forex does.
How much should I risk per trade?
Most professional traders risk between 0.5% and 2% of their account per trade. At 1% risk you can lose 10 trades in a row and still keep 90% of your capital, which is what lets a real edge play out over time.
Are the prices real-time?
Yes. Conversion prices are fetched live when the page loads, so the pip value used for cross pairs (like EUR/JPY or GBP/AUD) reflects the current market.
Sizing for a prop firm challenge
On an evaluation the question is not just how big the trade can be, it is how much you can still lose today before the daily limit ends the account. Each firm counts drawdown differently, so start from the rules you are actually trading under.
See if the trades you size actually pay off
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