Lot size calculator: how many lots to open for the risk you chose

Choose the instrument, enter your capital, how much you want to risk and where you put the stop: the calculator tells you how many lots to open and what a pip is worth. Free and without signing up.

Instrument Account type Account currency Capital Risk per trade (%) Stop in pips Or: entry price and stop price

Lots to open—

Risk in money—

Stop in pips—

Value of one pip per lot—

Value of one pip with your lots—

Indicative calculation, excluding spread and commissions. Always check the contract size with your broker.

The formula

Lots = risk in money ÷ (stop in pips × value of one pip for one lot). The risk in money is the percentage of capital you are willing to lose if the stop is hit. The result is always rounded down to the hundredth of a lot: rounding up would mean risking a little more than you decided.

Two examples

Gold: capital 10,000 dollars, risk 1%, so 100 dollars. Stop 7 dollars below entry, so 70 pips of 0.10. One pip on one lot of gold is worth 10 dollars, so one lot would risk 700 dollars: 100 ÷ 700 = 0.14 lots.
EURUSD: same capital and same risk, 20-pip stop. One pip on one lot is worth 10 dollars, so one lot would risk 200 dollars: 100 ÷ 200 = 0.50 lots.

What a pip is worth

Pairs with the dollar as second currency, such as EURUSD or GBPUSD: a pip is 0.0001 and is worth 10 dollars per lot.
Yen pairs, such as USDJPY: a pip is 0.01; its value in dollars depends on the exchange rate.
Gold (XAUUSD): here a pip is 0.10 of price and one lot is 100 ounces, so 10 dollars per lot. Some brokers count the pip as 0.01: the number of pips changes, not the money.
Silver (XAGUSD): a pip is 0.001 and one lot is 5,000 ounces, so 5 dollars per lot.
US30 and NAS100: one point is worth 1 dollar per lot. Not every broker uses this convention: check the contract size with yours.

Standard or cent account

On a cent account one lot is worth one hundredth of a standard lot: the same number of lots moves a hundred times less money. If your account is a cent account, select it in the calculator, otherwise the result would be a hundred times too small.

Exchange rates

When the account currency differs from the one the instrument is quoted in, the calculator converts using the European Central Bank's reference rates, updated every working day. For a risk calculation the difference from the live rate is negligible.

In the platform

Inside Finance Link you find the full version: the pip and profit calculator, the risk/reward one with stop and target, and the history of your calculations. A free account is all you need.

Frequently asked questions

How much should I risk per trade?

There is no right number for everyone. Many traders stay between 0.5% and 2% of capital per trade, so that a losing streak, which sooner or later comes, does not compromise the account.

Why is the result rounded down?

Because brokers accept lots in hundredths, and rounding up would mean exceeding the chosen risk. If even 0.01 lots exceeds the risk, the calculator tells you.

Does the calculation include the spread?

No: it calculates the risk between entry and stop. With a wide spread, as during news, the real loss at the stop can be slightly higher.

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Risk warning

Trading involves the risk of losing your capital. Finance Link's content is for information and education, not financial advice: Finance Link is not an authorised broker. Past results do not guarantee future results.