Position Size Calculator
Know exactly how much to trade before you enter. Free for forex, stocks, crypto and futures.
How to calculate position size
Position sizing answers one question: how big can this trade be so that, if your stop loss is hit, you lose exactly the amount you planned to risk? The formula is the same for every market:
Position size = (Account balance × Risk %) ÷ (Stop distance × Value per unit)
For example, with a $10,000 account risking 1%, you can lose $100. On EUR/USD with a 20-pip stop and a pip value of $10 per standard lot, each lot risks $200, so your position is 0.50 lots.
How much should you risk per trade?
Many traders risk between 0.5% and 2% of their account per trade. Smaller risk means you can survive long losing streaks without serious damage. At 1% risk, ten losses in a row costs about 10% of your account. At 5% risk, the same streak costs around 40%.
Pip value and tick value
For forex pairs quoted in USD (like EUR/USD or GBP/USD), one pip on a standard lot is worth about $10. For other pairs, including JPY pairs, the pip value changes with the exchange rate, so check it with your broker. For futures, use the tick size and tick value from your contract specifications. Micro contracts have much smaller tick values, which helps with small accounts.
Track whether you stick to your risk
The calculator tells you what to risk. Clarity Tracking shows whether you actually did it, flagging oversized trades, measuring your real risk per trade and tracking your results in R so you can see how discipline affects your performance.
