Forex Position Size Calculator
Use the calculator below to find the right position size for any trade in seconds: pick your account currency and pair, set your risk, and the live exchange rate is pulled in automatically. Want the full explanation of the math first? The breakdown is below the calculator.
Live rates did not load. Enter today’s rates manually to keep the calculation accurate.
This calculator is an educational tool to help you size a trade based on the risk you choose to take. It is not trading advice. Live exchange rates are provided by a third party currency data source and may differ slightly from your broker’s live quote. Actual tradable lot sizes, pip conventions for metals, and margin requirements vary by broker, always confirm with your broker before placing a trade. Trading involves risk and is not suitable for everyone.
Why position sizing matters more than your entry
Two traders can take the exact same setup on the exact same pair and end up with completely different outcomes, not because one had a better entry, but because one sized the trade to their account and the other guessed. Risking a fixed percentage of your account on every trade, rather than a fixed number of lots, is what keeps one bad trade from turning into a blown account.
The math itself is simple once you have three numbers: how much you are willing to lose on this specific trade, how far away your stop loss is in pips, and what a pip is actually worth in your account currency on the pair you are trading. That last number is the part most beginners get wrong, because it depends on the current exchange rate and, on JPY and metals pairs, on how the pair is quoted.
How to use this calculator
- Choose your account currency and the pair you are about to trade.
- Enter your account balance and the distance to your stop loss, in pips.
- Pick how you want to define your risk: a percentage of your balance, or a fixed amount. 1 to 2% per trade is the range most risk management approaches recommend.
- Exchange rates are pulled in live, so pip value and position size update automatically as you type. If live rates ever fail to load, you will be prompted to enter the day’s rate manually.
- Already know your position size and want to check the risk instead? Switch to the “Find my risk on a trade” tab above the calculator.
The result updates as you type: the amount at risk in your account currency, the pip value used in the calculation, and the position size in lots (or, in the reverse mode, the risk on a position size you already have in mind).
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a standard lot in forex?
A standard lot is 100,000 units of the base currency. A mini lot is 10,000 units, and a micro lot is 1,000 units. Most retail accounts let you trade in mini or micro lots, or fractional lot sizes, which is why the calculator breaks the result down into all three.
Where do the exchange rates come from?
The calculator pulls live exchange rate data automatically when the page loads, so you don’t need to look up or enter a rate yourself for most pairs and account currencies. The status line above the calculator shows when the rates were last updated. If the live data fails to load for any reason, the calculator will ask you to enter the specific rate it needs by hand so the result stays accurate.
How much of my account should I risk per trade?
There is no single correct number, but 1 to 2% per trade is the range most beginner focused risk management guides land on. At 1%, a run of 10 losing trades in a row costs you roughly 10% of your account rather than wiping it out, which matters more than most new traders expect until it happens to them.
Can I use an account currency other than USD?
Yes. The calculator supports USD, EUR, GBP, JPY, AUD, CAD, CHF, NZD, ZAR, and SGD account currencies. Whichever you choose, the risk amount and pip value are converted into that currency using the same live exchange rate data used for the pair calculation.
Does this work for synthetic indices as well as regular forex pairs?
This calculator is built around standard forex pip and lot conventions, plus gold and silver. Synthetic indices, like those offered on Deriv, use their own contract specifications that vary by index, so check the specific pip and contract size for the synthetic index you are trading rather than applying the forex figures here directly.
Want a full walkthrough of a broker’s minimum deposit and account setup before you size your first trade? Read our full Deriv review, or check the Economic Calendar to see what might move the pair you are about to size.
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Trading involves risk and is not suitable for everyone. This is not investment advice.