Free online tool
Calculate position size from trade risk
Set a maximum account risk, entry price, stop-loss price, contract value, and leverage to estimate hypothetical position size, notional value, and margin for several common markets.
Open the interactive Trading Risk & Position Size Calculator
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About this tool
About the Trading Risk & Position Size Calculator
Set a maximum account risk, entry price, stop-loss price, contract value, and leverage to estimate hypothetical position size, notional value, and margin for several common markets.
Detailed guide
How to get useful results from Trading Risk & Position Size Calculator
A position-size calculation starts with the amount you are willing to lose if the stop-loss is reached, not with the largest position a broker allows. Enter an account balance and a risk percentage to calculate a risk budget. For example, a 1% setting on a 10,000 account produces a 100 risk amount in the same account-currency unit. This calculator does not know your broker, quote currency, fees, funding, spread, or liquidation rules, so treat the result as a mathematical planning estimate rather than an instruction to trade.
Enter the planned entry and stop prices. The calculator uses the absolute distance between them, so a long setup and a short setup can use the same formula as long as the stop is different from the entry. The contract-value input represents how much one position unit changes when price moves by 1.00. A common forex standard-lot convention is 100,000 quote-currency units per 1.00 price move; a commonly used gold convention is 100 troy ounces per lot, making a one-dollar move worth 100 per lot. Crypto futures contracts differ widely, so confirm the contract multiplier and enter it directly.
The estimated position size is risk amount divided by stop distance divided by contract value per price unit. Notional value and approximate leverage-based margin are shown as additional context, but leverage does not reduce the amount at risk at the stop. Slippage, spread widening, gaps, commissions, overnight funding, currency conversion, partial fills, and liquidation can make the actual result different. Verify every contract specification and risk limit independently, and never use this calculator as personalized financial advice or an order-placement tool.
Use conservative inputs when testing a scenario: round the calculated size down rather than up, and model costs separately when they are material. A result that fits a formula can still be unsuitable for the account, instrument, or platform. This page performs no live quote lookup and does not connect to a broker or exchange.
Quick guide
How to use this tool
- 01Choose forex, crypto futures, or gold XAUUSD to load a starting contract-value convention.
- 02Enter account balance, maximum risk percentage, entry price, and stop-loss price.
- 03Confirm or replace the contract value per 1.00 price move using your venue specification.
- 04Review risk amount, position size, notional value, and estimated margin before independent checks.
Capabilities
Features and supported formats
- Supports forex, crypto futures, and gold XAUUSD input presets.
- Calculates account risk amount from balance and risk percentage.
- Uses entry-to-stop distance and contract value to estimate size.
- Shows notional value and leverage-based margin as separate estimates.
Supported formats
Inputs: account values, percentages, prices, contract multiplier, and leverage. Outputs: risk amount, stop distance, position size, notional value, and estimated margin.
Answers
Frequently asked questions
How is trading position size calculated?
Position size is estimated as risk amount divided by stop distance and divided again by the contract value for a 1.00 price move. Risk amount is account balance multiplied by the selected risk percentage.
Does this calculator work for forex, crypto futures, and gold?
Yes, it provides starting conventions for forex, crypto futures, and XAUUSD gold, but you must confirm the exact contract multiplier, quote currency, tick value, and margin rules for your broker or venue.
Does leverage change the amount I can lose?
Leverage changes required margin and exposure capacity, not the planned stop-loss risk calculation. Slippage, gaps, fees, liquidation, and execution conditions can still increase actual losses.
Is this trading calculator financial advice?
No. It is an educational mathematical calculator for hypothetical position sizing. It does not consider your objectives or circumstances and does not place, recommend, or transmit trades.