Lot size calculator for forex and gold
Know exactly what you’re risking before you click. Enter your balance, your risk and your stop, and get the lot size to type into MT4 or MT5. Works for gold (XAUUSD) and the main forex pairs, in pounds, dollars or euros.
| Money at risk | – |
| Loss per 1.00 lot at this stop | – |
| Actual risk at this lot size | – |
| Value per pip or $1 of gold (1.00 lot) | – |
| Position size | – |
Rounded down to 0.01 lots. Assumes 100,000 units per forex lot and 100 oz per gold lot; check your broker’s contract size under Specification in MetaTrader.
Want this on your chart instead?
TTL Risk:Reward Pro puts drag-and-drop long and short boxes on your MT4 or MT5 chart and works out the lot size as you move the stop, rounded to your broker’s lot step. £12, once.
See Risk:Reward ProMaster one setup at a time.
Most traders fail by collecting setups. The ones who last pick one, learn it properly, and only add another once the numbers prove it pays. Fixed, sensible risk on every trade is what keeps you in the game long enough to find out which one pays.
- Pick one setup from this indicator and ignore everything else for now.
- Log every trade of it in The Trader’s Ledger: 30 to 40 trades, wins and losses.
- Let the numbers decide. Keep it if it pays you in R. Drop it or fix it if it doesn’t. Then, and only then, add the next.
How to calculate lot size
Every position size comes from three numbers: how much you’re willing to lose, how far away your stop is, and what each pip (or each dollar of gold) is worth per lot.
Example: gold (XAUUSD)
Balance £5,000, risking 1% = £50. Stop $5.00 away. One lot of gold is 100 oz, so a $5 move costs $500 per lot, about £373 at a GBP/USD rate of 1.34. £50 ÷ £373 = 0.13 lots.
Example: GBPUSD
Balance £5,000, risking 1% = £50. Stop 20 pips. One pip on a standard lot is $10, so 20 pips is $200 per lot, about £149. £50 ÷ £149 = 0.33 lots.
The full walk-through, including JPY pairs and indices, is in how to calculate lot size for forex, gold and indices. For why risk per trade matters so much, read how much to risk per trade and drawdown and losing streaks.
More on position sizing
- How much is 0.01 lot in gold? Gold lot sizes, pips and margin.
- Pip value explained for dollar, pound and yen pairs.
- NAS100 and US30 lot size: why index lots differ between brokers.
- Position sizing for prop firm challenges, with daily loss limits.
Questions
How do I calculate lot size for gold?
Work out how much you’re willing to lose (for example 1% of your balance), then divide it by the loss per 1.00 lot at your stop. On most brokers one lot of gold is 100 ounces, so a $1 move costs $100 per lot. A $5 stop therefore costs $500 per lot, and a £50 risk with a GBP account is about 0.13 lots at typical exchange rates.
How do I calculate lot size for forex?
Lot size = money at risk ÷ (stop in pips × pip value per lot). On a standard lot of a USD-quoted pair such as EURUSD or GBPUSD, one pip is worth $10.
How much should I risk per trade?
Most professional guidance is 0.5% to 2% of your account per trade. At 1%, ten losses in a row costs about 10%; at 5%, it costs around 40%.
Is one lot of gold always 100 ounces?
On most MT4/MT5 brokers, yes, but some use different contract sizes. Check the contract size in MetaTrader: right-click the symbol in Market Watch, then Specification.
Why does my account currency matter?
Your stop loss costs money in the pair’s quote currency (US dollars for EURUSD and gold, yen for USDJPY). The calculator converts that into pounds, dollars or euros using the exchange rate you enter.
Log every trade in R, not just pounds
The Trader’s Ledger records each trade’s risk and result in R, so you can see which setups really pay you. £19 once, with a 49-page trading course.
For education and planning only. Check every figure against your broker’s contract specification before you trade. Trading carries a high level of risk.