Forex Position Size Calculator (Lots, Pips, USD Risk)
Forex position sizing translates a risk percentage into the right lot size for any currency pair. Enter your account size, the percent you're risking, your stop distance in pips, and the pip value (defaults to $10/pip for standard-lot EUR/USD). We'll return your lots in standard, mini, and micro — pick whichever your broker offers.
Results
Standard lots (100k)
0.5
Round down to the nearest 0.01 for most brokers. If under 0.01, use mini or micro lots.
Mini lots (10k)
5
1 mini lot = 0.1 standard. Most retail-friendly size.
Micro lots (1k)
50
1 micro lot = 0.01 standard. Best for small accounts or testing.
Position size (units)
50,000
Total units of the base currency you'd buy or sell.
Dollar risk at this size
$100.00
Slightly less than max-risk because we round lots to typical broker steps.
Results update live as you change inputs. This calculator runs entirely in your browser — your numbers are never sent to a server.
Worked example (EUR/USD on a $10k account)
You have a $10,000 account, risking 1% ($100) per trade on EUR/USD with a 20-pip stop. Risk per standard lot = 20 pips × $10/pip = $200. So you trade 0.5 standard lots ($100 ÷ $200), which equals 5 mini lots or 50 micro lots — same position size, three different ways to enter it on your broker. Your actual risk is exactly $100 because we rounded to the standard 0.01 lot step.
Frequently asked questions
What's a pip in forex?
A pip ('point in percentage') is the smallest standard price move for a currency pair. For most pairs (EUR/USD, GBP/USD), one pip is 0.0001 — so 1.0800 to 1.0801 is one pip. For JPY pairs (USD/JPY, EUR/JPY), one pip is 0.01 because the pair is quoted to 2 decimals. Pip value depends on lot size + the quote currency.
What's the difference between standard, mini, and micro lots?
Standard lot = 100,000 units of base currency (~$10/pip). Mini lot = 10,000 units (~$1/pip). Micro lot = 1,000 units (~$0.10/pip). Most retail brokers let you trade in 0.01 standard-lot increments — that's the same as micro lots. Use micro/mini lots for small accounts and standard for accounts $25k+.
Why does pip value matter for position sizing?
Because risk = stop_distance_in_pips × pip_value × lots. If you misjudge pip value, you misjudge risk. For USD-quote pairs (EUR/USD, GBP/USD, AUD/USD, NZD/USD), pip value is always $10 per standard lot — easy. For USD-base pairs (USD/JPY, USD/CAD) it changes with the exchange rate. Cross pairs (EUR/GBP, AUD/NZD) need an additional conversion to USD.
How is forex sizing different from stock sizing?
Stocks use share count (integer). Forex uses lots (fractional, but stepped at 0.01 standard for most brokers). Stocks have one entry price; forex has a bid/ask spread that costs you 0.5-3 pips per round trip. Stocks settle T+2; forex is leveraged and rolled overnight. The underlying risk math is identical — just the units differ.
What's a reasonable stop distance in forex?
Depends on timeframe. Scalpers: 5-15 pips. Day-traders: 20-50 pips. Swing traders: 50-200 pips. Position traders may use 200-500. A useful default is 1× the daily ATR of the pair — for EUR/USD that's currently about 60-80 pips. Wider than 1× ATR if you're holding through news.
Should I trade standard or mini lots starting out?
Mini lots. On a $5k account, one standard lot at 1% risk gives you only a 5-pip stop budget — not enough room for even a tight scalp. Mini or micro lots let you use sensible 20-50 pip stops while keeping risk at 1%. Move to standard lots only when account size makes the pip math work (~$25k+).