By Katie
· Free tool · Reviewed October 13, 2026
Lot size is how big your forex trade is. It should come from the money you are ready to lose and from where your stop goes, not from a feeling. Enter your numbers and the calculator gives you the lot size for 21 currency pairs, in 8 account currencies.
Your lot size
0.20 lots
Contents (11)
How to use the lot size calculator
- Choose the currency your trading account is in.
- Enter your balance and how much you are ready to lose on this trade, as a percentage or as an amount.
- Pick the currency pair and enter your stop loss in pips.
- If the pair does not end in your account currency, the calculator fills in today's price. Type your platform's price for an exact result.
- Read the lot size. If your platform needs whole steps, round down, never up.
What is a lot in forex?
A lot is the unit you trade forex in. One standard lot is 100,000 units of the first currency in the pair. On EUR/USD, one standard lot is 100,000 euros. Most platforms let you trade much smaller pieces, down to 0.01 lots.
| Lot type | Lots | Units | One pip on EUR/USD |
|---|---|---|---|
| Standard | 1.00 | 100,000 | $10 |
| Mini | 0.10 | 10,000 | $1 |
| Micro | 0.01 | 1,000 | $0.10 |
| Nano | 0.001 | 100 | $0.01 |
Nano lots exist only on some accounts. For most traders, 0.01 lots is the smallest step.
How to calculate lot size
money at risk = balance × risk %
lot size = money at risk ÷ (stop loss in pips × pip value per standard lot)
The pip value is what one pip is worth on one standard lot, in your account currency. For pairs that end in USD, with a USD account, it is always 10 dollars. For other pairs it depends on the price, which is why the calculator asks for it. The pip calculator shows the pip value for any pair.
Example: EUR/USD
You have 5,000 dollars and risk 1%, so you can lose 50 dollars. You buy EUR/USD with a 25-pip stop. One pip on a standard lot is worth 10 dollars.
50 ÷ (25 × 10) = 0.20 lots. If the stop is hit, you lose 25 pips × 2 dollars = 50 dollars, exactly what you planned.
Example: USD/JPY
Same account, same 50 dollars, but now USD/JPY with a 30-pip stop. On yen pairs a pip is 0.01, and with USD/JPY at 158.60 one pip on a standard lot is worth 0.01 × 100,000 ÷ 158.60 = 6.31 dollars.
50 ÷ (30 × 6.31) = 0.264, so you trade 0.26 lots. Rounding down keeps the risk just under 50 dollars.
What common lot sizes are worth
On EUR/USD with a USD account:
| Lots | Units | One pip | 50 pips |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0.01 | 1,000 | $0.10 | $5.00 |
| 0.05 | 5,000 | $0.50 | $25.00 |
| 0.10 | 10,000 | $1.00 | $50.00 |
| 0.50 | 50,000 | $5.00 | $250.00 |
| 1.00 | 100,000 | $10.00 | $500.00 |
So a 0.01 lot is 1,000 euros, and every pip is worth 10 cents. A 0.5 lot is 50,000 euros, and every pip is worth 5 dollars.
Lot size by account size
With 1% risk and a 20-pip stop on EUR/USD:
| Balance | Money at risk | Lot size |
|---|---|---|
| $100 | $1.00 | below 0.01 (0.005) |
| $500 | $5.00 | 0.02 |
| $1,000 | $10.00 | 0.05 |
| $5,000 | $50.00 | 0.25 |
| $10,000 | $100.00 | 0.50 |
With 100 dollars, even 0.01 lots risks more than 1% on a 20-pip stop. That is the honest answer for very small accounts: either the risk per trade goes up, or the stop has to be very close. Our lesson on how much money you need to start trading explains why.
Common mistakes
- Using the same lot size on every pair. The same 0.20 lots risks different money on EUR/USD, USD/JPY and GBP/JPY, and a 25-pip stop is tight on one pair and wide on another.
- Choosing the lot size first. The stop goes where the trade idea is wrong. The lot size follows from it.
- Rounding up. If the result is 0.237, trade 0.23.
- Raising the lot size after a loss. That is how one bad day turns into a lost account.
- Forgetting the spread. On short timeframes it adds a few pips to the real distance to your stop.
Frequently asked questions
How do you calculate lot size?
Multiply your balance by your risk percentage to get the money at risk. Then divide it by your stop in pips times the pip value of one standard lot. With 5,000 dollars, 1% risk, a 25-pip stop and 10 dollars a pip: 50 ÷ 250 = 0.20 lots.
How much is a 0.01 lot size?
A 0.01 lot is a micro lot: 1,000 units of the first currency. On EUR/USD with a USD account, one pip is worth 10 cents, so a 50-pip move is 5 dollars.
How much is 0.5 lot size in dollars?
A 0.5 lot is 50,000 units. On EUR/USD each pip is worth 5 dollars, so 20 pips is 100 dollars. The position itself is worth about 50,000 euros, but you only put up the margin.
What lot size should I use with a 100 dollar account?
Usually 0.01 lots, the smallest size. Even that risks 2 dollars on a 20-pip stop, which is 2% of the account. Keep the stop close and logical, or trade on a demo account until the balance is bigger.
Does leverage change my lot size?
No. Leverage only decides how much margin the broker holds. Your lot size should come from your risk and your stop. High leverage only makes it possible to trade too big.
Can I use this for gold?
Gold works differently: one lot is usually 100 ounces and the stop is set in dollars. Use the gold lot size calculator for XAU/USD.
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Learn it properly
- 1How to Manage Risk in TradingThe two decisions and one division behind every lot size.
- 2How Much Money Do You Need to Start Trading?Why a very small account struggles to size trades properly.
- 3Why Do I Keep Losing Money in Trading?Trading too big is near the top of the list.
For education only, not financial advice. Trading carries a real risk of losing money. Nothing you enter is saved or sent anywhere: the calculator runs in your browser.