How do I calculate lot size in forex?

Divide the amount you are willing to lose by your stop-loss in pips multiplied by the pip value per lot. Risking $100 with a 50-pip stop on EUR/USD, where a pip is worth $10 per standard lot: 100 ÷ (50 × 10) = 0.20 lots.

What is the difference between a standard, mini and micro lot?

A standard lot is 100,000 units of the base currency, a mini lot is 10,000 (0.1 lots) and a micro lot is 1,000 (0.01 lots). On EUR/USD that makes a pip worth $10, $1 and $0.10 respectively.

What lot size should I use for a $1,000 account?

It depends on your stop, not just the balance. Risking 1% ($10) with a 25-pip stop on EUR/USD gives 0.04 lots; with a 50-pip stop, 0.02 lots. A fixed lot size regardless of stop distance is how small accounts get wiped out by one wide-stop trade.

Should I round lot size up or down?

Down. Brokers usually accept size in steps of 0.01 lots, so 0.237 becomes 0.23. Rounding up means risking more than you decided to; rounding down means slightly less, which is the safe direction.

Forex lot size calculator

The lot size that makes your stop-loss cost exactly the percentage of your account you chose. Enter your balance, risk and stop in pips — the calculator handles pip value, yen pairs and crosses.

Currency pair

Account balance

Risk per trade

Most professionals risk 0.5–2% per trade.

Stop-loss distance

From your entry to your stop.

Lot size

0.20

standard lots

Units

20,000

2.0 mini · 20 micro

You risk

$100.00

if the stop hits

Pip value

$2.00

per pip at this size

Trade 0.20 lots of EUR/USD. Each pip is then worth $2.00, so a 50-pip stop costs $100.00 — 1.00% of the account. Most brokers accept size in steps of 0.01 lots; round down, never up.

Lot size is the forex version of position sizing: the decision that keeps one bad trade from becoming a bad month. It should come from the stop, never the other way round — decide where the trade is wrong, then size so that being wrong costs a fixed amount.

Want the dollar value of a pip at a size you already have in mind? Use the pip value calculator. For stocks and crypto, the position size calculator does the same job in shares or coins.

Frequently asked questions

How do I calculate lot size in forex?: Divide the amount you are willing to lose by your stop-loss in pips multiplied by the pip value per lot. Risking $100 with a 50-pip stop on EUR/USD, where a pip is worth $10 per standard lot: 100 ÷ (50 × 10) = 0.20 lots.
What is the difference between a standard, mini and micro lot?: A standard lot is 100,000 units of the base currency, a mini lot is 10,000 (0.1 lots) and a micro lot is 1,000 (0.01 lots). On EUR/USD that makes a pip worth $10, $1 and $0.10 respectively.
What lot size should I use for a $1,000 account?: It depends on your stop, not just the balance. Risking 1% ($10) with a 25-pip stop on EUR/USD gives 0.04 lots; with a 50-pip stop, 0.02 lots. A fixed lot size regardless of stop distance is how small accounts get wiped out by one wide-stop trade.
Should I round lot size up or down?: Down. Brokers usually accept size in steps of 0.01 lots, so 0.237 becomes 0.23. Rounding up means risking more than you decided to; rounding down means slightly less, which is the safe direction.

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These calculators are educational and are not financial advice. They describe arithmetic, not outcomes — no position size makes a losing strategy profitable. Trading carries risk, including loss of capital.