Position size calculator
How many lots to trade for the risk you choose: balance × risk ÷ (stop in pips × pip value per lot). Pick a WhitePips plan to see the trade against its daily and maximum loss.
- $10one pip on 1.00 lot of a USD-quoted pair
- 0.01 lotthe smallest step on most MT5 symbols
- $4,000Max Daily Loss on a $100K Edge 1 Step
Sizes are rounded down to 0.01 lot, the smallest step on most MT5 symbols. Commission is extra: on CFDs it is charged per lot, round turn (see symbols and commission).
How it is calculated
Decide the money at risk
Your balance multiplied by the share you are willing to lose on one trade. $100,000 × 0.5% = $500.
Price the stop per lot
One standard lot is 100,000 units of the base currency, so a one-pip move (0.0001, or 0.01 on yen pairs) is worth $10 on any pair quoted in US dollars and a converted amount on the rest. A 20-pip stop costs $200 per lot.
Divide, then round down
Money at risk ÷ the stop's cost per lot: $500 ÷ $200 = 2.50 lots. If the stop is hit you lose exactly the amount you decided to risk and no more.
Pip value per 1.00 lot, by pair
A worked example on a $100K Edge 1 Step
Balance $100,000, risk 0.5% per trade, a 20-pip stop on EURUSD. Money at risk is $500. One pip on one lot is $10, so the stop costs $200 per lot. $500 ÷ $200 = 2.50 lots.
A full stop-out at 2.50 lots costs $500, so it would take 8 losing trades in a row to reach the daily limit. That count, more than any single trade, is what keeps an evaluation alive.
Max Daily Loss and Max Loss
On WhitePips CFD accounts both loss limits count open losses as well as closed ones, so a trade that is losing on screen already uses part of the day's allowance. On a $100K Edge 1 Step the daily limit is $4,000 and the Max Loss $7,500 (Static).
For education. The results are arithmetic on the figures you enter; the contract specification, prices and commission on your platform decide real results. Nothing here is financial advice, and trading leveraged products can lose money.
Position size calculator: questions
What is a good risk per trade on a funded account?
There is no single right number, and nothing here is advice. Many traders size so that several losing trades in a row stay well inside the daily loss limit. On a $100K Edge 1 Step the daily limit is $4,000: risking 0.5% ($500) a trade leaves room for 8 full losses in one day; risking 2% ($2,000) leaves room for 2.
Why does the pip value change between pairs?
Because profit is paid in the pair's quote currency and then converted to your account currency. On EURUSD the quote is the dollar, so a pip on one lot is $10 with no conversion. On USDJPY it is yen, so the $ value depends on the yen rate.
Does leverage change my position size?
No. Leverage decides how much margin a position ties up, not how much it loses per pip. Two traders with the same lot size and stop lose the same amount whatever their leverage.
Is commission included?
No, the calculator sizes the stop only. On WhitePips CFD accounts commission is charged per lot, round turn: forex $5 on Edge and Instant and $4 on Prime; indices and stocks are free. See every symbol's commission.
Does the daily loss limit count open trades?
Yes. On WhitePips CFD accounts both loss limits count open losses as well as closed ones, so a trade that is losing on screen already uses part of the day's allowance. See how the daily loss limit works.
Put the numbers to work
Every plan, size and price, with the rules printed before you buy. No time limit on any evaluation.