Free trader tool
Position Size Calculator
Size every trade to your exact risk — across forex, indices, gold and crypto. Enter your balance, risk, entry and stop, and get the precise lot size, dollar risk and reward-to-risk in real time.
- Risk amount
- $100.00
- Stop distance
- 50 points
- Direction
- Long ▲
- Position notional
- ≈ $40,000
- Reward : Risk
- 2 : 1
- Potential reward
- $200.00
Sizing keeps you alive. A real system makes you money.
Learn the CRT × Mitigation method end to end — with a built-in journal to track every trade.
Get the course →How to calculate position size
Position size comes down to a single question: how many lots — or contracts, or coins — can you hold so that if price hits your stop, you lose exactly the amount you chose to risk, and not a dollar more? Three numbers decide it:
- Risk amount — a fixed percentage of your account (most traders use 0.5–2%) or a set dollar figure.
- Stop distance — how far your stop-loss sits from your entry, in price.
- Point value — what a one-point (or one-pip) move is worth, per lot, on your instrument.
The formula is: Position size = Risk amount ÷ (Stop distance × Point value). The calculator above does the point-value part for each instrument type — pips on forex, points on indices, dollars-per-ounce on gold, straight coins on crypto — so you never have to look up contract specs by hand.
Why position sizing matters
Most blown accounts aren't killed by bad setups — they're killed by good setups sized wrong. Risk 10% on a trade and an ordinary five-loss streak (which every strategy has) roughly halves your account. Risk 1% and that same streak barely leaves a mark. Sizing is the line between surviving variance and getting wiped by it.
Fixing your risk per trade also makes your results readable. When every trade risks the same 1%, your P&L is measured in R — clean multiples you can actually compare, review and improve. That is exactly the discipline the trade journaling guide and the built-in journal in the CRT course are built around.
Frequently asked questions
What is a position size calculator?
It tells you exactly how many lots, contracts or units to trade so that if price hits your stop-loss, you lose only the amount you decided to risk. Enter your balance, risk, entry and stop — it returns the size.
How much should I risk per trade?
Most consistent traders risk 0.5–2% of their account per trade. Lower keeps you in the game through losing streaks; higher grows the account faster but sharply raises the odds of a deep drawdown.
Is forex position sizing different from indices, gold or crypto?
The formula is identical — only the point value changes. Forex uses pip value per lot, indices use point value per contract, gold is 100 oz per lot, and crypto is sized directly in coins. This calculator handles each instrument type for you.
Is the calculator free?
Yes — completely free, no signup, no limits. Use it as often as you like.
More free tools
Sizing keeps you alive. A system makes you money.
Learn the CRT × Mitigation method end to end, with a built-in trading journal. One-time purchase, lifetime access.
Get the course →