This calculator answers a different question than a typical pip or profit calculator: not "what will this trade earn," but "how large should this trade actually be." Given your account balance, how much of it you're willing to risk, and where your stop-loss sits, it works out the exact lot size that keeps a single losing trade within that limit — regardless of which instrument you're trading or what currency your account is funded in.
It's the risk-management step most beginners skip, and the one experienced traders treat as non-negotiable: deciding position size from your actual risk tolerance, rather than picking a lot size first and hoping the loss stays manageable.
The result gives you three numbers: the actual money amount at risk, the lot size that produces exactly that risk, and the total notional value of the resulting position.
Enter your account balance, how much of it you're willing to risk on the trade (as a percentage), and your stop-loss price. The calculator works out the exact lot size that keeps your risk at that amount, based on the real distance between your entry and stop-loss.
It's the mechanism that actually enforces your risk tolerance. Two traders can each decide to "risk 1% per trade," but only the one calculating lot size from that percentage — rather than guessing — genuinely keeps that promise trade after trade.
Many experienced traders risk 1-2% of their account per trade as a conservative, sustainable approach, though this is a personal risk decision, not a fixed rule.
Yes — select it correctly and both the risk amount and notional value convert properly using live exchange rates, rather than assuming your balance is already in USD.
Risk amount is what you'd actually lose if the stop-loss is hit — the number tied directly to your risk percentage. Notional value is the full size of the position itself, which is typically far larger than the risk amount, since leverage means you're controlling more than you're risking.
Yes — the same risk-based sizing works across forex, metals, and major cryptocurrencies, using each instrument's real contract size.
Decide your stop-loss first, based on where the trade setup is genuinely invalidated — not based on what lot size you'd like to trade. Position size should follow from your stop, not the other way around.
This tool decides how large a position should be before you enter; the profit calculator shows what that position would actually earn or lose once you know your entry and exit prices. Used together, they cover both sides of planning a trade.