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Position Size Calculator

Position sizing is the one decision you control on every trade. Enter your account balance, the percentage you are willing to lose, your entry and your stop-loss, and get the exact size for stocks, crypto, futures or forex.

  • Free
  • Stocks · Forex · Futures · Crypto
  • Includes fees

Position size

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Amount at risk

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Position value

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Leverage

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Stop distance

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Reward-to-risk

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Your trade on the price line

Red is what you lose if the stop is hit. Green is what you make at the target, at your chosen size.

Same trade at other risk levels

Risk per tradeAmount at riskSizePosition value

How position sizing works

Position sizing turns a risk rule into a number of shares, contracts or lots. Instead of choosing a size by feel, you decide how much of your account you will lose if the trade fails, then let the stop-loss distance set the size. A wider stop means a smaller position. A tighter stop allows a larger one. In both cases the money at risk stays the same.

This is called fixed-fractional risk, and it is the most common way professionals size trades. Many traders risk between 0.25% and 2% of their account per trade. The right level depends on your win rate, your payoff and how much drawdown you can tolerate. The risk of ruin calculator and the strategy simulator help you choose.

Using the calculator

  1. Pick your market: stocks and crypto, futures, or forex.
  2. Enter your account balance and the percentage you will risk.
  3. Enter your entry price and your stop-loss price. A stop below the entry is a long trade, above is a short.
  4. Optionally add a take-profit price to see the reward and the reward-to-risk ratio, and add fees per unit to include trading costs.

Futures and forex

For futures, enter the dollar value of a one-point move for one contract (for example 50 for E-mini S&P 500). For forex, the calculator works in base-currency units and also shows standard lots of 100,000 units. If your account currency differs from the pair's quote currency, enter the conversion rate from the quote currency to your account currency.

The calculator rounds down to a tradable size, so the actual risk is never higher than your limit. Gaps and slippage can still make a real loss larger than planned.

The formula

risk amount = balance × risk %
risk per unit = |entry − stop| × value per point + fees per unit
position size = risk amount ÷ risk per unitFor stocks the value per point is 1. Round down to a whole share, contract or lot step.
position value = size × entry × value per point
leverage = position value ÷ balance
reward-to-risk = reward at target ÷ risk amount

Worked examples

Buying a stock

Account of $10,000, risking 1% per trade. You buy at $50 with a stop-loss at $48. The risk amount is $100 and each share risks $2 if the stop is hit.

50 sharesPosition size
$2,500Position value
$100Amount at risk
0.25×Leverage

A forex trade

Account of $10,000 in USD, risking 1% on a long EUR/USD trade at 1.0850 with a stop at 1.0820, which is 30 pips. Risk per unit is 0.0030, so the position is 33,333 units, rounded down to 33,000, or 0.33 standard lots.

33,000 unitsPosition size
0.33Standard lots
$35,805Position value
3.6×Leverage

Why a wider stop shrinks the position

Same $10,000 account and 1% risk. With a $2 stop on a $50 stock you buy 50 shares. With a $5 stop you buy only 20. The dollar risk is identical at $100, and the position value falls from $2,500 to $1,000.

50 shares$2 stop
20 shares$5 stop
$100 bothDollar risk

Frequently asked questions

How much should I risk per trade?

Many traders keep risk between 0.25% and 2% of their account. Lower risk survives longer losing streaks. Higher risk grows faster but produces deeper drawdowns. Test your own win rate and payoff in the risk of ruin calculator.

Is position size the same as the amount I risk?

No. Position size is the number of shares, contracts or lots. The amount at risk is how much you lose if the stop is hit. A large position with a tight stop can risk the same as a small position with a wide stop.

Why is my position bigger than my account?

With a tight stop the position value can exceed your balance. That needs margin or leverage. The calculator shows leverage so you can see it. Risk is still capped at your chosen percentage if the stop fills, but gaps can break that.

How do I size a crypto trade?

Use the stocks and crypto mode. Enter your balance, risk percentage, entry and stop. The result is the number of coins or tokens. For leveraged perpetual futures the same position size applies, and margin is position value divided by leverage.

Does the calculator include fees?

Yes, add round-trip fees per unit. They increase the cost of each unit, so the position gets slightly smaller to keep the total risk at your limit.

What about gaps and slippage?

The calculation assumes your stop fills at its price. In fast markets or overnight gaps it can fill worse. Keep risk small enough that one bad fill does not hurt, and consider the stop ruler in the Range Fan indicator for realistic distances.

a.b

Built by a.b. I have published trading indicators on TradingView since 2015. These tools use the same standards: clear logic, no hidden assumptions. Message me on TradingView chat with feedback or a tool you would like to see.

Last updated October 2026. For education only. Not financial advice. Results depend on your inputs and cannot predict future performance.