What this calculator does
A maximum drawdown rule sets a floor under your account. If the balance (or equity) reaches the floor, the attempt ends. The floor is easy to calculate when it is static. It is harder to keep track of when it trails, because it depends on the best balance you have reached so far.
Enter your account size, the drawdown percentage, the type of rule and your daily balances, one day per line. The calculator shows the floor after each day, the room above it, how many full losses at your risk size fit in that room, and a chart of balance against floor.
The three rule types
- Static. The floor stays at the starting balance minus the drawdown. Making profit moves your balance away from it.
- Trailing, closing balance. The floor is the highest closing balance minus the drawdown. This covers both rules based on balance and rules that update only at the end of the day.
- Trailing, intraday equity. The floor also rises with the highest equity reached during the day, including open profit. It is the strictest version. Add the day's highest equity after the closing balance to use it.
The optional lock stops the floor from rising once it reaches the starting balance. Some firms use it, so that after enough profit the account has a fixed floor at the start level.
What it assumes
The calculator only knows what you enter: a closing balance for each day and, for intraday-equity trailing, the day's highest equity. It checks the closing balance against the floor that applied during that day, so an intraday dip below the floor that recovers by the close is not caught. Firms differ and change their terms, so enter the rules from your firm's current terms. This page uses no firm's rules and is not affiliated with any prop firm.
The math
The practical difference is in the room. With a static floor, profit adds room, because the floor stays put. With a trailing floor, room is always at most the drawdown amount, and it shrinks after every give-back from the high. This is why a trailing rule is described as measuring the drawdown from the peak.
Worked examples
Static against trailing, same eight days
A $100,000 account, a 5% drawdown ($5,000) and these closing balances. Only the rule changes.
| Day | Close | Static floor | Static room | Trailing floor | Trailing room |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $100,800 | $95,000 | $5,800 | $95,800 | $5,000 |
| 2 | $101,900 | $95,000 | $6,900 | $96,900 | $5,000 |
| 3 | $101,300 | $95,000 | $6,300 | $96,900 | $4,400 |
| 4 | $102,800 | $95,000 | $7,800 | $97,800 | $5,000 |
| 5 | $102,200 | $95,000 | $7,200 | $97,800 | $4,400 |
| 6 | $103,500 | $95,000 | $8,500 | $98,500 | $5,000 |
| 7 | $100,400 | $95,000 | $5,400 | $98,500 | $1,900 |
| 8 | $98,200 | $95,000 | $3,200 | $98,500 | Breach |
The balance never gets near the static floor. The trailing floor rose to $98,500 after day 6, so the fall to $98,200 on day 8 is a breach even though the account is still $1,800 below its starting value. The static room on that day is $3,200.
What the lock at the starting balance changes
Same account and drawdown. The balance climbs to $106,000 and then falls back to $100,900.
| Day | Close | Floor, no lock | Room, no lock | Floor, locked | Room, locked |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $103,000 | $98,000 | $5,000 | $98,000 | $5,000 |
| 2 | $106,000 | $101,000 | $5,000 | $100,000 | $6,000 |
| 3 | $104,500 | $101,000 | $3,500 | $100,000 | $4,500 |
| 4 | $100,900 | $101,000 | Breach | $100,000 | $900 |
Without a lock the floor follows the high to $101,000 and the close of $100,900 on day 4 breaches it. With the lock the floor stops at $100,000 and the same balance has $900 of room. If your firm applies a lock, it changes how much of a profit you can give back.
Closing balance against intraday equity
On day 1 the account closes at $101,000 after touching $103,500 during the session.
| Rule | Floor after day 1 | Room at the close |
|---|---|---|
| Trailing, closing balance | $96,000 | $5,000 |
| Trailing, intraday equity | $98,500 | $2,500 |
The intraday high moves the floor up by $2,500, and that room is gone for the rest of the attempt even though the balance never closed there. Check which version your firm uses before sizing trades around open profits.
Frequently asked questions
What is a trailing drawdown?
A drawdown limit measured from the highest balance (or equity) reached instead of from the starting balance. Each new high raises the floor by the same amount, and the floor never moves down. The room you have above it is at most the drawdown amount.
What is the difference between a static and a trailing drawdown?
A static floor is fixed at the starting balance minus the drawdown, so profit adds room. A trailing floor follows the peak, so room is capped at the drawdown amount and giving back profit uses it up. In the example above the same balances never come near the static floor but breach the trailing one on day 8.
Is an end-of-day trailing drawdown the same as a balance-based one?
They behave the same on the data this calculator uses, which is one closing balance per day: the floor rises with the highest closing balance. The difference in practice is timing, because a rule updated at the end of the day ignores intraday swings. The intraday-equity option is the strict version that counts them.
What does 'locked at the starting balance' mean?
Some trailing rules stop moving once the floor reaches the starting balance, so after enough profit the floor is fixed at the initial level. Tick the lock option to model it. Not every firm uses it, so check the current terms of yours.
How many losses can I take before the floor?
Divide the room above the floor by the amount you risk per trade and round up. The calculator does this for the latest day, using the risk per trade you enter. With a trailing floor the room shrinks when the balance falls from a high, so the count can drop without a single losing trade in a streak.
Does this calculator use my firm's rules?
No. It has no built-in rules from any firm, so you enter the drawdown, its type and the lock yourself. Always read the current rules of the firm you trade with. This page is educational and is not affiliated with any prop firm.
Protect the floor with a plan for your exits.
A trailing floor rewards trades that end near their highs and punishes giving profit back. Tools that mark exhaustion and levels can help with that.
Guides that explain it
Last updated November 2026. For education only. Not financial advice. Results depend on your inputs and cannot predict future performance.