Find the right position size for your next trade with our Forex Lot Size Calculator
The CompareForexBrokers lot size calculator tool helps you find the ideal position size before you open your trade for real. This means you can manage risk properly, while also ensuring your account balance can cover your planned trades.
Simply complete each field in our easy-to-use tool, and let the automated calculator find your optimal lot size.
Results 
Money at Risk:
Position Size (units):
Standard Lots:
Mini Lots:
Micro Lots:
Nano Lots:
How to Use the Lot Size Calculator
Our lot size calculator is designed to be simple and easy to use. Follow this step-by-step process.
- Select Your Account Base Currency: Choose the account base currency from the drop-down list. The options are EUR, USD, GBP, and AUD.
- Input Your Account Balance: How much money have you added to your trading account, or what is the overall balance? This impacts how much total trading value you can sustain.
- Choose a Risk Ratio (%): How much are you willing to risk on your trade? Enter the value as a percentage of your total account balance.
- Set Your Stop-Loss: Define the stop-loss level of your trade in pips. This is the point at which your trade will close out in the event of high losses.
- Choose Your Currency Pair: Which currency pair are you trading? You can select one of the most commonly chosen pairs. These are AUD/USD, EUR/GBP, EUR/USD, and GBP/USD.
Once all the data is added to the form, simply hit the ‘Calculate’ button to get your lot size result. You’ll see a value for the money you’re risking, the position size in the currency you’re working with, and how this translates to other lot sizes.
To make sense of your results, we’ve provided a useful guide for you below.
How the Calculator Works, and What Your Results Mean
Our calculator tool is designed to give you a range of different outputs. To help you understand your results, here’s what each one of those outputs means:
- Money at Risk:
This is how much money you stand to lose if your trade goes badly. It’s a representation of your market exposure, based on the risk percentage and stop-loss levels you input. - Position Size (units):
The value of your position in the units of the base currency you have selected. This gives you an easy reference for the amount of money involved in the trade. - Standard Lots:
The value of the trade in standard lots. - Mini Lots:
The value of the trade in mini lots. - Micro Lots:
The value of the trade in micro lots - Nano Lots:
The value of the trade in nano lots.
To learn more about these different lot sizes, take a look at the table below.
Understanding Lot Sizes
| Lot Size | Units in Base Currency | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Standard Lot | 100,000 | As the name suggests, this is the most common lot type. It is equivalent to 100,000 currency units, and features high reward and risk potential. |
| Mini Lot | 10,000 | Mini lots are a popular middle ground for traders. You are still receiving a fairly high level of market exposure, but with reduced risk. |
| Micro Lot | 1,000 | A good lot size for beginners, or for traders with low risk tolerance. |
| Nano Lot | 100 | The smallest lot size, not offered by many brokers. Potential profits are small, but risk is low, too. This is popular with complete beginners, or traders stepping up from demo accounts to live accounts. |
Other Forex Calculators and Tools
To help you gain more insight and understanding as you trade, we have developed a comprehensive set of calculator tools. Each of these tools is built with live trading in mind – whether this is forex trading, CFD trading, spread betting, or another trading type.
Take a look at our calculator and tool options below:
profit calculator
profit calculator
Estimates profit in pip value and base currency from trade details.
pip calculator
pip calculator
Calculates the value of a pip in the deposit currency for risk management.
fee comparison
fee comparison
Compares spreads and commission fees across major forex pairs and brokers.
margin calculator
margin calculator
Calculates required margin using leverage, trade size, and forex pair.
time zone converter
time zone converter
Shows trading sessions and volumes in major global markets.
FAQ: Forex Lot Sizes
What is a standard lot in forex?
A standard lot in forex is the typical unit used for forex trades. It is the same as 100,000 units of your base currency. So one standard lot of USD is equivalent to US$100,000.
Most forex traders like to work with standard lots, as they offer the best profit potential. However, the risk is also higher, so less experienced traders may look for smaller lot types.
What are the types of lots?
There are four main types of lot. Standard lots are the usual unit for trading, equal to 100,000 units in the base currency. The smaller lot sizes are mini lots of 10,000 units, and micro lots of 1,000 units.
Nano lots of 100 units may also be available from some brokers. Smaller lot sizes carry lower risk, and are suitable for cautious, conservative traders.
How do I calculate my forex lot size?
The right forex lot size is defined by three things. Firstly, your account balance. Then, your risk appetite, or the percentage of the account balance you’re willing to lose. The last thing is the stop-loss level, or the point at which your trade will automatically be closed.
You can use this information in the following formula to calculate lot size:
(Account Balance * Risk Percentage) / (Stop-Loss in Pips * Pip Value) = Lot Size.
For an easier and more accurate calculation, use our automated lot size calculator tool.
Do all brokers offer micro, mini, and nano lots?
No, not all brokers offer these different lot sizes. It’s up to individual brokers to decide which lot sizes they offer. Pepperstone, City Index and Plus500 all offer lots of 1,000 units, and are among the best brokers for micro trading. For nano lot trading, OANDA is the recommended broker choice.
