Position Size Calculator
for day traders.
Calculate how many contracts or lots to trade so your stop-loss equals a fixed % of your account. Works for futures (NQ, ES, MNQ, MES, CL, GC), forex (EUR/USD, GBP/USD), crypto (BTC) and stocks. No signup. No email. No tracking.
How position sizing works
Position sizing is the most important risk-management lever in day trading — bigger than entry timing for most traders. The formula is simple:
Tick value cheat sheet
Pick a preset above, or check your broker. Common values:
| Instrument | Tick size | $ / tick |
|---|---|---|
| NQ | 0.25 | $5.00 |
| MNQ | 0.25 | $0.50 |
| ES | 0.25 | $12.50 |
| MES | 0.25 | $1.25 |
| CL (Crude Oil) | 0.01 | $10.00 |
| GC (Gold) | 0.10 | $10.00 |
| BTC (Bitcoin) | 5.00 | $25.00 |
| EUR/USD | 0.0001 (pip) | $10/lot |
| GBP/USD | 0.0001 (pip) | $10/lot |
Why 0.5–1% risk for funded accounts
Funded accounts (FTMO, Apex, MyForexFunds and similar prop programs) have hard drawdown limits — typically 5% daily and 10% trailing. With 2% per-trade risk, you can blow the daily limit in just 3 losing trades. With 0.5% per-trade risk, you have 10 trades of room before the daily cutoff. The math is simple: smaller risk = more breathing room = longer career.
Read more in our trading glossary — definitions for drawdown, R-multiple, expectancy and more.
Track every trade, not just the size
Position sizing is one part of the puzzle. The bigger one: tracking which setups, emotions and sessions actually pay you. That's what GridTrade is built for — per-trade emotion tracking, 9 combinable filters, multi-account support for funded-account traders.
Want the full trading journal?
Position-sizing is step 1. GridTrade tracks the other 90% — emotion, setup, validity, session. Free for 14 days. No credit card.
Try GridTrade free