Enter your account, risk, and stop. Get the exact size to trade, with math built for forex, futures, stocks, crypto and options.
Most blowups aren’t a bad call. They’re a good call sized too big. Your stop distance sets your risk as much as your stop does, so 10 pips and 50 pips aren’t the same trade. This tool turns a fixed dollar risk into the right size, so a losing streak stays survivable.
“Risk 1%” is the easy part. The hard part is turning that dollar figure into a size, and every market measures the distance to your stop differently. Here’s the formula the calculator uses for each.
Risk depends on the pips between entry and stop and what each pip is worth at your lot size. A 10-pip and a 50-pip stop are completely different sizes for the same dollar risk.
Each contract has a fixed dollar value per tick. An ES point is worth $50, a crude oil point $1,000, so the same 10-point stop risks very different amounts by contract. Contracts trade in whole numbers only.
The cleanest case: risk per share is entry minus stop. Divide your dollar risk by that for your share count, then check the position value doesn’t overexpose the account.
Same logic as stocks, but coins are fractional and distances are large. Sizing on the gap between entry and stop keeps a volatile asset from quietly becoming your whole account.
For a long option, your risk is usually the premium paid. One contract controls 100 shares, so a $2.50 option risks $250. Size by the premium you’re willing to lose, whether the full ticket or a stop on its price.
Every version is the same idea: decide the dollars you’ll lose, then let the stop distance set the size, never the reverse. Sizing to a number that “feels right” is how a correct stop still blows a hole in the account.
Position sizing is your first line of defense against a single bad trade. Size too big and one normal loss, or a short losing streak that every method produces, can do damage it takes months to recover from. Sizing each trade to a small, fixed fraction of the account is what lets you survive the losers and stay in the game long enough for an edge to play out.
There’s no universal number, but most disciplined traders risk between 0.5% and 2% of the account per trade. Lower risk survives longer losing streaks; higher risk compounds faster but drills deep drawdowns when things go against you. Prop-firm and funded-account rules often force the low end. Pick a number you can hold to on your worst day, not your best.
The account and risk part is identical; the conversion to size is not. Forex measures the stop in pips and multiplies by a pip value that depends on lot size. Futures use a fixed dollar value per tick or point that’s specific to each contract, and only trade in whole contracts. Options size on premium at risk times the contract multiplier, usually 100. Using the wrong market’s math is one of the most common sizing mistakes, and this calculator switches the formula for you.
Yes. Both size on the price distance between your entry and your stop. Stocks return a whole-share count; crypto allows fractional units because you can hold partial coins. In both cases the tool also shows your position’s notional value so you can check a single trade isn’t quietly taking over the account.
For the same dollar risk, yes: a tighter stop produces a larger position, and a wider stop a smaller one. That’s the whole point of sizing off the stop. Your risk stays constant while the size flexes to fit the trade. The catch is that a stop placed too tight just to size up gets hit by normal noise. Place the stop where the trade is actually invalidated, then let the size follow.
No. This is a free educational calculator. It doesn’t know your full situation and doesn’t account for slippage, gaps, fees, or how a real fill differs from your intended stop. Treat the output as a starting point and make your own decisions, ideally with a licensed professional.
This calculator sizes the trade once you know your stop. SMRT Algo prints the entry, stop, and take-profits on your TradingView chart before the candle closes, so the stop you enter here isn’t a guess. A coordinated 14-indicator system, no repainting.
Get SMRT AlgoThis position size calculator is provided for informational and educational purposes only and does not constitute financial, investment, or trading advice. Outputs are based solely on the figures you enter and do not account for slippage, gaps, spreads, commissions, liquidity, or the difference between an intended and an executed stop.
Trading and investing carry significant risk, and it is possible to lose money. Decisions to buy, sell, or trade any financial instrument should be made with the guidance of a licensed professional. Past performance does not guarantee future results.
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