Forex Position Size Calculator (Free, Canada-Ready)
Position sizing is the single most important risk skill in forex — more important than picking entries. This free calculator tells you how large a position to take so a losing trade only costs you the amount you decided in advance. Enter your numbers below.
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We may earn a commission if you open an account through some links on this page, at no cost to you. We do not test brokers with live-funded accounts; our ratings are built from regulatory records (CIRO, CIPF, provincial regulators), public disclosures, and documented broker terms. See our methodology and affiliate disclosure. Trading forex and CFDs carries a high risk of loss.
How to use it
- Account balance & currency: your tradeable capital.
- Risk per trade: the share of your account you’ll risk if the stop-loss hits — many traders keep this to 1–2%.
- Stop-loss (pips): the distance from entry to your stop.
- Pip value: roughly 10 account-currency units per standard lot on most majors; adjust for your specific pair.
Why this matters more than your entries
You can be right less than half the time and still come out ahead if your losses are small and controlled. You can also be right most of the time and still blow up if one oversized trade goes against you. Sizing every position to a fixed, small risk is what keeps you in the game long enough for an edge to play out.
Remember Canada’s leverage caps
Even if a position size looks affordable, Canadian brokers cap leverage (around 50:1 on major pairs). If your sized position would need more leverage than that, it won’t fit in a CIRO-regulated account — which is a feature, not a bug. See our leverage caps explainer.
This tool is educational and simplified. Trading forex and CFDs carries a high risk of loss; nothing here is financial advice.
Frequently asked questions
How is forex position size calculated?
Position size = (account balance × risk percentage) ÷ (stop-loss in pips × pip value). The calculator does this for you. The key idea is that you decide how many dollars you’re willing to lose on a trade first, then size the position to fit that — not the other way around.
What risk percentage should I use?
Many experienced traders risk no more than 1–2% of their account on a single trade. Risking more means a short losing streak can do serious damage. Lower is safer, especially while learning.