Position size calculator
Position size is not chosen — it is derived from the stop. Enter the deposit, the risk you accept and where the stop is: the calculator tells you how much to take so that a mistake costs exactly what you decided.
How it is calculated
Money at risk = deposit × risk percent. That is what you are willing to lose in one trade; usually 0.5–2%.
Volume = money at risk ÷ distance from entry to stop. The farther the stop, the smaller the position, and vice versa — so the risk in money stays the same with any stop.
Position value = volume × entry price. If it exceeds the deposit, leverage is unavoidable — the calculator shows the minimum.
Common mistakes
Placing the stop "where it does not hurt" and the volume "as much as fits". The stop goes where the idea is broken; the volume follows from the stop.
Counting risk from leverage rather than from the deposit. Leverage changes the position value, not what you lose when the stop is hit.
Forgetting costs: spread, commission and swap shift the real risk by a few tenths of a percent. On tight stops this is noticeable.
What risk per trade is normal?
For learning — 0.5–1% of the deposit. At 1% a streak of ten losses takes about 10% of the account, which is survivable; at 5% — half of it.
Does it work for crypto and forex?
Yes, the formula is the same: it counts money, not pips. The volume comes out in units of the instrument — coins, ounces or units of the base currency.
What is R:R?
The ratio of potential profit to risk: the distance to the take divided by the distance to the stop. At 1:2 only every third trade needs to win for you not to lose.