Use this free forex position size and pip value calculator for the major and minor currency pairs plus gold — size each trade to a fixed risk, with pip value handled correctly for JPY pairs and crosses.
How forex position sizing works
Risk amount = account balance × risk % ÷ 100. Position size (lots) = risk amount ÷ (stop-loss in pips × pip value per lot). Enter your pair, balance, risk, and stop, and the tool returns the right number of lots.
Why pip value is not always $10
It is a clean $10 per standard lot only when the pair is quoted in your account currency (for example EUR/USD for a USD account). For USD-base and cross pairs the value moves with the exchange rate, so the tool asks for the current rate and converts it for you. Pip size is 0.0001 for most pairs and 0.01 for JPY pairs.
Frequently asked questions
What is a pip?
The standard smallest price increment — the fourth decimal for most pairs and the second decimal for JPY pairs.
Why do I have to enter a rate for some pairs?
For USD-base and cross pairs, pip value depends on the live exchange rate, so the tool needs it to convert to your account currency.
Is forex risky?
Yes. Forex is leveraged and most retail forex accounts lose money; position sizing manages but does not remove that risk.
Educational tool, not financial advice. Forex is leveraged and high-risk.
Where to invest: brokers with fractional shares
To act on what this tool shows you, you’ll need a brokerage account. These are established brokers we use that support fractional shares — buying a slice of a share by dollar amount, which makes dollar-cost averaging and diversifying with small amounts easy:
- Charles Schwab — full-service broker whose “Stock Slices” let you buy fractional shares of S&P 500 companies from $5.
- Fidelity — “Stocks by the Slice” fractional investing from $1, with strong research and low-cost index funds.
Referral disclosure: the broker links above are referral links. If you open and fund an account through them we may receive a referral reward at no cost to you; it never affects our tools or conclusions. This is educational information, not investment advice — choose the broker that best fits your needs.