What a Lot Is
A lot is MetaTrader's unit of trade size. On a currency pair, 1.00 lot is 100,000 units of the first currency.
- 1.00 Standard lot 100,000 units
- 0.10 Mini lot 10,000 units
- 0.01 Micro lot 1,000 units
Other symbols follow the broker: gold is usually 100 ounces per lot, silver often 5,000, and index contracts and oil vary.
The Sum in Five Steps
Two numbers are yours: the risk and the stop. The symbol's figures do the rest. Press Play for gold at 1 % of a 10,000 USD account.
- 1Risk in Money1 % of 10,000 = 100 USD
- 2Stop in Ticks5.00 ÷ 0.01 = 500 ticks
- 3Value of One Tick100 oz × 0.01 = 1.00 USD a lot
- 4Loss per Lot500 × 1.00 = 500 USD
- 5Lot, Rounded Down100 ÷ 500 = 0.20 lots
Pips, Points and Ticks
A point is the last digit of the price, MetaTrader's own unit. A pip is ten points on most currency pairs. Pick a symbol:
Price 1.12250
- Point 0.00001, the last digit: 1.00 USD per lot
- Pip 0.0001, ten points: 10.00 USD per lot
- Tick 0.00001, the same as a point here
Price 158.245
- Point 0.001: 100 JPY, about 0.63 USD per lot
- Pip 0.01, ten points: about 6.32 USD per lot
- Profit is booked in yen, then converted
Price 4121.06
- Point 0.01: 1.00 USD per lot of 100 ounces
- Pip read two ways: 0.10 by some, 1.00 by others
- Tip give a gold stop as a price, 5.00, not in pips
Price 46820.5
- Point 0.1, MetaTrader's step: 0.10 USD per lot
- Index point 1.0, what traders call a point: 1.00 USD per lot
- Tip for a stop 40 index points away, type 40 as a price
last digit: one point pip digit
The figures assume a 1.00 USD contract per index point on US30 and USDJPY at 158.245. Brokers differ.
Worked Examples
10,000 USD account, risk 1 %, a buy on XAUUSD with the stop 5.00 below the entry, 100 ounces per lot.
| Step | Value |
|---|---|
| Risk in money | 1 % of 10,000 USD = 100.00 USD |
| Stop distance | 5.00 = 500 ticks of 0.01 |
| Tick value | 100 ounces × 0.01 = 1.00 USD per tick on 1.00 lot |
| Loss per lot at the stop | 500 × 1.00 USD = 500.00 USD |
| Lot | 100 ÷ 500 = 0.20 lots |
10,000 USD account, risk 1 %, a sell on EURUSD with the stop 20 pips above the entry.
| Step | Value |
|---|---|
| Risk in money | 1 % of 10,000 USD = 100.00 USD |
| Stop distance | 20 pips = 200 points = 0.0020 |
| Tick value | 100,000 units × 0.00001 = 1.00 USD per point, 10.00 USD per pip |
| Loss per lot at the stop | 200 × 1.00 USD = 200.00 USD |
| Lot | 100 ÷ 200 = 0.50 lots |
The gold trade again, in an account kept in euros. The tick is still worth 1.00 USD, which is 0.89 EUR at the ECB rate of 19 October 2026 (1 EUR = 1.1225 USD).
| Step | Value |
|---|---|
| Risk in money | 1 % of 10,000 EUR = 100.00 EUR |
| Loss per lot at the stop | 500 × 0.89 EUR = 445.43 EUR |
| Lot | 100 ÷ 445.43 = 0.2245, rounded down to 0.22 lots |
| Risk at 0.22 lots | 98.00 EUR, a little under the 1 % you set |
Lots by Balance and Stop
EURUSD, 1 % risk, USD account, rounded down to 0.01. Darker cells are bigger lots. Halve the stop and the lot doubles while the money at risk stays the same.
| Balance | 10 pips | 20 pips | 30 pips | 50 pips | 100 pips |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1,000 USD | 0.10 | 0.05 | 0.03 | 0.02 | 0.01 |
| 5,000 USD | 0.50 | 0.25 | 0.16 | 0.10 | 0.05 |
| 10,000 USD | 1.00 | 0.50 | 0.33 | 0.20 | 0.10 |
| 25,000 USD | 2.50 | 1.25 | 0.83 | 0.50 | 0.25 |
| 50,000 USD | 5.00 | 2.50 | 1.66 | 1.00 | 0.50 |
| 100,000 USD | 10.00 | 5.00 | 3.33 | 2.00 | 1.00 |
When Your Account Is in Another Currency
Profit is booked in the symbol's profit currency, then converted into yours.
The calculator converts with the European Central Bank's euro reference rates, so every cross rate is one division. The rates are indicative; for a figure that matches your account, switch on Use the tick value from MetaTrader.
| Symbol and stop | USD account | EUR account | AUD account |
|---|---|---|---|
| AUDUSD, 25 pips | 0.40 lots (100.00) | 0.44 lots (98.00) | 0.27 lots (96.62) |
| USDJPY, 30 pips | 0.52 lots (98.58) | 0.59 lots (99.65) | 0.36 lots (97.69) |
| XAUUSD, 5.00 | 0.20 lots (100.00) | 0.22 lots (98.00) | 0.13 lots (93.04) |
| DE40, 40 index points | 2.2 lots (98.78) | 2.5 lots (100.00) | 1.5 lots (96.41) |
Balance 10,000 in the account currency, risk 1 %, the money at risk at the rounded lot in brackets. ECB rates of 19 October 2026. DE40 with a contract of 1 EUR per index point and a volume step of 0.1.
Four Costly Mistakes
Rounding Up
0.437 lots rounded up to 0.44 risks more than you set. Round down to 0.43, every time.
Forgetting the Minimum Lot
1,000 EUR, 0.25 % risk, gold with the stop 5.00 away: the sum gives 0.0056 lots. The minimum of 0.01 would risk 0.45 %. Narrow the stop or raise the risk; don't round up.
The Wrong Tick Value
One point is worth 1 USD per lot on EURUSD, not on gold, indices or crosses. And some brokers publish a tick value their account does not book: see the gold example.
Spread and Commission
A buy fills at the Ask, a spread above the chart, and commission comes on top. On a tight stop leave a little room; the breakeven guide shows the costs.
Index contracts and oil differ most between brokers: US30 or DE40 can be 1, 10 or 100 currency units per index point per lot, and oil is often 1,000 barrels per lot (0.01 = 10 USD). Read the contract size before you rely on any lot.
Check It in MetaTrader
Market Watch (Ctrl+M) › right-click the symbol › Specification
123456- Digits sets the point: 0.01 here.
- Contract size is the units in one lot: 100 ounces.
- Profit currency is the currency of the tick value.
- Tick size is the smallest step.
- Tick value is in the profit currency, as the broker publishes it. Here 0.1, yet 100 ounces × 0.01 books 1.00 USD per tick. Unless the Calculation row says Futures, MetaTrader books price move × contract size, so size the lot from Contract size × Tick size.
- Minimal volume, maximal volume, volume step are your lot limits.
A currency pair has no Tick size or Tick value rows: its tick value is the contract size times the point, 100,000 × 0.00001 = 1.00 in the quote currency. MetaTrader 4's window has the contract size and the volume rows but no profit currency row; where it shows Tick price, its help says that is in the quote currency.
To use MetaTrader's own figure, switch on Use the tick value from MetaTrader on the Symbol Figures tab and pick its currency. Every row is explained in Symbol Specification in MT5 and MT4.
Read in the MetaTrader 5 and MetaTrader 4 terminals on MetaQuotes' demo servers (EURUSD, USDJPY, XAUUSD, UK100, EUSTX50, JPN225, EURGBP) on 20 October 2026, with the MetaTrader 5 help, Market Watch, the MetaTrader 4 help, Contract Specification and the profit rules by calculation mode in MetaQuotes' MQL5 reference.
Test Yourself
You got 0 of 3.
In MetaTrader, both editions do this for you. Stopline Trade Manager and Stopline Trade Manager EZ size the lot from your risk and your stop, set on the chart or in the panel, from the tick value the account books, rounded down to the volume step.
Questions
How Do I Calculate Lot Size for Gold?
Divide the money you will risk by what the stop costs on 1.00 lot. At 100 ounces per lot each 0.01 of price is worth 1 USD per lot, so a stop 5.00 away costs 500 USD per lot and 100 USD of risk gives 0.20 lots. Check your broker's contract size first.
What Lot Size Is 1 % Risk on a 10,000 Account?
It depends on the stop, not on the balance alone. In a USD account 1 % is 100 USD: on EURUSD that is 0.50 lots with a 20-pip stop and 0.20 lots with a 50-pip stop, and on gold with the stop 5.00 away, 0.20 lots. A wider stop means a smaller lot.
How Much Is a Pip on Gold?
There is no single answer, because the word is used in more than one way on gold. A pip of 0.10 is worth 10 USD on 1.00 lot of 100 ounces; a pip of 1.00 is worth 100 USD. The calculator avoids the word on gold and shows what one point and one tick are worth.
Why Does the Calculator Round the Lot Down?
So the lot never risks more than you set. Rounding 0.437 lots up to 0.44 adds a little risk to every trade; rounding down to 0.43 takes a little away. When even the minimum lot would risk more than you set, the calculator shows no lot and tells you what the minimum would cost.
Does It Work for MetaTrader 4 as Well as MetaTrader 5?
Yes. The sum, the contract size, the tick size and the volume step are the same on both. The Specification windows differ: MetaTrader 5 has a profit currency row and lists a tick value in that currency for gold, index and oil contracts; MetaTrader 4 has no profit currency row, and its help puts the tick price in the quote currency. Neither lists a tick value for a currency pair. The calculator shows the tick value in your account currency and in the profit currency.