Free tool · XAUUSD position size
Gold lot size calculator (XAUUSD)
Enter your balance, your risk and how many dollars away your stop is. You get the gold lot size that keeps the loss at your stop to your risk, and no more.
- Money at risk
- $0
- Loss if the stop is hit
- $0
- Pip value per lot
- $0
- Loss as % of balance
- 0%
| Risk | Amount | Lots |
|---|
How to use the gold lot size calculator
Gold is the symbol where traders get the lot size wrong most often, because it moves in dollars, not pips, and because one lot of gold is a lot of metal. The calculator above is set to XAUUSD, so you only need three numbers:
- Balance: your account balance in US dollars.
- Risk: how much you are willing to lose on this trade, as a percent or in dollars.
- Stop distance: how many dollars of price lie between your entry and your stop. Entry 4120.00 and stop 4110.00 is a distance of $10.
The result is rounded down to 0.01 lot, so the loss at your stop never goes above your risk. The table under the result shows the lot size at other risk levels.
What one lot of gold is worth
On most brokers one lot of XAUUSD is 100 troy ounces. Every $1 move in the gold price is therefore worth $100 on one lot:
| Lot size | Ounces | Value of a $1 move | Value of a $0.10 move |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1.00 | 100 | $100 | $10 |
| 0.10 | 10 | $10 | $1 |
| 0.01 | 1 | $1 | $0.10 |
Gold is quoted with two decimals, so MetaTrader's smallest step, a point, is $0.01. Some traders call $0.10 a pip, others call $1 a pip. Measuring the stop in dollars of price avoids that confusion completely, which is why this calculator asks for dollars.
Gold lot size examples
| Account | Risk | Stop | Calculation | Lot size |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $1,000 | 1% = $10 | $5 | 10 ÷ (5 × 100) = 0.02 | 0.02 |
| $10,000 | 1% = $100 | $15 | 100 ÷ (15 × 100) = 0.066 | 0.06 |
| $100,000 prop account | 0.5% = $500 | $20 | 500 ÷ (20 × 100) = 0.25 | 0.25 |
In the second row 0.066 becomes 0.06, not 0.07. Rounding up would risk $105 instead of $100 on every trade.
Check your broker's contract size
The calculator assumes 100 ounces per lot, which most brokers use for XAUUSD. Some brokers offer gold with a different contract, for example a symbol named GOLD or a cent account. To check yours, right-click the symbol in MetaTrader's Market Watch, open Specification and read the Contract size. If it is not 100, the dollar value per lot changes in the same proportion. Our lot size guide shows how to use the tick size and tick value for any symbol.
Why gold lot sizes are smaller than you expect
Gold often moves tens of dollars in a day, far more than most currency pairs move in pips. A sensible gold stop is usually wider in dollars, and since every dollar is worth $100 per lot, the lot size that fits your risk is small. On a $5,000 account at 1% risk, a $10 stop gives 0.05 lots. That is not timid; it is what 1% of that account can afford on gold.
If the calculator says even 0.01 lot is too much, your stop is too wide for the account and the risk you chose. Use a tighter stop that still makes sense on the chart, or skip the trade. Opening 0.01 anyway means risking more than your rule allows.
Size every gold trade automatically in MetaTrader 5
The calculator helps only if you use it before every trade, including the fast ones. RavandFX does it on your MetaTrader 5 chart: drag the stop and the gold lot size updates from your risk, rounded down and capped by your balance. Your risk per trade is one of the rules locked into your licence, so a bad day can't quietly raise it. Try it on a live simulated gold chart in the free simulator.
Gold lot size questions
How much is one lot of gold?
On most brokers one lot of XAUUSD is 100 troy ounces. At a gold price of $4,120, that is about $412,000 worth of gold, traded with margin. Every $1 move in price is worth $100 on one lot.
How much is 0.01 lot of gold per $1 move?
$1. With 100 ounces per lot, 0.01 lot is one ounce, so each $1 move in the gold price makes or loses $1.
What lot size should I use for gold on a $1,000 account?
At 1% risk you can lose $10 per trade. With a $10 stop, that is 10 ÷ (10 × 100) = 0.01 lot. With a $5 stop it is 0.02 lot. A wider stop means a smaller lot, and above a $10 stop even 0.01 lot is more than 1% of that account.
What is a pip in gold?
It depends on who you ask. MetaTrader's point on gold is $0.01; many traders call $0.10 a pip, others call $1 a pip. To avoid mistakes, measure your stop in dollars of price, as this calculator does.
Does it work for silver (XAGUSD)?
Yes. Pick XAGUSD in the symbol list. Silver usually has 5,000 ounces per lot, so a $0.01 move is worth $50 on one lot. Check the contract size in your broker's symbol specification.