FREE TOOL · RISK

Gold Lot Size & Risk Calculator

Enter your balance, how much you want to risk and where your stop is. Get the right XAUUSD lot size, the real dollar risk, and what a losing streak would cost.

Account balance

USD

Risk per trade

% of balance

Stop-loss distance

Example: entry 3,900.00, stop 3,890.00 = a $10 price move = 100 pips = 1,000 points.

LOT SIZE

–

Money you chose to risk–

Actual risk at this lot–

Risk per 0.01 lot–

Stop distance–

Losing streak at this size (fixed lot)

5 losses in a row–

10 losses in a row–

12 losses in a row–

Free, no login, nothing is stored or sent: the calculation runs in your browser. For education only, not financial advice.

How the gold lot size is calculated

One standard lot of XAUUSD is 100 ounces. So when gold moves $1, a 1.00 lot position gains or loses $100, and a 0.01 lot loses $1. That makes the formula simple:

lot size = (balance × risk %) ÷ (stop distance in $ × 100)

Example: $1,000 balance, 1% risk ($10), stop $10 away → 10 ÷ (10 × 100) = 0.01 lot. The result is rounded down to the broker's 0.01 step, so you never risk more than you chose.

Why the losing streak matters more than one trade

Every strategy has losing streaks. Our Breakout EA had 12 losses in a row in its 2022–2026 backtest, even though it was profitable overall. At 3% per trade that streak costs about a third of the account, at 1% about a tenth. Size for the streak, not for the next trade.

Pips and points on gold

Most brokers quote XAUUSD with 2 decimals: a point is $0.01 and a pip is usually $0.10. Brokers differ, so the safest unit is the plain dollar price move.

CATALYST EA

Max 3% planned risk, built in

Catalyst calculates the risk at its stop before every trade and skips the trade if it would exceed 3% of the balance.

See Catalyst EA → BREAKOUT EA

Risk shown before every trade

Breakout's panel shows the dollar risk at the stop and turns amber above 3% of the balance.

See Breakout EA →

FAQ

Questions about this tool

How much should I risk per trade on gold?+

Many traders use 0.5–2% per trade. Our bots cap planned risk at 3%, and most of their trades risk less. Check what a 10-trade losing streak would cost before choosing.

Why does the calculator round the lot size down?+

Brokers only accept lots in steps (usually 0.01). Rounding down keeps the real risk at or below the amount you chose.

What if the result is 0.00 lots?+

Your stop is too wide for the balance and risk you chose. Even 0.01 lot would risk more. Use a smaller stop, a larger balance, or a cent account.

LAUNCHING EARLY 2027

Get the live results by email

Monthly demo results, the AI Observer scorecard and the launch price first. About one email a month.