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Gold (XAUUSD) lot size calculator

Size a gold trade from your balance, your risk and your stop distance in dollars of gold price. It gives the same answer on every broker, whatever they call a pip.

Risk per trade
Lot size–
Amount at risk
–
Risk at the rounded size
–
Loss per lot over your stop
–
Value of a $1 move, per lot
–
Value of a $1 move, your position
–
Margin required
–

Most brokers use 100 oz per lot; check your symbol specification.

The formulas

Lots = (Balance × Risk %) ÷ (Stop distance in $ × Contract size in oz)

Margin = (Lots × Contract size × Gold price) ÷ Leverage

Worked example. Balance $5,000, risk 1% ($50), stop $5.00 below entry, contract size 100 oz. One lot loses $500 over that stop (5 × 100), so the position is 50 ÷ 500 = 0.10 lots. At an example gold price of $3,000 and 1:100 leverage, 0.10 lots needs 0.10 × 100 × 3,000 ÷ 100 = $300 of margin.

Why this calculator works in dollars, not pips

Brokers quote gold to two decimals, and they don’t agree on what a pip is: some call $0.10 a pip, others call $0.01 a point. Working in dollars of price movement gives the same answer on every broker.

Gold lot size FAQ

On most brokers one standard lot of XAUUSD is 100 troy ounces, so each $1 move in the gold price changes the position’s value by $100. Check your broker’s contract specification; some use 10 or 1 ounce.

It depends on the broker, which is why pip-based calculators often give wrong gold sizes. Measure your stop in dollars of price instead.

It depends on your stop. Risking 1% ($10) with a $5 stop on a 100-oz contract gives 0.02 lots.

EAs often size from equity or from their own stop logic. Check the EA’s risk setting in its user guide.