Gold Lot Size and XAUUSD Pip Calculator
Enter your balance, risk and stop loss. Get the exact lot size, pip value and margin, plus how much of your prop firm daily loss limit the trade would use.
- Amount at risk
- $500.00
- Value per $1 move
- $25.00
- Required margin
- $0.00
- Effective risk
- 0.50%
This trade uses 10% of it. Within a disciplined range.
How to calculate position size
Position size answers one question: how many lots can you trade so that hitting your stop costs exactly the amount you planned to lose?
- Gold (XAUUSD): 1 lot = 100 oz, so a $1 move = $100 per lot. Risking $500 with a $20 stop: 500 / (20 x 100) = 0.25 lots.
- EURUSD, GBPUSD: 1 pip = $10 per standard lot. Risking $500 with a 25 pip stop: 500 / (25 x 10) = 2.00 lots.
- USDJPY: pip value depends on price: (0.01 x 100,000) / price per lot.
The calculator rounds down to the nearest 0.01 lot, so your real risk never exceeds the plan.
XAUUSD pip value and lot size cheatsheet
Value of a gold price move per lot size. One standard lot equals 100 ounces.
| Lot size | Ounces | $0.01 move | $0.10 move | $1.00 move | $20 stop |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0.01 (micro) | 1 | $0.01 | $0.10 | $1.00 | $20.00 |
| 0.10 (mini) | 10 | $0.10 | $1.00 | $10.00 | $200.00 |
| 0.50 | 50 | $0.50 | $5.00 | $50.00 | $1000.00 |
| 1.00 (standard) | 100 | $1.00 | $10.00 | $100.00 | $2000.00 |
Prop firm lot size reference for gold
Lot size at 0.5% risk with a $20 stop, and share of a 5% daily loss limit consumed by one stop out.
| Account | Risk (0.5%) | Lot size | Daily limit (5%) | Room used |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $25,000 | $125 | 0.06 | $1,250 | 10% |
| $50,000 | $250 | 0.12 | $2,500 | 10% |
| $100,000 | $500 | 0.25 | $5,000 | 10% |
| $200,000 | $1,000 | 0.50 | $10,000 | 10% |
Position sizing on prop firm accounts
Most funded accounts fail on the daily loss rule, not on a bad idea. Fixed lot sizes ignore the fact that the daily allowance shrinks after every loss.
Size each position against the room left today. Keeping a single trade under roughly 30% of that room means two consecutive stops cannot end the account in one session.
Read more in our prop firm gold trading guide.
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Frequently asked questions
How do I calculate lot size for gold (XAUUSD)?
One standard lot of gold is 100 ounces, so every $1 move in price is worth $100 per lot. Divide the amount you are willing to lose by (stop distance in dollars x 100). Example: risking $500 with a $20 stop gives 500 / (20 x 100) = 0.25 lots.
What is a pip in gold?
Brokers quote gold differently, which is why pip based gold calculators often disagree. This calculator avoids the confusion by using the stop distance in dollars: a move from 2,400.00 to 2,380.00 is a $20 stop, whatever your broker calls a pip.
How much should I risk per trade?
Professional desks typically risk between 0.25% and 1% of the account per position. On a funded or evaluation account, risk should also be measured against the remaining daily loss allowance, not only the balance.
How does the prop firm drawdown check work?
Enter your daily loss limit and the loss already realised today. The calculator shows how much daily room remains and what share of it the planned trade would consume. Above 30% of the remaining room, one stop out materially threatens the account.
Why is a very tight stop on gold risky?
Gold routinely moves several dollars within minutes around London and New York opens. Stops below a few dollars sit inside normal noise and are frequently hit without the trade idea being invalidated. Structure, not a desired lot size, should define the stop.
What lot size should I use on a $100,000 prop firm account for gold?
At 0.5% risk ($500) with a $20 stop, the size is 500 / (20 x 100) = 0.25 lots. One stop out then uses 10% of a typical 5% ($5,000) daily loss limit.
How much is a $1 move in gold worth?
$1 per 0.01 lot, $10 per 0.10 lot and $100 per 1.00 standard lot, because one standard lot is 100 ounces.
Why do brokers show different pip sizes for gold?
Some brokers define a gold pip as $0.01, others as $0.10 or $1.00. The dollar value of the move is identical; only the label changes. Sizing by stop distance in dollars removes the ambiguity.
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