How do I calculate lot size for gold (XAU/USD)?

Lot size = money you are willing to risk ÷ (stop-loss distance in dollars × contract size). With a 100 oz contract, risking $100 with a $5 stop gives 100 ÷ (5 × 100) = 0.20 lots.

How much is a $1 move in gold worth per lot?

With a standard 100 oz contract, a $1 move in XAU/USD is worth $100 per lot, $10 per 0.1 lot and $1 per 0.01 lot.

What is a pip in gold?

There is no single standard. Many platforms treat $0.10 as one gold pip, others use $0.01. Check your broker's definition and set the pip size in the calculator.

Gold lot size calculator (XAU/USD)

Work out your position size from the amount you're willing to lose, then check margin and what a price move does to your account. Everything is calculated in your browser.

Account & contract

Account balance (USD)

Account currency

Contract size (oz per 1 lot)

100 oz is the common standard lot. Check your broker's contract specs.

Pip size for gold ($)

Brokers differ: $0.10 or $0.01 are common.

Lot step & minimum lot

Lot step

Minimum lot

1. Position size

Risk per trade (% of balance)

Stop-loss distance

2. Margin

Lots

Leverage (1:x)

Gold price (USD/oz)

Enter the current price.

Retail leverage limits depend on your country and broker (for example 1:20 on gold for retail clients under EU rules). Higher leverage lowers margin but not your risk per dollar move.

3. What this move costs me

Lots

Price move

Tip: gold's average hourly range is on the session stats page. Try entering one hour's typical range to see what it means for your size.

How the gold position size formula works

Lot size = risk amount ÷ (stop distance in $ × contract size)

Example: a $10,000 account risking 1% is $100. With a $5 stop and a 100 oz lot, one lot loses $5 × 100 = $500 at the stop. So 100 ÷ 500 = 0.20 lots. A $1 move is then worth $20 on that position.

We round the size down to your broker's lot step so the real risk never goes above your budget. Spread, commission, swap and slippage (gaps around news can jump straight past a stop) all add to the real loss.

Margin = lots × contract size × price ÷ leverage. 0.20 lots at $4,000 is $80,000 of gold. At 1:20 that needs $4,000 margin.

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