Plus stop-loss by ATR or % price move, multiple take-profit levels with R:R, breakeven win rate and exchange fees factored in. Live prices from Binance, Bybit, Kraken and OKX — automatically.
▼
$
≈
$
$
—
$
$
%
%
▼
▼
Commission type:
%
$ per share
$
Minimum $
$
Maximum %
%
Include Commission in Risk
Reduces position so that stop loss + commission = risk $
Shift TP for Net RR
TP price shifted so net profit = stated RR
Position Direction:-
Quantity:0
Position Value:$0.00
Minimum Leverage:*required for your balance
1.0x
Stop Loss Price:$0.00
📐 Risk / Reward Analysis
📊 Total Result (all TPs)
📊 Profit / Loss Scale
Distance to Stop:0%
Potential Loss:$0.00
💸 Commission (entry+exit):$0.00
📉 Net Loss with Commission:$0.00
💡 Recommended: 1–2% of deposit per trade
📜 History
⚙️ Settings
Choose which blocks to show in the calculator
📝 Form Blocks
Field for token / ticker input
If disabled — automatic TP 3:1
Include commission in calculations
ATR button in the stop loss toggle
📊 Result Blocks
Warnings and recommendations
📡 Exchange for Quotes
Quotes are fetched from the selected exchange first. If not found — tries others.
What is a position size calculator?
A position size calculator is a tool for traders that helps determine the optimal number of coins or shares to buy based on your account balance, risk tolerance, and stop-loss level. Proper position sizing is the foundation of risk management in trading.
Balance — enter your trading account size in dollars
Risk — specify the % or $ amount you're willing to risk per trade (usually 1–2%)
Entry Price — your current or planned entry price
Stop Loss — the price level where you exit the trade at a loss
Result — the calculator shows the exact number of coins/shares to buy
Worked examples — crypto and stocks
Concrete calculations on real assets. Numbers are rounded for readability.
Example 1: Bitcoin (BTC/USDT) — long
Account balance $10,000. Risk per trade 1% ($100). Entry price $65,000. Stop-loss $63,700 (just below local support). Distance from entry to stop: $1,300, or 2% of price. Position size: $100 ÷ $1,300 = 0.0769 BTC. That is roughly $5,000 of notional exposure — half the account — but actual risk is only $100, because the stop closes the trade earlier. If your exchange requires 5x leverage minimum, use the leverage; the real risk does not change because risk is defined by the stop, not by leverage.
Example 2: Ethereum (ETH/USDT) — short
Account balance $5,000. Risk 2% ($100). Entry $3,200. Stop-loss $3,296 (above local high, +3% from entry). Position size: $100 ÷ $96 = 1.04 ETH. Notional exposure $3,328. On Binance Futures with 0.06% taker fee on a market order, fees are about $2 — roughly 2% of the risk amount. The calculator has an option to include fees in the sizing, which slightly reduces position size so net risk stays exactly $100.
Example 3: Apple (AAPL) — classic stock trade
Account balance $25,000. Risk 1% ($250). Entry $185. Stop-loss $178 (below the 50-day moving average). Distance $7 per share. Size: $250 ÷ $7 = 35 shares. Notional $6,475. On Interactive Brokers with per-share commission of $0.005 (minimum $1 per order), 35 shares cost $1 in and $1 out, total $2; net risk becomes $252. The calculator has a per-share commission mode where you can set the rate, minimum, and maximum — it then shows the exact risk including all fees.
Example 4: Tesla (TSLA) — wide stop for a volatile stock
Account balance $50,000. Risk 0.5% ($250) — lower bracket due to high volatility. Entry $245. Stop-loss $230 (about 2× ATR(14) so noise does not stop you out). Distance $15. Size: $250 ÷ $15 = 16 shares. Notional $3,920. Notice: keeping risk at 0.5% with a wider stop means the position becomes much smaller compared to the AAPL example. That is correct behavior — the wider the stop, the smaller the position, while dollar risk stays fixed. This is the core insight position sizing gives you.
Why does risk management matter?
Most traders lose money not because of bad entries, but because of improper position sizing. If you risk 10–20% of your account on a single trade, even a streak of 3 losing trades can wipe out half your account. The 1–2% rule lets you survive even a prolonged losing streak and stay in the game.
How much to risk per trade — comparison
Risk size determines how many losing trades in a row you can survive without serious drawdown. Below: how many consecutive losses it takes to lose 50% of your account at each risk level (assuming a strategy with no edge — 50% win rate, 1:1 risk-reward):
0.5% risk per trade — you would need roughly 138 consecutive losses to lose 50% of your account. The probability of such a streak at a 50% win rate is essentially zero.
1% risk per trade — 69 consecutive losses for a -50% drawdown. This is the classic level for experienced traders.
2% risk per trade — 35 consecutive losses. Still safe for a trader with a confirmed positive-expectancy strategy.
5% risk — 14 consecutive losses. Probability at 50% win rate is around 0.006%. Sounds safe, but in reality losing streaks of 10–12 happen every year to any active trader. This is not insurance.
10% risk — 7 consecutive losses. Probability ~0.8%. One bad week and your account is cut in half. Strongly not recommended.
Bottom line: for a beginner, 0.5–1% is not conservatism, it is a mathematical requirement. Risk levels up to 2% should be reserved for traders with at least 100 executed trades and a proven positive-expectancy strategy.
Why this calculator is not for forex
Position sizing for crypto and stocks is straightforward math: price per unit × number of units = position size. Forex sizing works differently — it uses lots (1 lot = 100,000 units of base currency) and pips (price change at the fourth decimal, or second for JPY pairs). Pip value depends on the current cross-rate and the lot size, so the forex formula is: position size in lots = risk ($) ÷ (stop in pips × pip value). That is separate math, which our calculator deliberately does not implement — to avoid misleading traders with wrong calculations. For forex, we recommend dedicated calculators from Babypips, Myfxbook, or EarnForex, which have the right formulas and pip-value tables built in.
Supported exchanges
The calculator supports automatic price fetching from leading crypto exchanges: Binance, Bybit and OKX. Just enter the coin ticker — the price loads automatically.
Exchange specifics — Binance, Bybit, OKX
The calculator pulls live prices from three exchanges. Each has specifics worth knowing:
Binance — deepest liquidity on most pairs, fees 0.1% spot / 0.02% maker and 0.06% taker on futures. Minimum order size is usually $5. Use the symbol format "BTCUSDT" (no slash) in the calculator.
Bybit — competitive fees (0.1% spot / 0.02% maker and 0.055% taker on perpetual), with frequent fee promotions. Supports plates with better prices for limit orders. Symbol format is also "BTCUSDT".
OKX — low fees at higher VIP tiers, unique spot pairs, active futures market. Symbols use the "BTC-USDT" format (with a dash), but the calculator automatically converts "BTCUSDT" to the correct format when fetching prices.
The calculator itself does not place trades — it is a sizing tool only. All actual trades you place manually on your exchange using the calculated parameters.
Frequently Asked Questions
What risk percentage per trade should I use? ↓
Beginners should risk 0.5–1% of their account per trade. Experienced traders may use up to 2%. Risking more than 3% per trade significantly increases the chance of blowing your account during a losing streak.
How do I set a stop loss? ↓
Stop losses should be placed based on technical analysis — below a support level, below a previous low, or based on ATR. Never set a stop loss based on the dollar amount you want to lose — only based on the technical market structure.
What is R:R (risk to reward)? ↓
R:R (Risk to Reward ratio) is the ratio of potential loss to potential profit. At R:R 1:3 you risk $100 to make $300. The minimum acceptable R:R for most strategies is 1:2.
Does the calculator account for exchange fees? ↓
Yes! The calculator has a dedicated commission block — both percentage-based (e.g. 0.1% on Binance) and fixed per-share. With commission adjustment enabled, the position size automatically increases so your net risk stays exactly as specified.
Does it work for stocks? ↓
Yes. Enter the share price and stop-loss level in dollars and you'll get the exact number of shares to buy. Per-share commission mode with min/max caps is supported for Interactive Brokers and similar brokers. The calculator is built for crypto and stocks — it does not support forex, where sizing uses lots and pips with a different formula.
Does the calculator account for leverage? ↓
Yes. There is a separate field for leverage. Important to understand: leverage does not change your dollar risk — that is set only by the distance to the stop-loss. Leverage affects only margin (how much account is locked up) and the liquidation price. The calculator shows both so you can see whether the position is safe in terms of margin requirements.
How do I size a short position? ↓
The same way as a long, except the stop-loss sits above the entry price. The formula does not change: size = risk ($) ÷ (stop − entry). The calculator automatically detects direction based on where the stop sits relative to entry.
What is R:R (risk-to-reward) and how do I pick a target? ↓
R:R is the ratio of risk to potential profit. If you risk $100 and your target is $300, that is R:R 1:3. The minimum acceptable R:R depends on your win rate: at 50% win rate you need at least 1:1, at 33% you need 1:2 minimum. The calculator lets you set a take-profit price and automatically computes R:R and potential profit.
What if the calculation gives a fractional number of shares? ↓
Most stock exchanges only allow whole shares. If the calculator shows 35.4 shares, round down to 35. This slightly reduces your actual dollar risk. Rounding up (to 36) increases risk above what you planned — not desirable. For crypto, rounding is usually not needed because most exchanges allow fractions down to 6–8 decimal places.
How do I size positions without knowing technical analysis? ↓
The calculator works even if you cannot yet place stops technically. As a starting point — use a percentage of price: 3–5% from entry for crypto, 5–8% for stocks. Not optimal, but it gives you basic sizing discipline. In parallel, learn technical analysis — guides on this site cover stop placement using support levels and ATR.