XAUUSD lot size by account size: a risk-based table

A table of gold lot sizes for four account sizes and three stop distances, the formula behind it and why small accounts hit the minimum lot.

The formula behind every row

Gold lot size is a division. Take the amount you are willing to lose on the trade, divide it by the dollar loss per 1.00 lot at your stop distance, and round down to the volume step. On most MetaTrader 5 brokers one lot of gold is 100 troy ounces, so a stop of 1.00 dollar of price costs $100 per lot: lots = amount at risk / (stop distance in dollars x 100).

The table below applies that formula to four account sizes and three stop distances, using 1% of the balance as the amount at risk. The 1% is only a round number to make the table readable. It is not a recommendation, and your own plan may use another figure. Every cell is arithmetic you can check by hand.

Lots for 1% risk, by account size and stop distance

Account balance	Amount at risk (1%)	Stop 3.00	Stop 5.00	Stop 10.00
$500	$5	0.01	0.01	below 0.01
$1,000	$10	0.03	0.02	0.01
$5,000	$50	0.16	0.10	0.05
$10,000	$100	0.33	0.20	0.10

Lot sizes are rounded down to 0.01. Stops are in dollars of price, so 5.00 means 5.00 below a buy or above a sell. The assumptions are 100 ounces per lot, a USD account and a 0.01 volume step. Check your own symbol specification before you copy any number from a table.

The actual risk after rounding

Rounding down means the real risk is a little under the target. The first row of the table shows the opposite problem: for a $500 account, 1% is $5, and a 3.00 stop at the minimum 0.01 lots risks 3.00 x 1 ounce = $3, which is fine, but a 10.00 stop at 0.01 lots risks $10, which is twice the target. In that cell the arithmetic says the size is below the minimum, and the honest options are a tighter stop, a bigger account, a smaller risk target, or not taking the trade. Trading the minimum anyway means risking more than the plan.

Account	Stop	Lots used	Loss at the stop	As % of balance
$1,000	3.00	0.03	$9.00	0.90%
$1,000	5.00	0.02	$10.00	1.00%
$5,000	3.00	0.16	$48.00	0.96%
$10,000	3.00	0.33	$99.00	0.99%
$500	10.00	0.01	$10.00	2.00%

The last row is the case to notice: the minimum lot size forces a loss at the stop that is twice the 1% figure. Small accounts hit this limit on wide stops.

Other risk percentages

The lot sizes scale in direct proportion to the percentage. Half the risk gives half the lots, and double the risk gives double. For a $5,000 account with a 5.00 stop, 0.5% ($25) gives 0.05 lots, 1% ($50) gives 0.10 lots and 2% ($100) gives 0.20 lots. Gold moves in large steps compared with most currency pairs, so a lot size that looks small can still produce a large dollar swing. The size of your stop in dollars is the number that moves the answer most, and it comes from the trade, not from the account. See the position size calculator for any other combination.

What the table does not include

Spread and slippage. The real entry and exit are a little worse than the chart price, and in fast markets a stop can fill beyond its level, so the loss can exceed the planned amount.
Commission and swap. They add to the cost. See MT5 trading costs in the trade history and MT5 swap explained.
Margin. A lot size that fits your risk rule must also fit your free margin. See MT5 margin level explained.
Other brokers’ contract sizes. If your gold lot is 10 ounces or another size, change the 100 in the formula.

A worked example, end to end (hypothetical)

A trader with a $5,000 account plans a long gold trade with an entry at 2,650.00 and a stop at 2,645.00. The stop distance is 5.00. At 1% risk the amount at risk is $50. The loss per 1.00 lot at that stop is 5.00 x 100 = $500, so the lot size is 50 / 500 = 0.10. If the trade hits its stop, the planned loss is 5.00 x 10 ounces = $50.00 before spread, slippage and costs. If it reaches a target of 2,660.00, the gain is 10.00 x 10 = $100.00, a reward to risk of 2 to 1 before costs. Use the XAUUSD profit calculator to add commission and swap to a result like this one, and the gold pip value guide if you need to translate between dollars and pips.

Journal the size you used, not only the result

Position sizing is a habit, and habits show up in the data. If your plan says 1% and your history shows losses of 0.5% on some trades and 3% on others, the history is telling you the plan is not being followed. AI Trading Journal reads each closed gold position from your MetaTrader 5 account in read-only mode and records the net result, so you can compare the dollar result of each trade with the amount your plan allowed. It does not record the size you intended, so write the planned risk in the notes. The XAUUSD journal guide explains what else gold traders log, and the gold journal template gives you a layout.

Limits of this page

It is arithmetic, not trading or investment advice. It does not say how much to risk or where to put a stop.
The 1% figure is an illustration only.
The table assumes 100 ounces per lot, a USD account and a 0.01 volume step.
Real results include costs and slippage that the table leaves out.

Know the lots but not the stop? The XAUUSD stop loss calculator solves for the distance. Minimum distances are explained in stops level and freeze level.

Frequently asked questions

What lot size should I use for gold on a $1,000 account?

It depends on your stop distance and the amount you decide to risk. For example, at 1% risk ($10) and a 5.00 stop, the arithmetic gives 0.02 lots at 100 ounces per lot. This is arithmetic, not advice.

How do I calculate lot size for XAUUSD?

Divide the amount at risk by the stop distance in dollars multiplied by the ounces per lot, then round down to the volume step.

What if the lot size comes out below 0.01?

Then the stop is too wide for that account and risk percentage at the minimum size. Tighten the stop, accept more risk than planned, or skip the trade.

Does the lot size change with leverage?

No. Leverage changes the margin needed, not the profit or loss per price move.

Is 100 ounces per lot the same at every broker?

No. Most use 100 but some differ. Read the specification of your symbol.

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