XAUUSD lot size calculator
A standard XAUUSD lot is 100 ounces, quoted to 2 decimals, and one pip of 0.01 moves 1 USD per lot. Feed the calculator your account size, the percentage you are willing to lose and the distance to your stop, and it returns the size that puts exactly that much at risk — rounded down to your broker's lot step so the real risk never comes out above the target.
What makes XAUUSD different
Gold is where most calculators quietly disagree, and the culprit is the word "pip". A standard lot is 100 ounces almost everywhere, but some brokers call 0.10 a pip (making it $10 per lot) and others call 0.01 a pip (making it $1 per lot) — a tenfold difference in the number you are typing. The way out is to stop counting pips: enter your entry and stop as prices and the ambiguity disappears, because a $1 move on 100 ounces is $100 per lot no matter what anyone calls it.
Contract specification
| Symbol | XAUUSD |
|---|---|
| Contract size (1 lot) | 100 |
| Quote currency | USD |
| Quoted decimals | 2 |
| Pip / point size | 0.01 |
| Pip value per standard lot | 1 USD |
XAUUSD pip value by lot size
Values in USD, the currency XAUUSD is quoted in. A pip here is 0.01.
| Lot size | Units | Value of 1 pip |
|---|---|---|
| Standard (1.00) | 100 | 1 USD |
| Mini (0.10) | 10 | 0.1 USD |
| Micro (0.01) | 1 | 0.01 USD |
A worked example
- Risk in money: a 10 000 USD account risking 1% puts 100 USD on the line.
- Stop distance in price: 500 pips × 0.01 = 5.
- Loss per lot: 5 × 100 = 500 USD.
- Lot size: 100 ÷ 500 = 0.2, rounded down to 0.2.
The example assumes an account in USD. If yours is in another currency, every figure above gets multiplied by the rate from USD to your currency, which the calculator applies automatically.
Lot size for a 10 000 USD account
What each combination of risk and stop distance works out to. Read it as a sanity check on the number the calculator gives you.
| Risk | 250 pips | 500 pips | 1,000 pips | 2,000 pips |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0.5 % | 0.2 | 0.1 | 0.05 | 0.02 |
| 1 % | 0.4 | 0.2 | 0.1 | 0.05 |
| 2 % | 0.8 | 0.4 | 0.2 | 0.1 |
| 3 % | 1.2 | 0.6 | 0.3 | 0.15 |
Frequently asked questions
How much is one pip worth on XAUUSD?
On a standard lot of 100 ounces, one pip of 0.01 is worth 1 USD. A mini lot is a tenth of that and a micro lot a hundredth. If your account is not in USD, multiply by the current rate from USD to your account currency.
What lot size should I use on XAUUSD?
There is no single right size: it depends on how much you are willing to lose and where your stop sits. Decide the loss first — most traders cap it at 1% to 2% of the account per trade — then divide that amount by the loss per lot at your stop distance. The calculator above does exactly that and rounds down to your broker's step.
Why does my broker show a different XAUUSD lot size?
Almost always because the contract or the pip definition differs. Open your platform's contract specification for XAUUSD, compare the contract size against 100 and the tick against 0.01, and correct them under "broker settings" above. The second cause is the conversion rate when your account currency is not USD; you can override that too.
Should I size XAUUSD in pips or in prices?
In prices. Brokers do not agree on what a pip means in metals, so counting pips invites a tenfold error. Entering your entry and stop as prices removes the ambiguity entirely, because the loss per lot is just the price difference times the 100 ounce contract.
Educational tool. Check the size in your platform before trading; leveraged trading carries a risk of loss.