Futures Position Size Calculator

Set your risk budget and stop distance — find the maximum number of contracts that keeps you inside it.

ORDER TICKET

Contract

Risk amount ($)

Stop distance (ticks)

READOUT ●

Contract specs reflect standard CME Group multipliers and are for informational use only — always confirm tick value and margin with your broker. This tool does not estimate margin. Not financial advice.

Sizing by risk, not by gut feel

Position sizing answers one question: given how far away your stop is, how many contracts can you trade without risking more than you've decided to risk? It's a fixed calculation once you know three things — your risk budget in dollars, your stop distance in ticks, and the contract's tick value — and it removes the temptation to size a position based on conviction rather than math.

A common approach is to set risk budget as a fixed percentage of account size (1% is a widely used starting point), so a string of losses shrinks position size automatically rather than compounding the damage.

Frequently asked

How do you size a futures position based on risk?

Decide the maximum dollar amount you're willing to lose on the trade, divide it by your stop distance in ticks multiplied by the contract's tick value, and round down to get the maximum number of contracts.

What is the 1% risk rule in futures trading?

The 1% rule is a common guideline where a trader risks no more than 1% of their total account balance on any single trade, used to limit the damage from any one losing trade.