Stop-loss calculator
Already know your lot size and the most you can lose? See where the stop-loss goes, how many pips away it is, and where a take-profit at your reward-to-risk ratio would sit.
Your numbers
Work out exactly where to put your so a loss stays at the amount you chose.
You expect the price to rise.
The price you are getting in at. It is filled in with an approximate price: replace it.
How many you will trade.
The amount you accept losing if the stop is hit.
Sets a take-profit. 2 means aiming to make twice what you risk. Leave empty for none.
Your answer
Place your stop-loss at 1.11430, which is 50 pips below your entry of 1.11930. If the stop is hit on 1 lot, you lose $500.00. A take-profit at 1.12930 (100 pips away, 2 times what you risk) would make $1,000.00.
50 pips below your entry.
- Loss if the stop is hit
- −$500.00
- Take-profit at 2× the risk
- 1.12930
- Take-profit distance
- 100 pips
- Gain if the target is hit
- +$1,000.00
Spread and slippage are not included. A stop-loss is not guaranteed to fill at the price you set.
+Show the working
- One pip on one standard lot of EUR/USD = 100,000 units × 0.0001 = 10 USD.
- Stop distance = most you will lose ÷ (lots × pip value of one lot) = $500.00 ÷ (1 × 10) = 50 pips.
- Stop price = entry − stop distance × pip size = 1.11930 − 50 × 0.0001 = 1.11430.
- Take-profit distance = stop distance × 2 = 100 pips, which puts the target at 1.12930 and would earn 100 × 1 × 10 = $1,000.00.
EUR/USD live price
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For information only, not financial advice. Trading carries a high risk of loss. Results depend on the values you enter and on your broker's contract specifications. Risk disclosure
What the stop-loss calculator does
Most traders decide how much they can afford to lose before they place a trade. A stop-loss turns that amount into a price. Enter your entry, your position size and the most you will lose, and the calculator tells you the price for the stop, how many pips away it is and where a take-profit at your chosen reward-to-risk ratio would sit.
How it is calculated
- Pip value of your position = pip value of one lot × the number of lots, converted to your account currency.
- Stop distance in pips = maximum loss ÷ pip value of your position.
- Long trade: stop price = entry − stop distance × pip size. Short trade: stop price = entry + stop distance × pip size.
- Take-profit distance = stop distance × reward-to-risk ratio, measured the other way from the entry.
Worked example
You buy one standard lot of EUR/USD at 1.0800 in a USD account and will not lose more than $500. One pip on one lot is $10, so the stop is 500 ÷ 10 = 50 pips away, at 1.0750. With a reward-to-risk ratio of 2, the take-profit is 100 pips above the entry, at 1.0900, and hitting it would earn $1,000.
When the chart disagrees
Often the right place for a stop comes from the chart, for example below a recent low, and it is further away than the calculator says. The answer is not to move the stop closer so the loss fits. Keep the stop where your trade idea is proved wrong and reduce the position size instead. The position size calculator does exactly that: it starts from the stop distance and gives you the lot size that keeps the loss within your limit.
Things to remember
- A stop-loss is not a guarantee. In a fast market or after a weekend gap, the order can fill at a worse price than the one you set.
- The spread is not included. A long trade closes at the bid price, so the stop can trigger when the chart price is still slightly above it.
- Rates for converting pip values are daily reference figures, so check the pip value on your platform for an exact result.
- Moving a stop further away after the trade is open to avoid a loss is the opposite of a plan. Decide before you enter.
Frequently asked questions
+How do I work out where to put a stop-loss?
Divide the most you are willing to lose by the value of one pip at your position size. That is the stop distance in pips. Subtract it from your entry price for a long trade, or add it for a short trade.
+What is the difference between this and the position size calculator?
The position size calculator starts from a stop distance you have chosen and gives you the lot size. This calculator starts from a lot size and a maximum loss and gives you the stop distance. Use whichever is fixed in your plan.
+Where is a good place for a stop-loss?
The distance is usually set by the market, for example just beyond a recent swing low or high, not by the amount you want to risk. If the distance from the chart is wider than this calculator suggests, use a smaller position so the loss still fits your limit.
+Does the stop-loss price include the spread?
No. The calculator works from the price you enter. A long trade is closed at the bid price and a short trade at the ask price, so the spread can make a stop trigger a little earlier than the chart suggests.
+Will the loss always be the amount I set?
Not always. A stop-loss is an order to close the trade at that price or the next one available. In fast markets or over a weekend gap the fill can be worse, and the loss larger than planned.