Futures position size calculator
Turn a stop distance and dollar risk into a whole-contract size. Add remaining drawdown and a follower ratio when a copied account has less room than the leader.
Your risk-limited size
Enter the stop you actually plan to use, then calculate. The result rounds down to a whole contract and applies the tighter of your trade-risk budget and remaining drawdown.
This is planning math, not a promise of loss. Slippage, gaps, fees, rejected orders and different follower fills can make the result worse. Confirm live positions and limits at the broker.
How to calculate futures position size
First, convert the stop from points to ticks. Multiply those ticks by the contract's tick value, then add your estimated round-trip fees. Divide the available dollar risk by that number and round down.
Example: a 12-point MES stop is 48 ticks. At $1.25 per tick, that is $60 before fees. A $300 budget with $3 estimated fees per contract allows four contracts, for $252 estimated risk.
The built-in specifications cover the E-mini and Micro E-mini S&P 500, Nasdaq-100, Dow and Russell 2000 contracts, plus Gold, Micro Gold, WTI Crude Oil and Micro WTI Crude Oil. Verify specifications against CME before relying on them; exchanges can change contracts.
Common questions
How does the futures position size formula work?
Risk per contract equals stop distance in ticks multiplied by tick value, plus estimated round-trip fees. Position size is the available risk divided by risk per contract, rounded down to a whole contract.
Why does remaining drawdown change the result?
Your normal risk budget can be larger than the room left before a prop firm drawdown threshold. The calculator uses the smaller amount after subtracting the cushion you choose.
How is follower quantity rounded?
The leader quantity is multiplied by the follower ratio and rounded down. If you provide the follower's remaining drawdown, that account gets an additional cap of its own.