Calculator

Margin calculator

Required margin is the cash a broker 'freezes' to hold your trade open. Too little free margin and your positions get auto-closed. Size your EA portfolio accordingly.

Required margin
—
Notional exposure—
% of a $10k account—
% of a $100k account—

How margin is calculated

Required margin = (Lots × Contract size × Price) / Leverage. For metals and indices, contract size differs — the calculator handles it automatically.

Leverage limits

  • US brokers — 50:1 on majors, 20:1 on minors, 10:1 on exotics (CFTC).
  • EU / UK (retail) — 30:1 on majors, 20:1 on minors and gold (ESMA).
  • Offshore — up to 1000:1 on majors, but higher risk of non-segregated funds.
  • Prop firms — typically 1:30 to 1:100 inside the challenge; strict stop-out rules.
Margin stop-out: When free margin hits the broker's stop-out level (often 50% of required), the broker auto-closes your most-losing position. For multi-EA portfolios, size so you're using no more than 20-30% of equity in used margin at any time.

Related

Frequently asked questions

Why is required margin on XAUUSD so much higher than EURUSD at the same lot size?

Contract size. 1.0 lot gold = 100 oz × spot price (~$2,400) = $240,000 notional. 1.0 lot EURUSD = 100,000 × 1.10 = $110,000. Gold is more than 2x the margin at the same leverage.

Does margin use 'leverage' or 'margin requirement'?

Same number expressed differently. 1:100 leverage = 1% margin requirement. Brokers display one or the other; pick whichever the form asks for.

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