risk-mgmt

Your first position-sizing calculation (1% risk on a real trade)

Turn "I want to buy X" into the size that bounds your loss at 1%

5 min per use · beginner

What you'll have when finished

  • Have one calculated position size ready to enter
  • Understand why wider stops mean smaller sizes
  • Know how R:R ratio + leverage interact with size

Before you start

  • The calculator does NOT place trades. Use the size as input to your actual CEX/DEX order
  • Above 5% risk per trade is gambling, not trading
  • Leverage does NOT multiply expected returns — it only changes margin required. Risk per dollar is the same

Walkthrough

  1. Open Position Sizing + enter account balance

    Discover → Position Sizing. Account balance field = total capital across all your trading accounts, not just this trade. Be honest. Default is $10,000 — replace with your actual number.

    Success criteria: Account balance field shows your real total capital

  2. Set risk per trade = 1%

    1% is the recommended starter. Means if your stop hits, you lose 1% of your account. 20 losers in a row leaves you at ~82% of starting capital. Aggressive users can go 2-3%; above 5% means betting more than 1/20th of capital per trade.

    Success criteria: Risk per trade field shows 1

  3. Pick LONG + enter realistic entry price

    Click LONG. Entry price = the price you actually plan to buy at. Use the CURRENT market price (look it up on a chart). Example: BTC at $95,000 → Entry = 95000.

    Success criteria: LONG button is highlighted AND entry price is set to current market

  4. Set stop-loss BELOW entry

    Stop-loss = the exit price you commit to if the trade goes against you. For longs, stop must be BELOW entry. Example: BTC entry $95,000, stop $92,500 (2.6% below). The DISTANCE matters more than the absolute price.

    Success criteria: Stop-loss price is below entry by a meaningful amount (typically 1-5% below)

  5. Read the calculated position size

    Result panel auto-updates 300ms after your last keystroke. Shows: position size in BASE units (e.g., 0.042 BTC), notional value in USD (e.g., $3,990), liquidation price (n/a at 1x leverage). This is the EXACT size to enter to keep loss-on-stop at $100 (1% of $10,000).

    Success criteria: Position size and notional value are visible and non-zero

  6. Optional: add take-profit for R:R math

    Take-profit price field — if filled, the result panel shows R:R ratio. Example: BTC entry $95,000, stop $92,500 (-$2,500 risk per BTC), TP $100,000 (+$5,000 reward per BTC) → R:R = 2.0. R:R ≥ 2 is the conventional retail floor. R:R < 1 means you risk more than you stand to gain.

    Success criteria: R:R ratio is visible if TP was provided

  7. Use the size as input to your actual order

    Copy the position size. Open CEX Trading or DEX Swap or Smart Trade. Enter the calculated size. Place the order. The calculator does not auto-fire — it is a planning tool. Setting your TP + SL on the actual order is YOUR job.

    Success criteria: Order placed on the actual trading surface with the calculated size

What's next

You sized one trade rigorously. Habit-forming this is the single highest-ROI move in retail trading. Repeat for every entry. Weekly audit: take 10 of your last trades, recompute each via this calculator, compare to what you actually entered. Gaps between intended size and actual size are where discipline breaks down.