Tools · SIZE THE POSITION
Margin Calculator
How much capital does this position lock up?
Required margin is notional ÷ leverage; liquidation is where your equity can no longer cover it. Both move with price, so re-run after every fill.
Retail caps: 30:1 major FX, 20:1 indices, 2:1 crypto in the UK and EU.
An approximation. Actual margin requirements vary by broker, instrument and jurisdiction.
Required margin
3,616.67USD
Worked example
EUR/USD at 1.0850, 1 standard lot, 30:1 leverage.
3,616.67USD margin
Sane: margin under 10% of account equity per position.
How this is calculatedtwo lines of arithmetic
Formula
margin = (price × units) ÷ leverage
liquidation ≈ price × (1 − 1 ÷ leverage)
- 01
Work out notional
Price × units. 1 standard lot of EUR/USD at 1.0850 is 100,000 × 1.0850 = 108,500 USD of exposure.
- 02
Divide by leverage
At 30:1 the broker asks for 1/30th of notional up front: 108,500 ÷ 30 = 3,616.67 USD.
- 03
Find the liquidation price
With no other positions, equity equals margin. A move of 1/leverage (3.33%) against you wipes it: 1.0850 × (1 − 1/30) ≈ 1.0488.
What it doesn’t capture
- Broker-specific margin tiers that rise with position size
- Stop-out levels below 100% (many desks close at 50%)
- Other open positions sharing the same equity
- Quote-currency conversion when your account is not in USD
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