Forex Leverage Calculator
Calculate real leverage on your account and the exposure it creates.
Please note: Forex trading carries a high risk of loss, amplified by leverage. Exchange rates must be entered manually — no live market data is used.
What the Forex Leverage Calculator does
Real leverage is your total open exposure divided by your equity. Brokers advertise maximum leverage, but the figure that determines your risk is the one you actually use.
Formula
Exposure = Units × Price × Conversion rateReal leverage = Exposure ÷ EquityWipeout move % = 100 ÷ Real leverage
Inputs explained
| Input | Unit | Required | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Account equity | selected currency | Yes | Accepts more than 0. |
| Trade size (lots) | number | Yes | Accepts more than 0. |
| Lot type | one of 4 options | Yes | — |
| Pair price | number | Yes | Accepts more than 0. |
| Quote → account currency rate | number | Yes | Accepts more than 0. |
| Currency | one of 10 options | Optional | — |
How to use it
- Choose Lot type and Currency.
- Enter Account equity, Trade size (lots), Pair price and Quote → account currency rate.
- Select Calculate.
Worked example
A $5,000 account holding 2 standard lots of EUR/USD at 1.0850.
- Equity
- 5000
- Lots
- 2
- Price
- 1.0850
Exposure $217,000 ÷ $5,000 = 43.4× real leverage. A 2.3% move against you ends the account.
Reading the result
- Real leverage (this calculator) and the leverage ratio a broker advertises measure different things — the ratio is a ceiling on what is allowed, real leverage is what is actually in use, and it is real leverage that determines wipeout risk.
- "Effect of a 100-pip move" converts a familiar trading unit directly into an equity-relevant dollar figure, useful for sanity-checking a stop-loss distance against real account risk without a separate pip-value calculation.
Assumptions and limitations
- This is a single-position snapshot — real leverage compounds across every simultaneously open position, so a trader with several positions open has higher real leverage than any one position's calculation shows.
- The conversion rate is a static entered figure rather than a live one.
Common mistakes
- Reducing lot size after a losing streak without rechecking real leverage against the new, smaller equity — a fixed position size becomes proportionally more leveraged as equity shrinks from losses, even though the position itself has not changed.
Frequently asked questions
Why do brokers offer leverage far beyond what is sensible?
Because it allows small accounts to trade meaningful sizes, and higher volume generates more spread revenue. The offered maximum is not a recommendation.