Enter your total account balance and the percentage of the balance you are willing to risk on a single trade into the calculator to determine the dollar amount at risk per trade.

Risk Per Trade Formula

The following formula is used to calculate the risk per trade.

RPT = AB * (RP / 100)

Variables:

  • RPT is the risk per trade ($)
  • AB is the account balance ($)
  • RP is the risk percentage (%)

To calculate the risk per trade, multiply the account balance by the risk percentage and then divide by 100 to convert the percentage into a decimal.

What is Risk Per Trade?

Risk per trade is a key concept in risk management for trading. It represents the amount of money that a trader is willing to risk losing on a single trade as a percentage of their total account balance. This helps traders manage their risk and avoid significant losses by only risking a small portion of their account on any given trade. It is a fundamental practice in trading to ensure longevity and capital preservation.

How to Calculate Risk Per Trade?

The following steps outline how to calculate the Risk Per Trade.


  1. First, determine your total account balance (AB).
  2. Next, determine the percentage of the balance you are willing to risk (RP).
  3. Use the formula RPT = AB * (RP / 100) to calculate the risk per trade.
  4. Finally, calculate the Risk Per Trade (RPT) in dollars.
  5. After inserting the variables and calculating the result, check your answer with the calculator above.

Example Problem : 

Use the following variables as an example problem to test your knowledge.

Account Balance (AB) = $10,000

Risk Percentage (RP) = 2%