Gold (XAUUSD) is one of the most popular instruments on funded trading accounts, particularly on FTMO, FundedNext and Funding Pips. It's also the one traders most commonly miscalculate. The mistake costs funded accounts every single day — and it's entirely avoidable once you understand the contract structure.
The core problem: wrong contract size
Most generic lot size calculators use a contract size of 100,000 (the forex standard). Gold's contract is 100 troy ounces. At $3,200 per ounce, one standard gold lot controls $320,000 of gold — not $100,000. Using the forex formula gives you a position 3× too large.
Gold pip value
On XAUUSD, one pip = $0.01 price move (e.g. $3,200.00 → $3,200.01). Since one lot = 100 oz:
Or in "point" terms (more commonly used for gold):
Point Value = 100 oz × $1.00 = $100 per standard lot
This is why PropRisk.co uses $100 per lot as the pip value for gold and asks you for stop loss in points (dollar moves), not pips.
Gold lot size formula
Where Stop Points = your stop loss in dollar terms (e.g. $15 stop = 15 points)
Risk amount: $10,000 × 1% = $100
Stop: 15 points ($15 price move)
Point value: $100 per lot
Lot size = $100 ÷ (15 × $100) = $100 ÷ $1,500 = 0.07 lots
A generic forex calculator would give you 0.50 lots here — more than 7× too large.
Gold margin on prop firm accounts
Required margin also differs from forex. At 1:100 leverage and $3,200/oz gold price:
0.07 lots on gold = 0.07 × $3,200 = $224 margin required
Firm-specific notes
| Firm | Gold leverage | Contract size | Check symbol specs |
|---|---|---|---|
| FTMO | 1:100 | 100 oz | ftmo.com/en/trading/instruments |
| FundedNext | 1:100 | 100 oz | Verify in MT5 market watch |
| The5ers | 1:30 | 100 oz | Higher margin required |
| Funding Pips | 1:100 | 100 oz | Verify in platform |
Always verify the contract size in your MT5/MT4 platform before trading gold. Right-click the symbol → Properties → to see the exact contract specifications your broker uses.
Free gold lot size calculator for prop firms
PropRisk.co uses the correct 100 oz gold contract — not the forex 100,000 units that most calculators get wrong. Select XAUUSD and get the right funded account lot size instantly.
Calculate your XAUUSD lot size correctly →