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Forex Margin Calculator

A margin calculator shows how much of your money is locked up as collateral when you open a leveraged position.

Researched and diagrammed by the Wyvexx editorial desk. Updated 26 September 2026. How we check our numbers

Margin calculator

Required margin
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Precision lever lifting a stack of coins clean minimal composition

This margin calculator shows the deposit a provider holds while a leveraged trade is open. Margin is not a fee; it is collateral, returned when the position closes. What it reveals is how large the position really is compared with the money you put down.

The formula

Notional value = lots × units per lot × price (converted to USD)
Required margin = notional value ÷ leverage
Margin as a percentage = 1 ÷ leverage

Worked examples

  • EUR/USD, 1 lot at 1.0850, 30:1. Notional: 100,000 × 1.0850 = $108,500. Margin: 108,500 ÷ 30 = $3,616.67.
  • USD/JPY, 1 lot, 30:1. The base currency is already dollars, so the notional is $100,000 and the margin is 100,000 ÷ 30 = $3,333.33.
  • Gold, 1 lot (100 oz) at an illustrative $3,000, 20:1. Notional: $300,000. Margin: 300,000 ÷ 20 = $15,000.

Prices are illustrative; enter current ones for a live answer.

How to read the result

Compare the margin with your balance. Whatever is left over is free margin, the cushion that absorbs losses. As a trade moves against you, free margin shrinks, and UK and EU providers must start closing positions for retail clients when equity falls to 50% of the margin required. In the first example above, a 50-pip move against you is $500, which already consumes nearly 14% of the margin.

For UK and EU retail clients, the leverage caps are 30:1 on major currency pairs, 20:1 on other pairs, gold and major indices, 10:1 on other commodities, 5:1 on shares and 2:1 on crypto. US retail forex is capped at 50:1 on majors and 20:1 on others. Setting leverage higher in the calculator does not change the size of the risk, only how little collateral covers it.

Use the position size calculator to decide the size first, then check the margin here. The forex guide explains leverage in context.

Leverage magnifies losses as well as gains. You can lose your whole deposit quickly, and outside the UK and EU you may be able to lose more than you deposited.

Sources

  • European Securities and Markets Authority, CFD product intervention measures
  • UK Financial Conduct Authority, CFD rules for retail clients
  • US CFTC and NFA, retail forex leverage limits

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