See the margin for your trade at any leverage, and what four brokers ask for it.
Leverage rules checked on 14 October 2026
0.10 lots of XAUUSD = 10 oz, worth $40,249.30
At 1:2,000 leverage, the margin is the position value divided by 2,000. So $40,249.30 ÷ 2,000 = $20.12.
This answer uses your leverage for every instrument. Most brokers set a lower leverage for indices, crypto and some metals, so the broker rows show the margin each broker actually asks for this trade. This market is closed now. The price is from the last trading session.
XMGOLD · 1 lot = 100 oz$40.25max 1:1,000
HFMXAUUSD · 1 lot = 100 oz$20.12at 1:2,000
XS.comXAUUSD · 1 lot = 100 oz$20.12at 1:2,000
ExnessXAUUSD · 1 lot = 100 oz$20.13at 1:2,000
The broker rows use the XM Standard, HFM Premium, XS.com Standard and Exness Standard trading accounts and account equity of $1,000. Some brokers lower the leverage at higher equity and around news. Tap a broker row to open the margin calculator of that broker for your account type and equity.
- InstrumentThe most traded ones, such as XAUUSD, come first, then every group.
- Lot sizeThe size of your trade, such as 0.10 lot.
- LeverageThe leverage of your trading account, such as 1:500.
- Each brokerThe margin that XM, HFM, XS and Exness ask for the same trade.
Contents
How Much Margin Do You Need for a Trade?
The margin for a forex or gold trade is the value of the position divided by your leverage. So a bigger lot or a higher price needs more margin, and a higher leverage needs less.
Gold, 0.10 lot, 1:2,000 leverage
Size of 0.10 lot10 oz
Value when gold is at $4,000$40,000
Divided by the leverage÷ 2,000
Margin$20.00
At a real broker, the leverage on gold, indices and crypto is often lower than the leverage of your trading account, so the same trade can need several times as much margin. The table below shows the leverage that XM, HFM, XS and Exness use when your trading account is set to 1:2,000.
Leverage used when you choose 1:2,000
| Gold | US30 | |
|---|---|---|
| XM | 1:1,000 | 1:500 |
| HFM | 1:2,000 | 1:1,000 |
| XS.com | 1:2,000 | 1:500 |
| Exness | 1:2,000 | 1:400 |
On gold, XM asks for twice the margin of the other three brokers, because the highest leverage at XM is 1:1,000. On US30, all four brokers use a lower leverage than 1:2,000. At Exness, the margin on US30 is five times the answer in the blue box, because Exness sets 1:400 on that index.
Bitcoin shows the widest gap. XS uses 1:200 on BTCUSD when the trading account holds $1,000. So at XS, the same Bitcoin trade needs ten times the margin that it needs at Exness.
So before you open a trade with high leverage, look at the broker rows under the blue box. Each row shows the margin that the broker asks for, and a tap on the row opens the margin calculator of that broker.
How Does Leverage Change the Margin?
Leverage changes only the margin of a trade, and the profit or loss on each price move stays the same. So at 1:2,000, a trade needs a quarter of the margin that it needs at 1:500.
0.01 lot of gold, with gold at $4,000
| Your leverage | Margin needed |
|---|---|
| 1:100 | $40.00 |
| 1:500 | $8.00 |
| 1:1,000 | $4.00 |
| 1:2,000 | $2.00 |
On a $100 balance, this difference decides how much of your money one trade sets aside. At 1:100, 0.01 lot of gold takes 40% of the balance as margin. At 1:500, it takes 8%, so the rest of the balance stays free to cover a price move against you.
However, a higher leverage does not make a trade safer. The loss on 0.01 lot is the same at every leverage, so decide your lot size from the loss that you accept, with the lot size calculator. The high leverage guide compares the highest leverage at each broker and the times when it drops.
How Much Margin Do You Need for 1 Lot?
At 1:100 leverage, 1 lot of EURUSD needs 1,000 euros of margin, which is 1% of the 100,000 euros in the trade. The calculator turns the euros into US dollars at the current EURUSD price.
On gold, 1 lot is 100 oz. At 1:100, the margin for 1 lot of gold is the same dollar amount as the gold price, so it is $4,000 when gold is at $4,000.
However, 1 lot is not the same size at every broker. On silver and oil, the size of 1 lot changes the margin as much as the leverage does.
The size of 1 lot
| Silver | Oil (WTI) | |
|---|---|---|
| XM | 5,000 oz | 100 barrels |
| HFM | 1,000 oz | 100 barrels |
| XS.com | 5,000 oz | 1,000 barrels |
| Exness | 5,000 oz | 1,000 barrels |
So 1 lot of oil at XS or Exness is ten times the trade of 1 lot at XM or HFM, and it needs ten times the margin at the same leverage. If you copy a lot size from another trader or a video, check the broker row in the calculator first. Each row shows the size at that broker, such as 1 lot = 1,000 barrels.
What Is Margin in Forex?
Margin is the part of your balance that your broker sets aside while a trade is open. It is not a fee, and it becomes free margin again when you close the trade.
Free margin is the money left for new trades and for losses on the trades that are open. Your margin level is your equity divided by the margin. When losses push the margin level down to the level that your broker sets, the broker first sends a margin call, and then it closes trades at the stop-out level.
The stop-out level is different at each broker. The margin calculators of XM, HFM, XS.com and Exness explain the margin call and the stop-out at each broker.
Questions People Ask About Forex Margin
- How do you calculate margin for forex?
-
Multiply your lot size by the size of 1 lot and by the price, and then divide by your leverage. On EURUSD, 0.10 lot is 10,000 euros. At 1:500, the margin is 10,000 ÷ 500 = 20 euros.
If your trading account is in US dollars, the broker turns the result into dollars at the current price. On indices and crypto, many brokers use their own leverage instead of yours, so check the broker row in the calculator.
- How much leverage do you need for $100?
-
With $100, the leverage decides how much of your balance one trade sets aside, and the lot size decides how much you can lose. At 1:500, 0.01 lot of EURUSD needs 2 euros of margin. At 1:100, the same trade needs 10 euros.
Both trades leave most of the $100 available for other trades and for losses. So on a small balance, choose the lot size first, and the lot size calculator gives it from your stop-loss and your risk.
- How much margin do you need to trade gold?
-
On 0.01 lot of gold, the margin is the gold price divided by your leverage. For example, at 1:500 and a gold price of $4,000, the margin is $8.
XM uses 1:1,000 at most on gold. So at XM, any leverage higher than 1:1,000 gives the same margin as 1:1,000.
- Is there an XM margin calculator?
-
Yes. The XM margin calculator shows the margin for each XM trading account, instrument and balance. HFM, XS.com and Exness have their own margin calculators too, and the broker rows of this calculator open them.
Which Page Do You Need Next?
If you know the margin and now need a lot size, the lot size calculator turns your stop-loss and your risk into a lot size. The pip calculator shows what each pip is worth, and the high leverage guide shows when each broker lowers its leverage.
How the margin calculator works
- The answer in the blue box
- The position value divided by your leverage, on every instrument. The position value is your lot size × the size of 1 lot × the price, in US dollars. It uses the instruments, lot sizes and prices of the XM Standard account, under names that most brokers use, such as US30 and WTI.
- The rows for each broker
- The margin on the XM Standard, HFM Premium, XS.com Standard and Exness Standard trading accounts, with account equity of $1,000. Each row follows the rules of that broker: the highest leverage of the account, the leverage limit or fixed margin rate of each instrument, and the steps by trade size or by equity. Each row shows the higher of the buy margin and the sell margin.
- What the rows leave out
- The lower leverage that brokers apply at higher equity, around news and at the market open. The margin calculator of each broker shows these rules for your own trading account and balance.
- Size of 1 lot
- The contract size in the MT5 symbol specification of our trading accounts at each broker. It differs by broker on silver, oil and some indices.
- Prices
- From the MT5 servers of XM, HFM, XS and Exness, refreshed through the day. Updated, at the top of the calculator, shows the time in UTC. The examples in this article take gold at $4,000, so they stay the same when the price moves.
- Account currency
- US dollars. The calculator turns other currencies into US dollars at the current price.
Broker leverage rules and lot sizes checked on 14 October 2026. The calculator always uses the latest data.
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