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Crypto Position Size & Leverage Calculator

Size a crypto futures or spot trade from your risk and stop loss. See the position size in coins, the margin needed at your leverage, an estimated liquidation price, and the highest leverage that keeps liquidation beyond your stop.

Your trade
Advanced: fees and maintenance margin

Use your exchange’s own figures: fees depend on your tier and on maker vs taker orders, and maintenance margin rises with position size. The defaults are only examples.

Result
Position size
—
Position value
—
Margin required
—
Loss at stop
—
including fees
Est. liquidation price
—
Max leverage
—
before liquidation passes your stop
Risk : reward
—
Profit at take profit
—
after fees

How to size a crypto futures position

With leverage it’s easy to confuse how much you risk with how much margin you put up. They’re different things. Your risk is set by the distance to your stop loss and the size of the position; leverage only changes how much margin the exchange holds for it.

Position size (coins) = Risk amount ÷ (|Entry − Stop| + fees per coin)
Margin required       = Position size × Entry ÷ Leverage
  1. Decide your risk, for example 1% of a 1,000 USDT account = 10 USDT.
  2. Set entry and stop. Long BTC at 60,000 with a stop at 58,800 risks 1,200 per coin.
  3. Divide. 10 ÷ 1,200 ≈ 0.0083 BTC, a position worth about 500 USDT (a little less once fees are included).
  4. Pick leverage for margin, not for size. At 10× the exchange holds about 50 USDT of margin. At 20× it holds 25 USDT, but your loss at the stop is still 10 USDT.

Liquidation price: why it matters

If price moves far enough against you, the exchange closes the position before your margin runs out. The higher your leverage, the closer that liquidation price is to your entry. If it’s closer than your stop loss, you’ll be liquidated before your stop is hit, losing the margin plus a liquidation fee. The calculator warns you when that happens and shows the maximum leverage that keeps liquidation beyond your stop.

For a USDT-margined position in isolated margin, a simple estimate is:

Long:  Liquidation ≈ Entry × (1 − 1/Leverage + Maintenance margin rate)
Short: Liquidation ≈ Entry × (1 + 1/Leverage − Maintenance margin rate)
This is an estimate. Exchanges use their own formulas, tiered maintenance margin, mark price and fees, and in cross margin your whole balance supports the position. Always check the liquidation price your exchange shows before you open the trade.

Spot vs futures

Buying on spot with your own money means leverage 1×: there’s no liquidation, and the calculator shows the position size and value only. Set leverage to 1 for spot trades.

Fees add up with leverage

Fees are charged on the full position value, not your margin. A 0.05% fee on a 5,000 USDT position is 2.50 USDT each way, which matters when your risk is 10 USDT. The calculator includes entry and exit fees in both the loss at stop and the profit at target. Funding payments on perpetual futures aren’t included.

Plan the trade on a chart first: our TradingView paper trading guide shows how to practise with leverage risk-free. Trading forex instead? Use the forex position size calculator.

ChartWatch is independent and not affiliated with TradingView or any exchange. This calculator uses only the numbers you enter and doesn’t fetch prices. Liquidation prices are simplified estimates; your exchange’s figures are what count. Leveraged crypto trading carries a high risk of loss. This is a calculation tool, not financial advice.

FAQ

How do I calculate position size for crypto futures?
Divide the amount you are willing to lose by the distance between your entry and stop loss (plus fees per coin). That gives the position size in coins. Leverage then decides how much margin the exchange holds, not how much you risk.
Does higher leverage mean more risk?
Not if you size the position from your stop loss: the loss at your stop stays the same. What leverage changes is the margin used and how close the liquidation price is to your entry. Too much leverage can put liquidation before your stop.
How is the liquidation price calculated?
For a USDT-margined isolated position, a common estimate is entry × (1 − 1/leverage + maintenance margin rate) for longs and entry × (1 + 1/leverage − maintenance margin rate) for shorts. Exchanges use their own exact formulas, so check the figure they show.
What leverage should I use?
Enough that the margin fits your account and the liquidation price stays beyond your stop loss. The calculator shows the maximum leverage that keeps liquidation past your stop.
Can I use this calculator for spot crypto?
Yes. Set leverage to 1. You'll get the position size and value; there is no liquidation price on spot.
Does the calculator include funding fees?
No. It includes trading fees on entry and exit, but not funding payments on perpetual futures, which depend on the market and how long you hold.

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ChartWatch is an independent tool and is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or officially connected to TradingView, Inc. “TradingView” is a trademark of its respective owner. Exchange, broker and platform names are trademarks of their respective owners.