calc.forex

Martingale Calculator

See what a martingale grid really risks: the lot size and open loss at every level, the move back needed to break even, and how many levels it takes before the balance is gone.

Contract specs: 1 lot = 100,000 units, 1 pip = 0.0001

Standard forex lots are 100,000 units of the base currency. Check the contract specification in your broker's platform (MT4/MT5: right-click the symbol → Specification).

USD

Including the first trade, up to 30.

lots
×

2 doubles each level; 1 keeps it fixed.

pips

Against you, per level.

More options: pip value, lot rounding
USD

Leave blank to use the instrument's.

lots

Sizes are rounded to this; 0 keeps exact sizes.

Levels until wiped out

9 levels

The balance is gone 179.5 pips against the first trade, before level 10 opens.

Move to zero balance

179.5 pips

from the first entry

Pip value per lot

$10.00

EUR/USD, in USD

Open lots at wipe-out

25.55

511× the first trade

Lot at level 9

12.80

256× the first trade

Exposure grows exponentially: at 2× per level, level 9 is 256× the first trade. The grid takes many small profits while price swings back, then a single move of 179.5 pips without a pullback empties the account. Trends of that size happen on every market. Margin is not modelled: your broker closes positions at its stop-out level, usually well before the balance reaches zero.

Show the math
  1. Lot at level k = starting lot × multiplier^(k − 1), rounded to 0.010.05 × 2^8 = 12.80 lots
  2. Average entry = Σ(lot × distance) ÷ total lots3,586 ÷ 25.55 = 140.35 pips
  3. Drawdown = total lots × (level distance − average entry) × value per lot25.55 × (160 − 140.35) × $10.00 = $5,020.00
  4. Next step = total lots × grid step × value per lot25.55 × 20 × $10.00 = $5,110.00
  5. Break-even move = level distance − average entry160 − 140.35 = 19.65 pips
  6. Move to zero = average entry + balance ÷ (total lots × value per lot)140.35 + $10,000.00 ÷ (25.55 × $10.00) = 179.49 pips

Figures for level 9, the last level open before the balance runs out. Spread, commission and swap make every figure worse.

Rates from ECB, gold-api.com, CoinGecko, FX reference 2026-10-14, checked 19:46 UTC. Use your broker's live quote to trade.

Embed this calculator

Level by level

LevelOpens atLotTotal lotsAvg entryDrawdownNext stepBreak-even
10 pips0.050.050.0 pips$0−$10.000.0 pips
220 pips0.100.1513.3 pips−$10.00−$30.006.7 pips
340 pips0.200.3528.6 pips−$40.00−$70.0011.4 pips
460 pips0.400.7545.3 pips−$110.00−$150.0014.7 pips
580 pips0.801.5563.2 pips−$260.00−$310.0016.8 pips
6100 pips1.603.1581.9 pips−$570.00−$630.0018.1 pips
7120 pips3.206.35101.1 pips−$1,200−$1,27018.9 pips
8140 pips6.4012.75120.6 pips−$2,470−$2,55019.4 pips
9160 pips12.8025.55140.4 pips−$5,020−$5,11019.6 pips
Balance gone at 179.5 pips against the first entry; level 10 never opens.

Distances in pips against the first entry. Drawdown is the open loss when the level opens; next step is the extra loss if price moves another 20 pips; break-even is how far price must come back from the level to the average entry.

Quick answer

In a martingale grid the lot at level k = starting lot × multiplier^(k − 1), and the account is gone at average entry + balance ÷ (total lots × pip value). Starting at 0.05 lots on EUR/USD and doubling every 20 pips, a $10,000 account holds 25.55 lots after nine levels and is wiped out 179.5 pips against the first trade.

What is the Martingale Calculator?

A martingale grid adds a new position every time price moves a fixed distance against the trade, and each new position is larger than the last — usually double. The average entry moves toward the current price, so a small bounce closes the whole basket at break-even or a small profit. The cost is exposure that grows exponentially: the grid wins small amounts most of the time and loses the account in one trend that does not pull back.

Lot at level k = Starting lot × Multiplier^(k − 1)
Average entry = Σ(Lot × Distance) ÷ Total lots
Drawdown = Total lots × (Distance − Average entry) × Pip value per lot
Move to zero balance = Average entry + Balance ÷ (Total lots × Pip value per lot)

Start with 0.05 lots on EUR/USD, double every 20 pips against you, $10,000 balance. By level 9 — 160 pips against the first entry — the grid holds 25.55 lots, the open loss is $5,020, and every further pip costs $255.50. The balance is gone 179.5 pips against the first entry, before the 10th level would open at 180 pips.

The break-even move barely changes while that happens: with a 2× multiplier it stays just under one grid step (19.6 pips at level 9). That is why the strategy feels safe — a 20-pip bounce always rescues it — and why the loss, when it comes, is the whole account.

This calculator ignores margin, spread, commission and swap. In practice margin ends the grid sooner: 25.55 lots of EUR/USD is €2.555 million of currency, which needs about €85,000 of margin at 1:30 leverage. Your broker closes positions at its stop-out level, so the real wipe-out comes earlier than the figure shown.

How to use this calculator

  1. Instrument and account currency — set the value of a pip per lot. A rate field appears when a conversion is needed. To type a pip value directly, open More options.
  2. Account balance.
  3. Starting lot size — the size of the first trade.
  4. Lot multiplier — how much larger each level is than the one before: 2 doubles, 1.5 adds half, 1 keeps the size fixed.
  5. Grid step — how many pips against the trade before the next level opens.
  6. Number of levels — the most positions the grid will open, including the first.

The result shows how many levels open before the balance is gone and the adverse move that does it, with a table of every level: lot size, total lots, average entry, open loss when it opens, the extra loss from one more step and the move back needed to break even. Lot sizes are rounded to 0.01 lots unless you change the lot step.

Worked example

Doubling from 0.05 lots. EUR/USD, $10 per pip per lot, 20-pip grid, $10,000 balance, up to 10 levels.

Lots per level: 0.05, 0.10, 0.20, 0.40, 0.80, 1.60, 3.20, 6.40, 12.80. After nine levels the grid holds 25.55 lots with an average entry 140.35 pips from the first trade.

25.55 × (160 − 140.35) × $10 = $5,020 open loss at level 9
140.35 + $10,000 ÷ (25.55 × $10) = 179.5 pips to zero balance

The 10th level would open at 180 pips with 25.60 lots — the account is already empty half a pip earlier.

The first three levels from 0.01 lots. 0.01 at the entry, 0.02 at 20 pips, 0.04 at 40 pips: 0.07 lots with an average entry of (0.02 × 20 + 0.04 × 40) ÷ 0.07 = 28.57 pips. At 40 pips the open loss is (0.07 × 40 − 2) × $10 = $8, and price needs to come back 11.4 pips to break even. Small numbers like these are what make the method look harmless.

Same grid from 0.01 lots. With 0.01 lots and up to 15 levels, the $10,000 lasts 12 levels: 40.95 lots are open and the balance is gone 224.5 pips against the first trade.

When to use it

  • Before running a martingale or grid EA — find the move that ends the account with its default settings.
  • Reviewing a signal provider or copy-trading account with a smooth equity curve and growing position sizes.
  • Comparing grid settings — see how the step, multiplier and starting lot change the survivable move.
  • Learning why position sizing matters — compare the result with a fixed-risk approach in the position size calculator.

Common mistakes

  • Judging the strategy by its win rate. A martingale grid closes most baskets in profit; the one it cannot close costs more than all the others made.
  • Assuming price always comes back. Currencies can trend for hundreds of pips without a pullback of one grid step, especially around central-bank decisions.
  • Forgetting margin. The broker closes positions at its stop-out level, well before the balance reaches zero.
  • Ignoring swap. A grid held for weeks pays overnight financing on every open lot, which adds to the loss.
  • Reading a backtest as safety. A grid that survived the test period has only not met its wipe-out move yet.

Frequently asked questions

What is the martingale strategy in forex?

It is a way of adding to a losing trade: each time price moves a set distance against you, you open another position, usually twice the size of the last. The average entry follows price, so a small bounce can close everything at a profit, but the position size grows exponentially and one sustained move empties the account.

How do you calculate martingale lot sizes?

Lot at level k = starting lot × multiplier^(k − 1). Starting at 0.05 lots and doubling, the levels are 0.05, 0.10, 0.20, 0.40, 0.80, 1.60, 3.20, 6.40 and 12.80 lots — the ninth trade is 256 times the first, and the nine together are 25.55 lots.

How much drawdown can a martingale grid take?

Move to zero balance = average entry + balance ÷ (total lots × pip value per lot). For 0.05 lots doubled every 20 pips on EUR/USD with $10,000, the balance is gone 179.5 pips against the first entry. Margin requirements and stop-out usually end it sooner.

Does martingale work in forex?

It does not change the expected result of the trades; it only reshapes the outcomes into many small wins and a rare total loss. If the underlying entries have no edge, the long-run result is the same loss plus the costs of trading very large sizes. Most professional risk rules forbid adding to losing positions for this reason.

Is a lower multiplier safer?

It grows exposure more slowly, so the grid survives a larger move, but the break-even point moves further from price and the account is still lost if the move continues. Any grid that keeps adding to a loser without a stop has a move that ends it; the calculator shows where that is.

What is the difference between martingale and grid trading?

A grid places orders at fixed price intervals. A martingale grid also increases the size at each level. A grid with a multiplier of 1 adds the same size every step, so its exposure grows linearly rather than exponentially, but it still has no limit on the loss without a stop.

Related calculators

  • Drawdown Calculator

    Find the gain needed to recover from a drawdown. A 50% loss needs a 100% gain to get back to even.

  • Risk of Ruin Calculator

    Estimate the probability that a strategy reaches a chosen drawdown, from its win rate, reward-to-risk ratio and risk per trade.

  • Margin Call & Stop-Out Calculator

    See your margin level and how much loss your account can take before a margin call or stop-out.

  • Lot Size & Position Size Calculator

    Find the lot size that risks exactly the amount you choose, from your balance, risk per trade and stop-loss distance.

  • Trading Expectancy Calculator

    Find out what a trading strategy makes or loses per trade on average, from its win rate and average win and loss, with the profit factor, win/loss ratio and the win rate it needs to break even.

  • Pip Calculator

    See what one pip or point is worth for any position size, converted into your account currency.

All 32 calculators

Brokers we partner with

Affiliate links. calc.forex is free and funded by affiliate commissions: if you open an account through a broker link on this site, we may be paid by the broker at no extra cost to you. This never changes the numbers our calculators produce.

Risk warning: CFDs and leveraged forex are complex instruments and come with a high risk of losing money rapidly due to leverage. 74–89% of retail investor accounts lose money when trading CFDs with the brokers listed here. Consider whether you understand how CFDs work and whether you can afford to take the high risk of losing your money.