Crypto position size calculator with fees
Calculate a fee-aware crypto position size from account value, maximum risk, entry price, stop price, and round-trip trading fees.
Start with the dollars you are willing to lose if the stop executes. The model divides that budget by price risk plus estimated entry and exit fees, then caps the entry cash requirement at the account value because borrowed capital is not modeled.
No market feed is used. Every price, rate, fee, and balance comes from the values you enter.
Your inputs
Inputs and results stay in this browser. Values are capped to keep calculations finite and responsive.
Calculated result
- Cash-capped position size
- $2,981.87
- Asset units
- 29.81870229
- Risk budget
- $250.00
- Risk per unit
- $8.38
- Entry fee
- $5.96
- Cash required
- $2,987.83
- Portfolio allocation
- 11.93%
- Stop distance
- 8%
The calculation
Position size starts with loss tolerance
Choosing a dollar risk before choosing the number of units makes the position respond to stop distance. A wider stop creates more risk per unit and therefore a smaller position. A tighter stop creates a larger mathematical size, although real price noise can make that stop easier to hit.
Maximum account risk is not the same as portfolio allocation. A position can consume a large share of the account while its planned stop limits the modeled loss to a smaller percentage.
How fees change the unit count
Entry and exit charges use part of the same loss budget. This calculator adds an entry fee based on the entry price and an exit fee based on the stop price to the risk per unit. The resulting unit count is lower than a fee-free calculation.
Spread, slippage, gaps, funding, borrow cost, network fees, and taxes are outside the formula. In a fast market, a stop can execute beyond its trigger price, so realized loss can exceed the budget.
Limits for borrowed and volatile positions
A stop order and a liquidation threshold are different. Borrowing can cause forced closure before a planned stop if maintenance margin is breached. Check the venue's exact liquidation method and margin rules separately.
Correlated positions can also concentrate risk. Five trades each sized at 1% do not guarantee a 1% portfolio loss when they move together. Aggregate exposure, liquidity, custody, and scenario risk still need separate limits.
Risking 1% of a $25,000 account
A 1% limit creates a $250 risk budget. With a $100 entry, a $92 stop, and a 0.2% fee on each side, fee-aware risk is $8.384 per unit. Dividing $250 by that amount produces about 29.82 units and a notional position near $2,982, subject to execution and slippage.
Questions and answers
Can a stop guarantee my maximum loss?
No. Stops can slip or fail to execute at the trigger price during gaps, outages, or thin liquidity. The result is a planning estimate.
Should position size use account balance or available cash?
Use the capital base your risk policy actually governs. Do not count borrowed or inaccessible funds unless your policy explicitly accounts for their additional risk.
Does this calculator handle borrowed capital?
No. It sizes units from entry-to-stop risk and fees. It does not calculate maintenance margin or liquidation, which vary by venue and contract.
Method and sources
The formulas run only on your inputs. These references support the definitions and risk notes on this page. They do not supply prices or predict a result.
- FINRA stop-order risk guidance
Explains in the securities context that a stop price is not a guaranteed execution price. Crypto venue rules still need a separate check.
- CFTC virtual currency risk advisory
Covers volatility, market oversight, platform, fraud, and borrowing risks that position-size arithmetic does not remove.
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Research and risk disclosure
This calculator is an educational planning model, not investment, tax, or trading advice. It does not predict returns or execution. Crypto assets can lose their entire value. Confirm actual fills, fee schedules, funding, taxes, and account balances with the relevant provider before acting.
Built and checked by Michael Lip. Method assumptions are stated on this page so the result can be reproduced independently.