A fixed lot cap would be arbitrary across instruments with different tick values. Letting the risk limits do the work is more honest, and it puts the constraint where a trader should be looking anyway. The consequence is that nothing stops an oversized position except the limit it runs into.
Trading rules
Lot size,bounded by risk.
There is no single published maximum lot size. Position size is limited by leverage, margin and buying power, and in practice by the daily loss limit long before margin runs out. On a $100,000 1 Step account the daily limit is $5,000, which is the number worth sizing against.
The rule
Is there a maximum lot size?
Percentages are what the industry publishes. These are the same rules in dollars, worked on a $100,000 simulated account, so there is nothing left to convert.
- Universal maximum lot size
- None published
- Bounded by
- Leverage and margin
Up to 1:50, varying by instrument.
- Practical bound, 1 Step5% of $100,000
- $5,000
The daily loss limit binds before margin does for almost every strategy.
- Practical bound, Instant3% of $100,000
- $3,000
Tighter again.
- 1% risk on a 20-pip stop
- $1,000
20% of the 1 Step daily buffer per trade.
- Insufficient margin
- Order rejected
Reduce size or close another position.
Plan applicability
Which programmesthis rule applies to
Our three programmes do not share one rulebook. This table is the part of the page to read before you buy.
- InstantApplies
No max lot; $3,000 daily bound
The 3% daily loss limit is the effective ceiling on size here.
Why it exists
The reasoning,stated plainly
Worked example
The same rule,as a number
A $100,000 simulated account, because that is the size most people are deciding about.
Sizing against the limit on a $100,000 Instant account
The daily loss limit is $3,000.
- Risk per trade at 1%
- $1,000
- Trades before the limit
- 3
Three full losses take the day to the limit.
- With commission at 5 lots per trade
- $105
Costs reduce the room further.
- Remaining buffer
- $-105
Already through the limit before the third trade closes.
On the tighter Instant buffer, 1% per trade leaves almost no margin for costs. The position size calculator will do this arithmetic against your own numbers.
Commonly misread
What tradersget wrong here
Every item below has cost somebody an account. They are published for that reason rather than for completeness.
“No maximum lot size means I can trade any size”
Margin bounds it, and the daily loss limit bounds it sooner. The absence of a cap is not an absence of a limit.
“Margin and drawdown are the same constraint”
They are separate. An order can be accepted on margin and still take the account through the daily limit.
The full cluster
Every questionabout this rule
The answers our support team works from, each on its own page.
Is there a maximum lot size?
Position size is limited by your account's buying power, leverage, margin and risk limits - and a permitted lot size does not excuse a drawdown breach.
What happens if I don't have enough margin?
The trading platform may prevent the order from being opened or positions may become subject to platform margin rules.
What is leverage?
Leverage determines how much market exposure can be controlled relative to the simulated balance or margin available in your account.
Is leverage the same for every instrument?
No. Forex, metals, indices, commodities and cryptocurrencies can have different leverage requirements.
Related rules
The rulesthat sit next to this one
What leverage do I get?
Leverage is up to 1:50 on every GFN programme and can vary by instrument. Higher leverage does not change the daily loss limit or the drawdown.
What is the daily loss limit?
The daily loss limit is 3% on Instant and 5% on 1 Step and 2 Step - $3,000 or $5,000 on a $100,000 simulated account.
What does trading cost?
Commission is $3.50 per side, $7 per lot round turn on every programme, charged on the simulated account. It counts toward the daily loss limit.
Instant: the full rule sheet
Every objective on the Instant programme, in dollars, at all six account sizes.
1 Step: the full rule sheet
Every objective on the 1 Step programme, in dollars, at all six account sizes.
2 Step: the full rule sheet
Every objective on the 2 Step programme, in dollars, at all six account sizes.
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