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Forex Margin Calculator

A margin calculator that shows how much of your equity a position locks up at a given leverage, and how close that brings you to a margin close-out.

Prepared by the KaltraPrime editorial desk. Updated 26 September 2026. Our research method

Margin calculator

Required margin
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Glass euro symbol and a glass dollar symbol balanced on a sleek scale

This margin calculator shows the deposit a provider holds while a leveraged position is open. Margin is not a fee and is not lost when the trade opens; it is collateral. But the more of your equity it absorbs, the less room the account has to absorb a move against you.

The formula

Notional value = lots × units per lot × price of the base currency in USD
Required margin = notional value ÷ leverage

For pairs where the base currency is the dollar, notional value is simply the number of units. For others the calculator converts using the rate it shows.

Worked examples

Illustrative prices:

  • EUR/USD at 1.1500, 0.5 lots, 30:1. Notional: 50,000 × 1.15 = $57,500. Margin: $57,500 ÷ 30 = $1,916.67.
  • Gold at $3,600, 0.1 lots (10 oz), 20:1. Notional: 10 × $3,600 = $36,000. Margin: $36,000 ÷ 20 = $1,800.

Margin level

Providers watch margin level: equity divided by used margin, as a percentage. If the account holding the EUR/USD position has $2,500 of equity, margin level is $2,500 ÷ $1,916.67 ≈ 130%. Under UK and EU retail rules, the provider must begin closing positions when margin level falls to 50%, which here would happen once equity fell to about $958.33.

Leverage caps to plug in

UK and EU retail CFDsMaximum leverage
Major currency pairs30:1
Non-major pairs, gold, major indices20:1
Other commodities, minor indices10:1
Individual shares5:1
Crypto-assets2:1

US retail forex allows up to 50:1 on major pairs and 20:1 on others. Professional clients and offshore entities may be offered more, with fewer protections.

Reading the result

A low margin requirement is not a sign of a small trade: the risk depends on the notional value and your stop, which the lot size calculator controls. Use this tool to check that open positions leave enough free margin for normal price swings.

Why free margin matters

Free margin is the equity left after used margin is subtracted. It is the buffer that absorbs losses on open positions and funds new ones. An account that uses most of its equity as margin has almost no room for normal price swings, and a modest move can trigger a close-out even if the trade idea was sound.

Leveraged trading can cause losses larger than the margin deposited, subject to any negative balance protection that applies to you.

Sources

  • European Securities and Markets Authority, CFD product intervention measures
  • UK Financial Conduct Authority, CFD rules for retail clients

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