GLOSSARY · BROKERS & COSTS
What is minimum lot size?
The minimum lot size is the smallest position a broker will accept, usually 0.01 lots, and it puts a hard floor under how little you can risk per trade.
What it means
Because volume is quantised, position sizing cannot produce arbitrarily small positions. A calculation returning 0.004 lots must round to 0.01 or to zero, and every trading platform rounds up — which means your real risk exceeds the configured risk whenever the calculated size falls below the minimum.
Why it matters
On gold the effect is large enough to change what account sizes are viable. At 0.01 lots with a $10 stop, minimum risk is $10 per trade. Against 1.5% risk that implies an account of roughly $670 before the floor stops binding.
What this changes in practice
This is the honest answer to "what is the minimum balance for a gold bot", and it is why any single number given without a stop distance is meaningless. Tighten the stop and the required balance falls; widen it and it rises. Both levers are shown in the lot size calculator, and the question is answered in full here.
Related terms
- Micro lotA micro lot is one hundredth of a standard lot — 0.01 in the order ticket — and is the smallest …
- Position sizePosition size is the lot quantity chosen so that the distance to your stop loss equals a predete…
- Lot sizeLot size is the quantity of an instrument traded in a single position, expressed as a multiple o…
- Risk per tradeRisk per trade is the fraction of account equity a single position is allowed to lose if its sto…
Educational information only, not financial advice. Trading leveraged products carries substantial risk of loss. Last updated 2026-08-11.