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ES and MES risk calculator: contracts within your dollar risk

Enter the most you are willing to lose on a trade, your entry and your stop. The calculator shows the dollar risk per ES or MES contract and how many whole contracts fit inside your limit.

How to use it

  1. Enter your maximum dollar risk for the trade.
  2. Enter entry and stop prices.
  3. Pick ES ($50 per point) or MES ($5 per point).
  4. Read the risk per contract and the number of whole contracts within your limit.
Contracts = floor( max risk ÷ ( |entry − stop| × $ per point ) )
Example. Max risk $500, entry 5,500, stop 5,480 (20 points). One ES contract risks 20 × $50 = $1,000 → 0 ES contracts fit. One MES risks 20 × $5 = $100 → 5 MES contracts (total risk $500).

About this calculator

ES is the E-mini S&P 500 future ($50 per index point, $12.50 per 0.25 tick). MES is the Micro E-mini ($5 per point, $1.25 per tick), one tenth the size, which makes it easier to size small accounts precisely. This tool is position-sizing arithmetic only: it does not choose your stop, your account risk limit, or whether to trade, and it ignores fees and slippage.

Frequently asked questions

How many MES contracts equal one ES contract?
Ten. MES is one tenth the size of ES: $5 per point versus $50 per point.
How do I size a futures position by dollar risk?
Divide your maximum dollar risk by the dollar risk of one contract (stop distance in points times the dollar value per point) and round down to a whole number.
Does this include commissions and slippage?
No. Real losses can exceed the calculated risk if a stop fills worse than planned or when fees are added.

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Informational calculator for reference only. Outputs are arithmetic, not quotes, recommendations or trade signals. LiquidityLevels provides educational market commentary, not financial advice.