MES position size calculator
Contracts = floor(risk budget / stop risk per contract). For MES, one point is $5.00 and one tick is $1.25.
- Risk budget
- $125.00
- Risk per contract
- $40.00
- Contracts
- 3
- Dollar risk at 3 contracts
- $120.00
MES: tick 0.25 index pt = $1.25; 1 point = $5.00. Excludes commissions, fees, and slippage.
Worked example
Account $25,000.00, risk 0.5% per trade: the budget is $125.00. Stop 8 points: 8 x $5.00 = $40.00 of risk per contract. $125.00 / $40.00 rounds down to 3 contracts, for $120.00 at risk.
Why contracts round down
Futures trade in whole contracts. Rounding up would put more than the chosen budget at risk, so the calculator always rounds down. When the result is zero, one contract already risks more than the budget: widen the budget, tighten the stop, or skip the trade.
The figure covers the stop distance only. Commissions, exchange fees and slippage add to the real loss, and a fast market can fill past the stop.
Next
- MES tick value and point value
- Check the daily regime board before sizing
- Position size for all contracts
Contract values from CME Group, Micro E-mini S&P 500, as of 14 Oct 2026. Illustration only. Verify with your broker. Not investment advice.