TradeBB TRADING TOOLS
Forex Profit Calculator
Pick a pair, enter your lot size and your open and close prices to see what the trade made or lost, in pips and in money, after commission and swap. Or switch to take profit to find the price that hits a target.
A forex trade's profit is the price move in pips, times what one pip is worth at your lot size, converted into your account's currency. Commission and overnight swap come out of that. A trade can be up in pips and still down in money.
The formula
How to calculate forex profit
Profit = (close price − open price) × units, in the pair's second currency. Then convert it to your account's currency. For a sell, flip the first part: open minus close.
Most traders count it in pips: profit = pips × pip value × lots.
Example: buy 1 lot of EUR/USD at 1.08500 and close at 1.08800. That's 30 pips, and a pip on one lot of EUR/USD is $10, so the trade made $300.
Example, yen pair: sell 0.5 lots of USD/JPY at 150.00 and close at 149.50. That's 50 pips, or ¥25,000. At the closing price of 149.50, that's $167.22.
Take profit
Find the take profit for a target
Switch the calculator to take profit, enter your entry, your lot size and the profit you want, and it gives you the price to put your take profit at.
On EUR/USD, it's simple: a $200 target on 1 lot is 20 pips, so a buy at 1.08500 takes profit at 1.08700. On pairs like USD/JPY, the pip value changes as the price moves, so the calculator works out the exact price instead of using today's pip value. A $500 target on 1 lot bought at 150.00 needs 150.754, a little more than the 75 pips you'd guess.
Add your commission and the take profit is set so the target is what's left after it.
Costs
Commission and swap come out of every trade
The price move is only part of the result. If your broker charges commission, it's taken per lot, in and out. If you hold past the daily rollover, swap is added or charged for each night.
Here's a sample GBP/USD trade: 0.50 lots, closed 2.2 pips up, worth $11.00. Commission was $3.50 and swap over four nights came to −$9.60, so the trade lost $2.10.
Add your commission and swap in the calculator and the result is what the trade actually left in your account. For how swap is charged, see what swap is in forex.
Account currency
Profit in your account's currency
The calculator gives the result in your account's currency. When the pair's second currency is the US dollar and your account is in dollars, there's nothing to convert. Otherwise:
- USD/JPY, USD/CAD, USD/CHF — converted at your closing price, which is what MT4 and MT5 do
- Cross pairs like EUR/GBP — enter the rate that turns the second currency into dollars
- Accounts in pounds, euros, rupees and others — enter one exchange rate for your account currency
A 30-pip win on 1 lot of EUR/USD is $300. In a pound account at GBP/USD 1.27, that's £236.22. What a single pip is worth on each pair is covered by the pip calculator.
Pips vs profit
Count your results in money, not pips
Pips are handy for one trade on one pair. Added up across pairs and lot sizes, they mislead: 30 pips on 1 lot of EUR/USD is $300, while 30 pips on 0.1 lots is $30. A good week in pips can be a losing week in money once lot sizes, commission and swap are in.
- Pips on every forex trade — next to its result in money
- Commission and swap broken out — so you see what each one cost
- Results by pair — which pairs pay and which ones cost you
A trading journal does this for every trade you take. For MT4 and MT5 accounts, see the forex trading journal.
FAQ
Frequently asked questions
How do I calculate profit on a forex trade?
Multiply the price move in pips by the pip value at your lot size. On EUR/USD, 30 pips on 1 lot is 30 × $10 = $300. Then take off commission and swap.
Which exchange rate does the forex profit calculator use?
For pairs like USD/JPY, the closing price, the same way MT4 and MT5 convert profit when a trade closes. Tools that use today's rate can be several dollars off on yen pairs. For cross pairs and non-dollar accounts, the rate you enter.
Does leverage change my profit?
No. Leverage changes how much margin the trade ties up, not what each pip is worth. Profit depends on the pair, your lot size and the price move.
How do I set a take profit for a dollar target?
Switch to take profit and enter the amount you want. The calculator gives the exact price, including on pairs where the pip value changes with the price.
Why is my profit in MT4 or MT5 different?
Usually it's commission or swap, a non-dollar account converted at a different rate, or prices with an extra decimal. Add your costs and the rate and the numbers should match.
Can I use the forex profit calculator for gold?
Yes. Pick gold, and the move is counted in dollars per ounce, with one lot as 100 ounces unless your broker uses a different size. To size a gold trade from your stop, use the XAUUSD lot size calculator.
Work out one trade here. See every trade in your journal.
Bring in your trades and see each forex trade's pips next to what it made after commission and swap.