How to Calculate Lot Size for Platinum (XPTUSD): Contract Size and Position Sizing
BY TIOmarkets
|March 21, 2026Platinum is a thinly traded precious metal compared to gold and silver, and its price can move sharply on relatively low volume. Before placing a platinum CFD trade, understanding how lot sizes translate into real dollar exposure, and how to size a position relative to your account balance, is an important step in managing risk.
This guide covers how to trade XPTUSD contracts, how to calculate point value per lot, how to work out required margin, and how to apply a position sizing formula to keep risk consistent.
XPTUSD Contract Structure
At TIOmarkets, one standard lot of XPTUSD represents 100 ounces of platinum. The minimum lot size is 0.01 lots, which represents 1 ounce. Between these two extremes, traders can size positions in increments of 0.01 lots, giving a practical range from 1 ounce at the minimum up to 2,000 ounces at the maximum of 20 lots per trade.
XPTUSD is quoted in US dollars per ounce, meaning the price on your chart represents what one ounce of platinum costs in USD. All profit, loss, and margin calculations for XPTUSD are denominated in USD, which simplifies the arithmetic for USD account holders. For accounts in other base currencies, the USD result is converted at the prevailing exchange rate.
Point Value for XPTUSD
XPTUSD is priced to two decimal places, so the smallest price movement is USD 0.01 per ounce. This is referred to as a point or tick rather than a pip, as pip terminology applies specifically to currency pairs.
The point value per lot is calculated as: point size x contract size in ounces.
For a standard lot (1.0): USD 0.01 x 100 oz = USD 1.00 per point. For a mini lot (0.10): USD 0.01 x 10 oz = USD 0.10 per point. For a micro lot (0.01): USD 0.01 x 1 oz = USD 0.01 per point.
To put this in context, a USD 10 move in the platinum price (for example, from USD 1,920 to USD 1,930) represents 1,000 points. On a standard lot, that move equals USD 1,000. On a 0.10 lot, the same move equals USD 100. On a 0.01 lot, it equals USD 10.
Because platinum can move tens or even hundreds of dollars in a single session, understanding the dollar value of each price increment relative to your lot size is essential before entering a position.
Calculating Required Margin for XPTUSD
XPTUSD carries a 5% margin requirement at TIOmarkets, which corresponds to leverage of up to 1:20. Unlike currency pairs where the notional value is fixed by the contract size in units of base currency, the notional value of a platinum contract depends on the current market price, because platinum is priced per ounce.
The margin formula is: required margin = notional value x margin percentage, where notional value = lot size x contract size x current price.
Using an illustrative platinum price of USD 1,925 per ounce (this is an example only and not a current market quote):
For a standard lot (1.0): 1.0 x 100 x USD 1,925 x 0.05 = USD 9,625. For a mini lot (0.10): 0.10 x 100 x USD 1,925 x 0.05 = USD 962.50. For a micro lot (0.01): 0.01 x 100 x USD 1,925 x 0.05 = USD 96.25.
Because the required margin is tied to the platinum price, it will be higher when platinum is trading at elevated levels and lower when prices are depressed. Before placing a trade, use TIOmarkets' margin calculator at tiomarkets.com/margin-calculator to get the exact margin requirement at the current price and your chosen lot size.
Leverage on XPTUSD is subject to change depending on market conditions and applicable regulatory requirements.
Position Sizing for XPTUSD
Position sizing determines what lot size to use based on how much of your account you are willing to risk if your stop loss is triggered. A consistent approach is to define a fixed percentage of your account balance as the maximum risk per trade, then calculate the lot size that keeps the potential loss within that limit.
The formula is: lot size = account risk in USD / (stop loss in points x point value per standard lot).
Worked Example
Suppose you have a USD account with a balance of USD 5,000. You are willing to risk 1% of your balance on a single trade, which is USD 50. Your analysis of the platinum chart suggests a stop loss of 200 points, equivalent to a USD 2.00 move per ounce.
Point value per standard lot: USD 1.00.
Lot size = USD 50 / (200 x USD 1.00) = USD 50 / USD 200 = 0.25 lots.
Trading 0.25 lots with a 200-point stop loss risks USD 50 if the stop is hit, which equals the 1% account risk limit. You would round to 0.25 lots, the nearest 0.01 increment.
If your stop loss were tighter, say 100 points, the same USD 50 risk budget would support a 0.50 lot position. If your stop were wider at 400 points, the same risk budget would require reducing to 0.12 lots (rounding down from 0.125). The key principle is that the lot size always adjusts to the stop distance, not the other way around.
Using TIOmarkets' Calculators for XPTUSD
TIOmarkets provides an online calculator suite at tiomarkets.com to help traders work through position sizing and margin requirements before placing a trade.
The margin calculator at tiomarkets.com/margin-calculator takes your currency pair, account currency, leverage, and lot size as inputs and returns the required margin at current prices. For XPTUSD, entering your lot size and leverage setting will give you the exact margin figure, which is more reliable than a manual calculation using an illustrative price.
The profit calculator at tiomarkets.com/profit-calculator allows you to model a trade by entering your open price, close price, lot size, and account currency, returning an estimated profit or loss. This is useful for checking how your stop loss and take profit levels translate into USD figures before you commit to a trade.
Spreads, Commissions and Overnight Financing
XPTUSD spreads at TIOmarkets are variable and fluctuate with market conditions. They can widen during periods of low liquidity and around major news events. Any minimum spread figures are the lowest observed under favourable conditions and are typically higher in practice. On a Raw account, a commission of USD 6 per round turn lot applies, charged in full when the position is opened. On Standard and VIP Black accounts there is no commission, with costs reflected in the spread.
Overnight financing on XPTUSD is generally calculated on a different basis from forex triple swap. Current rates should be checked inside the MT4 or MT5 platform before holding positions overnight.
FAQ
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TIOmarkets offers an exclusively execution-only service. The views expressed are for information purposes only. None of the content provided constitutes any form of investment advice. The comments are made available purely for educational and marketing purposes and do NOT constitute advice or investment recommendation (and should not be considered as such) and do not in any way constitute an invitation to acquire any financial instrument or product. TIOmarkets and its affiliates and consultants are not liable for any damages that may be caused by individual comments or statements by TIOmarkets analysis and assumes no liability with respect to the completeness and correctness of the content presented. The investor is solely responsible for the risk of his/her investment decisions. The analyses and comments presented do not include any consideration of your personal investment objectives, financial circumstances, or needs. The content has not been prepared in accordance with any legal requirements for financial analysis and must, therefore, be viewed by the reader as marketing information. TIOmarkets prohibits duplication or publication without explicit approval.
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