How to Calculate Margin Used in MT4

Margin used is the amount of your account balance held by MT4 as collateral for your open positions. When you open a trade, the platform sets aside a portion of your balance to cover the position's required margin; this amount cannot be used to open additional positions until you reduce or close the trade.

This article covers what margin used means in MT4, the formula the platform uses to calculate it, worked examples across different pair types and account currencies, where to view margin used in the platform, and how margin used relates to free margin and margin level.

What Is Margin Used in MT4?

Margin used (also called "used margin" or simply "margin" in the Trade tab footer) is the total amount of your account currency held as collateral for all currently open positions. It is not deducted from your balance; rather, it is reserved and not available for opening new positions.

When you open a position, margin used increases by the required margin for that position. When you close a position, margin used decreases by the same amount. When you partially close a position, margin used decreases proportionally.

Margin used is one of five key account metrics shown in the Trade tab footer: Balance, Equity, Margin, Free Margin, and Margin Level. The "Margin" field in this footer is the margin used.

How MT4 Calculates Margin Used

The platform calculates margin used automatically. The general formula is:

Margin per position = Notional value of position (in account currency) x Margin requirement %

The notional value is the lot size multiplied by the contract size, expressed in the account currency.

For forex, the standard contract size is 100,000 units of the base currency per standard lot. Margin requirements at TIOmarkets are typically 1% for major and most minor pairs, 5% for CHF-cross pairs (USDCHF, AUDCHF, CADCHF, CHFJPY, EURCHF, GBPCHF), and 10% for USDCNH and USDHKD. Margin requirements are subject to change depending on market conditions and applicable regulatory requirements.

The currency conversion required depends on which currency in the pair (base or quote) is your account currency, and whether either is.

For pairs where your account currency is the BASE currency (for example, USDJPY on a USD account):

Margin in account currency = Lot size x Contract size x Margin %

For pairs where your account currency is the QUOTE currency (for example, EURUSD on a USD account):

Margin in account currency = Lot size x Contract size x Current price x Margin %

For cross pairs where your account currency is neither (for example, GBPNZD on a USD account):

Margin in account currency = Lot size x Contract size x (Base / Account currency rate) x Margin %

Worked Examples

Examples below assume a USD account.

Example 1: EURUSD (USD-Quoted Pair, 1% Margin)

Position: 1.0 lot long EURUSD at 1.0850 Contract size: 100,000 EUR per standard lot Margin requirement: 1%

Margin in USD = 1.0 x 100,000 x 1.0850 x 1% = USD 1,085

Example 2: USDJPY (USD-Base Pair, 1% Margin)

Position: 1.0 lot long USDJPY at 150.00 Contract size: 100,000 USD per standard lot Margin requirement: 1%

Margin in USD = 1.0 x 100,000 x 1% = USD 1,000

The current USDJPY price does not enter the formula because USD is the base currency (the contract is already denominated in USD).

Example 3: USDCHF (USD-Base Pair, 5% Margin)

Position: 1.0 lot long USDCHF at 0.8800 Contract size: 100,000 USD per standard lot Margin requirement: 5%

Margin in USD = 1.0 x 100,000 x 5% = USD 5,000

USDCHF has a higher margin requirement than most major pairs because CHF-cross pairs carry reduced leverage at TIOmarkets.

Example 4: GBPNZD (Cross Pair, 1% Margin)

Position: 1.0 lot long GBPNZD at 2.3160 Contract size: 100,000 GBP per standard lot GBP/USD rate (illustrative): 1.3235 Margin requirement: 1%

Notional value in GBP: 100,000 Notional value in USD: 100,000 x 1.3235 = USD 132,350 Margin in USD: 132,350 x 1% = USD 1,323.50

For cross pairs, the conversion uses the base currency / account currency rate, which fluctuates with the market.

Example 5: Multi-Position

If you hold two positions simultaneously, margin used is the sum across positions.

Position A: 1.0 lot EURUSD at 1.0850 = USD 1,085 margin Position B: 0.5 lot USDJPY at 150.00 = 0.5 x 100,000 x 1% = USD 500 margin

Total margin used: 1,085 + 500 = USD 1,585

This total is what shows in the Margin field in the Trade tab footer.

Where to See Margin Used in MT4

The margin used figure is displayed at the bottom of the Terminal window's Trade tab.

Open the Terminal window with Ctrl+T. Click the Trade tab if it is not the currently active tab. At the bottom of the Trade tab, you will see a summary row containing: Balance, Equity, Margin, Free Margin, and Margin Level.

The "Margin" figure is the margin used. It updates in real time as you open, close, or modify positions.

If you have no open positions, the Margin field will read 0.00 (or your account currency's zero equivalent).

Margin Used and the Unlimited Leverage Feature

The Standard account at TIOmarkets supports an optional unlimited leverage feature on MT5. The unlimited leverage feature is not available on MT4. Under this feature, the margin requirement scales dynamically based on account equity:

At equity USD 0 to 999: 0% margin (unlimited leverage).

At equity USD 1,000 to 2,499: 0.05% margin (1:2000 leverage).

At equity USD 2,500 to 4,999: 0.1% margin (1:1000 leverage).

At equity USD 5,000 to 19,999: 0.2% margin (1:500 leverage).

At equity USD 20,000 and above: 0.5% margin (1:200 leverage).

If your Standard account uses the unlimited leverage feature, the margin percentage in the formula above is replaced by the dynamic percentage corresponding to your current equity tier. The unlimited leverage feature is available only on Standard accounts on MT5; Raw, VIP Black, and Nano accounts use their respective fixed leverage tiers.

Unlimited leverage is not available on stock CFDs, crypto CFDs, or index CFDs. Expert advisors are not permitted on accounts using the unlimited leverage feature.

Margin Used Versus Free Margin Versus Margin Level

The Trade tab footer shows several related margin metrics.

Margin Used: Total margin held for all open positions.

Free Margin: Equity minus margin used; the amount available to open new positions.

Margin Level: (Equity / Margin Used) x 100, expressed as a percentage.

A higher margin used reduces free margin and lowers margin level. At TIOmarkets, the platform issues a margin call warning when margin level falls to 100%, and stop-out begins at 30% margin level (40% for accounts using 1:2000 leverage on the Standard account). These figures are subject to change depending on market conditions and applicable regulatory requirements.

Practical Considerations

Margin used scales linearly with lot size. Doubling your position size doubles your margin used. This is straightforward for forex but worth considering carefully when sizing positions, particularly if your account equity is close to the margin call threshold.

Margin used reflects the executed entry price rather than the intended one. If you enter EURUSD at 1.0855 instead of the intended 1.0850 due to slippage, your margin used reflects the actual filled price.

Spreads are variable and are typically higher than minimum figures shown. The bid-ask spread affects entry price (the ask for buys, the bid for sells), which in turn affects the notional value and therefore the margin used.

For non-USD account currencies, the margin formula uses the current rate between the base currency of the pair and your account currency. Use the Margin Calculator to calculate exact margin required at current rates for any combination of instrument, lot size, and account currency.

Orders are executed at the best available market price, which may result in positive or negative slippage. Demo accounts often execute instantly and may not fully replicate live slippage conditions.

Trading at TIOmarkets

TIOmarkets offers MetaTrader 4 and MetaTrader 5 on desktop, web, and mobile, across four account types. The Standard account is created automatically on registration with a minimum deposit of $20 or currency equivalent. The Raw and VIP Black accounts are opened separately through the client area. The Nano account is MT5 only with a $20 minimum deposit, USD only. Hedging is supported on all accounts. A swap-free Islamic account is available; contact TIOmarkets for eligibility and instrument requirements. Copy trading is available on both MT4 and MT5.

Orders are executed at the best available market price, which may result in positive or negative slippage. Demo accounts often execute instantly and may not fully replicate live slippage conditions. Spreads are variable and are typically higher than minimum figures shown. Leverage on each instrument is subject to change depending on market conditions and applicable regulatory requirements. You can review the full list of account types on the TIOmarkets accounts page.