AUD/USD is quoted in US dollars, so its pip value is a fixed $10 per lot and the sizing arithmetic is as simple as EUR/USD's. What is different is the behaviour: the Aussie trades with commodity prices and Chinese data, has its most important releases during the Asian session, and moves a little less than the euro on a normal day. This calculator returns the lot size for your balance, risk and stop; the notes below cover the rest.
AUD/USD contract facts
| Item | Value |
|---|---|
| Standard lot | 100,000 AUD |
| Mini / micro lot | 10,000 / 1,000 AUD |
| Pip | 0.0001 |
| Pip value, 1 lot | $10.00 on a USD account |
| Pip value, 0.10 lot / 0.01 lot | $1.00 / $0.10 |
| Typical spread | 0.2–1.2 pips on ECN accounts |
| Typical daily range | roughly 50–70 pips |
| Most liquid hours | Sydney–Tokyo overlap for local data; London–New York overlap for volume |
The lot size formula for AUD/USD
Lot size = (Account balance × Risk %) ÷ (Stop loss in pips × $10)Example 1 — $10,000 account, 1% risk, 20-pip stop:
- Risk amount: $100
- Loss per lot: $200
- Lot size: 0.50 lots
Example 2 — $3,000 account, 1% risk, 30-pip stop:
- Risk amount: $30
- Loss per lot: $300
- Lot size: 0.10 lots
Example 3 — $100,000 prop-firm account, 0.5% risk, 25-pip stop:
- Risk amount: $500
- Loss per lot: $250
- Lot size: 2.00 lots
Quick reference: AUD/USD lot size at 1% risk
| Account | 10-pip stop | 20-pip stop | 30-pip stop | 50-pip stop |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $1,000 | 0.10 | 0.05 | 0.03 | 0.02 |
| $5,000 | 0.50 | 0.25 | 0.17 | 0.10 |
| $10,000 | 1.00 | 0.50 | 0.33 | 0.20 |
| $50,000 | 5.00 | 2.50 | 1.67 | 1.00 |
| $100,000 | 10.00 | 5.00 | 3.33 | 2.00 |
Halve for 0.5% risk; double for 2%.
What makes AUD/USD different
- The important data lands in the Asian session. RBA decisions, Australian employment and CPI, and Chinese PMI and trade figures are released while Europe and the US are asleep. A position left open overnight from New York can wake up 50 pips away.
- It is a risk-sentiment pair. AUD/USD tends to rise when equities and commodities rise and fall when markets de-risk. On a bad day for stocks it can fall without any Australian news at all.
- Iron ore and China matter. Australia's export mix ties the currency to Chinese demand. Weak Chinese data is a headwind for the Aussie regardless of the RBA.
- The range is moderate. 50–70 pips is typical, so 15–25-pip intraday stops are common — but the overnight data gap risk means swing traders often want wider ones.
- Correlation with NZD/USD is very high. Long AUD/USD and long NZD/USD is one trade at nearly double size.
Common AUD/USD sizing mistakes
- Holding a tight stop through the Australian data window. RBA and jobs days regularly produce 40–80-pip moves at 00:30–04:30 UTC.
- Ignoring the equity correlation. A long Aussie during a US equity sell-off is a risk-on position in a risk-off market; size it as the correlated exposure it is.
- Stacking AUD and NZD positions. Count them together.
- Sizing on the chart stop. Add spread and slippage before dividing.
Track your AUD/USD trades in Fips
Fips's free trading journal records every trade with its pip result, R-multiple and session, so you can see whether Asian-session entries perform differently from London ones. MT4 and MT5 accounts sync automatically with the read-only investor password or the Fips connector on your computer; read-only API connections for cTrader, Interactive Brokers and major crypto exchanges are coming soon, and other platforms come in by CSV import (re-upload to keep it current) or manual entry. The economic calendar shows RBA and Chinese releases in your local time, and the backtesting tools let you check a setup's historical performance on data days before you trade it.
Frequently asked questions
How much is 1 pip on AUD/USD?
$10 per standard lot, $1 per mini lot and $0.10 per micro lot on a USD account — the same as EUR/USD, because the quote currency is USD.
What lot size should I use on a $5,000 AUD/USD account?
At 1% risk ($50) and a 20-pip stop, 0.25 lots. At a 40-pip stop, 0.13 lots.
When is the best time to trade AUD/USD?
For volume and tight spreads, the London–New York overlap. For the moves that come from Australian and Chinese data, the Sydney–Tokyo hours — but those carry the event risk that goes with them.
What is a reasonable stop on AUD/USD?
Intraday setups commonly use 15–25 pips, 4-hour setups 35–60, daily setups 80–120. Let the lot size follow the stop.