Contents 5
The martingale and grid calculator shows how many levels your account survives and how many pips price can move against you before it’s wiped out. Enter the balance, starting lot, multiplier and grid step — the calculator builds a grid table with lots and drawdown at each level.
How to use the calculator
- Account currency, balance and instrument.
- Starting lot — size of the first order.
- Multiplier — how much each next lot grows. 2 is classic martingale, 1.3–1.6 a “soft” one, 1 a grid with equal lots.
- Grid step — distance between orders in pips.
On the right: levels opened, pips against the position the account survives, last lot, total volume, drawdown when the last level opens and the distance back to break-even. The table shows where the account runs out.
The calculation is simplified: margin, spread and swap are ignored. In reality a stop out comes earlier, when free margin runs out (check it with the margin calculator).
How the grid is calculated
Lot of level i: Loti = Starting lot × Multiplieri (rounded to 0.01). A level opens every “step” pips. The floating loss after D pips against the first trade is the sum over open levels: Σ Loti × (D − i × Step) × Pip value. The calculator moves price one pip at a time until the loss equals the balance.
Example
$1,000, EUR/USD, 0.01 lot, multiplier 2, step 20 pips. Lots: 0.01 → 0.02 → 0.04 → 0.08 → 0.16 → 0.32 → 0.64 → 1.28. 8 levels open, 2.55 lots in total, and the account is gone after 159 pips against the position — an ordinary move for EUR/USD on a news day.
Settings compared
| Settings (EUR/USD, start 0.01) | Levels | Pips survived |
|---|---|---|
| $1,000, ×2, step 20 | 8 | 159 |
| $1,000, ×2, step 30 | 8 | 220 |
| $1,000, ×1.5, step 20 | 12 | 220 |
| $10,000, ×2, step 20 | 12 | 224 |
| $1,000, ×1 (grid), step 20 | 32 | 622 |
Key takeaway: a 10× bigger account at multiplier 2 buys only 65 extra pips. Exponential lot growth eats any amount of money, so the multiplier and step matter more than account size.
When martingale works and when it blows up
Martingale and averaging make money in ranges: price pulls back and the whole basket closes in profit. The danger is a strong trend without a pullback. Risk is reduced by a 1.2–1.5 multiplier, a wide step (ATR-based), a cap on levels, an equity stop and trading only in quiet hours.
Below are grid and hedging strategies and EAs with multi-year tests. Run their settings through the calculator before going live.
FAQ
How many martingale levels can my account survive?
It depends on balance, lot, multiplier and step. With $1,000, 0.01 lot, multiplier 2 and a 20-pip step on EUR/USD — 8 levels and about 159 pips against you.
Which multiplier is safer?
The closer to 1, the more levels and pips of room, but the slower the basket reaches break-even. In practice 1.2–1.6 is used.
Does it account for stop out?
No, it shows the point where the floating loss equals the balance. A broker’s stop out happens earlier, at a 20–50% margin level.
Can I calculate a grid without multiplying lots?
Yes, set the multiplier to 1 for a grid with equal lots.