Gold position sizing starts with the contract, not with a familiar lot number. You need the exact account symbol, its contract size and quote currency, the proposed volume, and the distance to your exit. Commission and margin are separate checks. None of those figures can be inferred safely from a generic “zero spread” headline.
Read the account’s XAUUSD specification
The public XAUUSD page currently shows contract size 100 and a minimum and volume step of 0.01 lot. It is an indicative public table, not a substitute for your account’s specification. Its displayed zero commission must not be applied to Raw Spread accounts, whose current help states a metals commission.
- Confirm the full symbol name, including any account suffix.
- Read contract size, minimum volume, volume step, tick size and tick value.
- Check how the profit currency is converted into your account currency.
- Read the current margin requirement and the opening/closing sessions in server time.
- Check long and short swap separately and whether your account’s swap-free status applies to this symbol.
Keep a dated copy of those inputs with your trade plan. The account comparison identifies the account families; the swap-free guide explains why a general account label is not enough to determine every holding cost.
Raw gold commission differs from the FX headline
The commission help updated 8 September 2026 states USD 3.50 per lot per side for XAUUSD and XAGUSD. A complete opening and closing at the same volume therefore costs USD 7 per lot in commission before spread, swap, slippage or conversion. The calculation starts in USD and is converted if your account currency differs.
| Volume | One side | Opening plus closing |
|---|---|---|
| 0.01 lot | USD 0.035 | USD 0.07 |
| 0.10 lot | USD 0.35 | USD 0.70 |
| 1.00 lot | USD 3.50 | USD 7.00 |
These are arithmetic examples from the published rate. Account statement rounding and actual instrument terms still apply. Our fees and spread guide compares total cost; a smaller spread is not automatically a cheaper trade once commission is included.
Work in cash risk before choosing lots
Suppose, purely for illustration, your actual specification confirms a USD-quoted contract representing 100 ounces per lot. At 0.01 lot the exposure is 1 ounce. A USD 10 adverse price move then produces USD 10 of gross loss before costs. At 0.10 lot the same move produces USD 100. This is arithmetic, not a statement that a stop order guarantees that exit price.
With a USD 25 risk budget and a USD 10 stop distance, the pre-cost volume would be 25 ÷ (100 × 10) = 0.025 lot. If the allowed volume step is 0.01, rounding upward to 0.03 would make gross planned risk USD 30 before costs. Rounding downward to 0.02 makes it USD 20 before costs, leaving only USD 5 for the remaining allowance. If those costs or slippage exceed that allowance, reduce the size further or skip the trade.
Use the gold position-size calculator only after matching its contract assumptions to your symbol. The gold profit calculator can help check the price-move arithmetic. Do not enter a pip distance until you have verified the tool’s pip convention.
Margin is not your maximum loss
Margin is collateral required to open or maintain exposure. It does not cap the loss at the deposited margin. The same position has the same price sensitivity even if its permitted leverage changes. Use the current account requirement rather than converting the group’s maximum leverage into a promise for gold.
The leverage and margin guide explains the distinction. Test the order calculation on demo and leave free margin for adverse movement. A position that narrowly passes the opening check can still be unsuitable for the account.
Check the next session and rollover
The public gold table expresses sessions in MT server time and shows a daily break, not uninterrupted trading. Check the terminal and current holiday notice before scheduling an order. Do not translate server time into Malaysian, Indonesian or another local time using a permanent offset without checking daylight-saving arrangements.
Wider spreads around a reopening, a stop filled beyond its requested level, and overnight financing can change the outcome of a technically correct size calculation. Write down the planned holding period and the next closure before entering, especially if you cannot monitor the account during that interval.
Frequently asked questions
Is Raw gold commission the same as forex commission?
No. Current Global help lists USD 3.50 per lot per side for XAUUSD and XAGUSD, versus the lower headline rate used for other specified instruments. Check your exact account and symbol.
How much is the round-trip commission for 0.10 lot of Raw gold?
At the published USD 3.50 per lot per side rate, 0.10 lot costs USD 0.35 per side or USD 0.70 for opening and closing, before other costs and conversion.
Does 0.01 lot always mean one ounce?
Only when the actual contract specification confirms 100 ounces per lot. Verify the account symbol and contract rather than assuming every gold product uses the same units.
Is gold available continuously?
No continuous-trading promise should be inferred. Check the symbol’s server-time sessions, daily break and current holiday changes before placing an order.
Does more leverage reduce the loss from a gold price move?
No. For the same position size and price change, market loss is unchanged. Leverage changes the margin requirement, not the position’s price sensitivity.
Sources checked 14 September 2026.