Futures calculator: tick and point values, and how many contracts you can trade
By Alexander Burnett (editor) Last updated
How we got this
How: The calculator runs in your browser on the numbers you enter; tick sizes and tick values are the exchange’s own contract terms, read from CME Group documents and linked to each contract’s specs page. How we checkHow we make moneyCorrections
Pick a contract, your stop and the drawdown room you have left: get the whole number of contracts that fits.
- CME contract terms, linked
- Sized to your drawdown room
- Micro fallback when 0 fit
Turn on JavaScript to run the calculator. The worked example below shows the results.
Worked example: NQ with a 20-point stop and $2,000 of room
- Room left$2,000
- Risk 20% of room$400
- Stop 20 points80 ticks
- NQ tick$5
Contracts that fit, with costs0 NQ → 9 MNQ1 NQ = $404 with costs, over the $400 budget
CME’s NQ terms (measured). The unit of trading shall be $20.00 times the Index. … The minimum price increment shall be 0.25 Index points, equal to $5.00 per contract
cmegroup.com, read . MNQ is one tenth: $0.50 a tick.
- Your inputs stay in your browser
- A calculator, not advice
How it works
- Stop in ticksstop in points ÷ tick size. A part tick rounds up: prices move in whole ticks.
- Risk per contractstop ticks × tick value + round-turn costs.
- Budgetdrawdown room left × risk per trade %.
- Contractswhole contracts that fit the budget, rounded down, capped at your firm’s maximum.
- Losses to use up the roomroom ÷ actual risk, rounded up.
- Micro fallbackWhen the full size gives 0: ES → MES, NQ → MNQ, YM → MYM, RTY → M2K, CL → MCL, GC → MGC.
Limits. Slippage and gaps can beat your stop. Intraday trailing can shrink your room mid-trade. Daily limits and size caps vary by firm. ZN and ZB points are full points (1 = $1,000); a 6E point is 1.0000 in EUR/USD.
Measured and judged. Contract terms are CME’s own (measured, read 14 October 2026, linked below). Every contract count and dollar figure is our arithmetic (judged).
Contract reference: tick size and tick value
| Symbol | Contract | Exchange | Tick size | Tick value | Point value | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ES | E-mini S&P 500 futures | CME | 0.25 | $12.50 | $50 | Contract specs · Rulebook |
| MES | Micro E-mini S&P 500 futures | CME | 0.25 | $1.25 | $5 | Contract specs · Rulebook |
| NQ | E-mini Nasdaq-100 futures | CME | 0.25 | $5 | $20 | Contract specs · Rulebook |
| MNQ | Micro E-mini Nasdaq-100 futures | CME | 0.25 | $0.50 | $2 | Contract specs · Product page |
| YM | E-mini Dow Jones Industrial Average futures | CBOT | 1 | $5 | $5 | Contract specs · Rulebook |
| MYM | Micro E-mini Dow Jones Industrial Average futures | CBOT | 1 | $0.50 | $0.50 | Contract specs · Rulebook |
| RTY | E-mini Russell 2000 futures | CME | 0.1 | $5 | $50 | Contract specs · Rulebook |
| M2K | Micro E-mini Russell 2000 futures | CME | 0.1 | $0.50 | $5 | Contract specs · Rulebook |
| CL | Crude Oil (WTI) futures | NYMEX | 0.01 | $10 | $1,000 | Contract specs · Rulebook |
| MCL | Micro WTI Crude Oil futures | NYMEX | 0.01 | $1 | $100 | Contract specs · Rulebook |
| GC | Gold futures | COMEX | 0.1 | $10 | $100 | Contract specs · Rulebook |
| MGC | Micro Gold futures | COMEX | 0.1 | $1 | $10 | Contract specs · Fact card |
| SI | Silver futures | COMEX | 0.005 | $25 | $5,000 | Contract specs · Rulebook |
| 6E | Euro FX (EUR/USD) futures | CME | 0.00005 | $6.25 | $125,000 | Contract specs · Rulebook |
| ZN | 10-Year U.S. Treasury Note futures | CBOT | 1/64 point (half of 1/32) | $15.625 | $1,000 | Contract specs · Rulebook |
| ZB | U.S. Treasury Bond futures | CBOT | 1/32 point | $31.25 | $1,000 | Contract specs · Rulebook |