A micro lot is a forex position size equal to 1,000 units of the base currency, or 0.01 of a standard lot. It is the smallest volume most retail brokers allow, letting traders take real positions with very little capital at risk.
Lot sizes scale in powers of ten. A standard lot is 100,000 units, a mini lot is 10,000 units, and a micro lot is 1,000 units. On a major pair like EUR/USD, one micro lot is worth roughly $0.10 per pip, versus about $1.00 per pip on a mini lot and $10.00 per pip on a standard lot.
Key takeaways
1 micro lot = 1,000 units = 0.01 standard lot
~$0.10 per pip on majors vs ~$10 on a standard lot
100 round-turn micro lots = 1 standard-lot rebate
Great for beginner conversion, weak for RevShare income
Position sizing tool: keeps small-account risk to 1-2% per trade
The practical effect is granular risk control. A trader with a $200 account who buys 0.01 lots of EUR/USD and sets a 30-pip stop-loss risks about $3, or 1.5% of the account. That same trade in one standard lot would risk about $300 — a 150% wipeout — which is why micro lots dominate beginner and small-account trading.
For partners, the micro lot defines the low end of the revenue curve. Rebates and RevShare are paid per lot of volume, so a client trading only micro lots generates a fraction of the commission a standard-lot client produces. It takes 100 round-turn micro lots to equal the payout of a single standard lot.
How it works
Brokers quote volume in lots, and the minimum tradable increment is set at the account or platform level. A micro (0.01) lot moves 1,000 units of the base currency, so pip value is one-hundredth of a standard lot's.
When a client trades, the broker records the volume in lots and pays the introducing partner a rebate per round-turn lot (open plus close). If the IB earns $8 per standard lot, that equals $0.08 per micro lot. RevShare works similarly but pays a share of the spread or commission the client actually generates, which on micro volume is small in absolute dollars.
Why it matters for partnership: Micro-lot clients convert easily but generate pennies per trade in rebates — it takes 100 micro lots to equal one standard-lot payout. Use them to fill CPA funnels, then coach account growth to lift RevShare.
Formula
Micro lot pip value = (0.0001 / exchange rate) × 1,000 units
Real World Example
An IB running a beginner-focused funnel refers 400 clients to IC Markets, most trading 0.01-0.05 lots. At a $7-per-standard-lot rebate, a client trading 20 micro lots a month generates only about $1.40. The same 400 clients trading an average of one standard lot each would produce roughly $2,800 monthly — which is why the IB layers in education content to grow account sizes over time.
Lot sizes compared
Lot type
Units
Approx. pip value (majors)
Typical user
Standard lot
100,000
~$10.00
Funded / pro traders
Mini lot
10,000
~$1.00
Intermediate accounts
Micro lot
1,000
~$0.10
Beginners, testers
Nano lot
100
~$0.01
Ultra-small accounts (rare)
Pro Tip
Position micro-lot accounts as a low-pressure way for beginners to test a strategy live, then use email and webinars to nurture them toward larger sizes where your rebates actually compound.
Common Pitfalls
Expecting meaningful monthly IB income from a large list of micro-lot-only clients — 100 micro lots equals just one standard-lot payout, so raw client count masks tiny real volume.
FAQ
How much is one micro lot worth per pip?
On most major pairs a micro lot is worth about $0.10 per pip. The exact figure depends on the quote currency and exchange rate.
How many micro lots make a standard lot?
One hundred. A standard lot is 100,000 units and a micro lot is 1,000 units, so 100 micro lots equal one standard lot in both volume and rebate value.
Do micro lots count toward CPA volume requirements?
Usually yes, but you accumulate volume 100 times slower than with standard lots. Check whether the broker sets its qualifying threshold in lots and how long an average micro-lot client needs to reach it.
Can beginners really trade with micro lots profitably?
Micro lots make live trading affordable and keep per-trade risk small, but outcomes still depend on strategy and discipline. They reduce the size of losses, not the probability of them.
Is a micro lot the smallest size available?
For most brokers, yes. A few offer nano lots of 100 units (0.001), but nano accounts are uncommon and often carry different execution or rebate terms.
Should IBs bother marketing to micro-lot traders?
Yes, as a top-of-funnel play. They convert cheaply and some grow into larger accounts. Just do not model your revenue on their current volume.
A step-by-step framework for calculating how much rebate you can pay traders per lot while keeping a sustainable margin, with a worked three-tier example.
A break-even framework for deciding between CPA and RevShare based on how long your referred traders actually stay active, with worked numbers and real trade-offs.
