A Standard Lot is the base unit of trade size in forex, equal to 100,000 units of the base currency. On EUR/USD one standard lot is worth roughly $10 per pip, and brokers use it as the reference volume for margin, position sizing, and IB rebate accounting.
Lot sizing is a ladder. One standard lot (1.0) equals 10 mini lots (0.1 each, 10,000 units), 100 micro lots (0.01 each, 1,000 units), or 1,000 nano lots (0.001 each, 100 units). When a broker quotes a partner deal as "$8 per standard lot," every 0.01 micro-lot trade only earns you $0.08 — one hundredth of the headline figure.
Key takeaways
One standard lot = 100,000 base-currency units, ~$10 per pip on EUR/USD.
1 standard = 10 mini = 100 micro = 1,000 nano lots.
Rebates are quoted per standard lot — micro-lot books earn 1/100th per trade.
Contract size differs by asset: gold, indices, and crypto are not 100,000 units.
Round-turn volume (open + close) is the usual rebate basis.
The cash value of a standard lot is not fixed across instruments. One standard lot of EUR/USD controls 100,000 euros, but a standard lot of gold (XAU/USD) is typically 100 troy ounces, and index or crypto CFDs use their own contract sizes entirely. Always read the instrument's contract specification before you model rebate income.
For a partner, the standard lot is the accounting atom of the whole business. Because nearly every commission table is denominated "per standard lot round-turn," your revenue forecast is simply expected monthly lots multiplied by your per-lot rate — so estimating how many standard-lot equivalents your traders actually generate is the single most important number you track.
How it works
A standard lot fixes the notional exposure of a trade. At 100,000 units of the base currency, a one-pip move on most USD-quoted pairs is worth about $10, and required margin is that notional divided by leverage — $100,000 at 1:100 leverage needs $1,000 of margin.
Brokers report client activity to partners in "lots" and settle rebates on round-turn volume (open plus close counts as one traded lot). Partner portals convert every micro, mini, and standard trade into a standard-lot equivalent, then multiply by your tier rate to compute the payout.
1
Confirm the contract size
Check the instrument spec — 100,000 base units for FX majors, 100 oz for gold, varying for indices and crypto CFDs.
2
Translate client trades to lot equivalents
Sum your book: a client doing 200 trades of 0.05 lots contributes 10 standard-lot equivalents, not 200 lots.
3
Apply your per-lot rebate rate
Multiply standard-lot equivalents by your negotiated USD-per-lot rate to get gross commission.
4
Reconcile against the broker report
Match the portal's lot count to your own tracking monthly to catch mis-tagged or excluded volume.
Why it matters for partnership: Almost every IB rebate is quoted per standard lot. If your clients trade micro lots, it takes 100 of them to equal one standard-lot payout, so estimating true standard-lot volume is the core of any honest revenue forecast.
You refer a trader to IC Markets on a $7-per-lot rebate. She trades 0.10 lots (one mini lot) 300 times in a month, which equals 30 standard-lot equivalents. Your commission is 30 × $7 = $210 — not $2,100, a mistake partners make when they count trade tickets instead of standard-lot volume.
Forex lot sizes
Lot type
Units
Approx. pip value (EUR/USD)
Standard (1.0)
100,000
~$10
Mini (0.1)
10,000
~$1
Micro (0.01)
1,000
~$0.10
Nano (0.001)
100
~$0.01
Pro Tip
Model your revenue in standard-lot equivalents, not trade count — 500 micro-lot trades may be worth less than five well-sized standard-lot trades.
Common Pitfalls
Assuming a standard lot means the same notional and commission on every instrument; a standard lot of Bitcoin or an index CFD has a completely different contract size and pip value than EUR/USD.
FAQ
How much is one standard lot worth?
It controls 100,000 units of the base currency. On EUR/USD that is 100,000 euros of notional exposure, and each pip move is worth roughly $10.
How many micro lots make a standard lot?
One hundred. A micro lot is 0.01 (1,000 units), so 100 micro lots equal one standard lot of 100,000 units.
Is a standard lot the same size for gold or indices?
No. Contract sizes vary by instrument — a standard gold lot is typically 100 troy ounces, and index or crypto CFDs use their own contract definitions. Always check the spec.
Do I earn rebates on the lot when it opens or closes?
Most brokers pay on round-turn volume, meaning the open and close together count as one traded lot. Confirm the basis in your IB agreement.
How much margin does a standard lot need?
Notional divided by leverage. A $100,000 EUR/USD position at 1:100 leverage requires about $1,000 of margin, before any regulatory leverage caps.
Why is my commission lower than I expected?
Usually because clients trade fractional lots. Count standard-lot equivalents, not the number of trades, and reconcile against the broker's portal report.
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.
A practical breakdown of how per-lot rebates are calculated, how to convert pip-based and flat-dollar quotes into comparable numbers, and where lot-based deals quietly get diluted.
