Futures tick value calculator

How to use it

1. Pick a contract: ES, NQ, YM, RTY, CL, GC, SI or 6E, or the micro version of any of them. 2. Choose how to enter the move: in ticks, in points, or as an entry and exit price. With prices, choose buy or sell, so the tool knows whether the move is a gain or a loss. 3. Enter the number of contracts. 4. Pick your account currency. Futures settle in US dollars, so for any other currency the tool converts at a rate it shows, prefilled with the European Central Bank's daily reference rate and its date. You can type today's rate instead. 5. Read the result: the move in ticks and points, its value per contract and the total. Copy it, or copy a share link that holds only your inputs.

How it works

Every futures contract moves in fixed steps called ticks. The exchange sets the tick size and what one tick is worth. That amount is the tick value. A point is a full 1.00 move in price, so the point value is the tick value times the number of ticks in a point.

The tool converts your move to points, multiplies by the point value, then by your contracts. If the move is not a whole number of ticks, it says so, because the price cannot actually stop there. The contract's tick size, tick value, point value and contract unit are shown next to the result, with a link to the CME Group specification and the date it was checked.

Micro contracts are smaller versions of the main ones. Most move in the same ticks, with each tick worth a tenth as much. Micro Silver (SIL) is a fifth of the size, and Micro EUR/USD (M6E) moves in steps of 0.0001 worth $1.25. On ES a tick is $12.50; on the micro MES it is $1.25.

A second example: a stop on gold

A buy of 2 GC contracts at 4,000.0, stopped out at 3,994.5. GC moves in ticks of 0.1, and each tick is worth $10.

• The move: 3,994.5 minus 4,000.0 is minus 5.5 points.
• In ticks: 5.5 divided by 0.1 is 55 ticks.
• Per contract: 55 times $10 is $550, a loss.
• On 2 contracts: $550 times 2 is $1,100.

The same stop on 2 MGC contracts, where a tick is worth $1, costs 55 times $1 times 2, which is $110. That gap is why micros help on a smaller account.

An off-tick case: on NQ, a move of 10.1 points is 40.4 ticks, because NQ moves in steps of 0.25. The tool values it and flags it, so you can fix a stop that the market cannot fill exactly.

Common mistakes

Mixing up points and ticks. On ES, one point is four ticks. Entering a 10 point stop as 10 ticks makes it look four times cheaper than it is.

Using the full contract's value for a micro. MES, MNQ and MGC are worth a tenth of ES, NQ and GC per tick. Check the symbol before you size.

Assuming every contract has the same tick. YM moves in whole points, RTY in 0.1, CL in 0.01 and 6E in 0.00005. The dollar value of a tick differs on each.

Leaving out costs. Commission, exchange fees and slippage are charged or felt on every contract, and they add up when you trade size.

Confusing margin with risk. Futures margin is set by the exchange and the broker, and it is not what you lose at the stop. The loss at the stop is the tick math on this page.

Sizing before checking the account rules. A position that fits your stop can still break a contract limit or eat most of a trailing drawdown. Check your room with the drawdown calculator first.

To weigh the stop against the target, use the risk to reward calculator. For forex, metals, indices and crypto CFDs, the pip value calculator does the same job.

What to check at your firm

• Contract limits. Futures prop firms usually cap how many contracts you can hold, often lower early in the account. Some count ten micros as one main contract.
• Drawdown type. Many futures firms use an end of day drawdown or an intraday trailing drawdown. Know which one you have before you size up.
• Commissions and fees. Find out what is charged per contract, per side.
• Trading hours. Some firms require positions to be closed before a set time each day, or before news releases.

Results depend on the inputs you enter, and firms' rules differ, so check your own firm's rules before you trade.

Running a prop firm? Read How to start a prop firm in 2026: tech, legal setup and a 90 day launch plan.