Position Size Calculator for Indian Markets — Stocks, Nifty, Zerodha

Position sizing works the same in India as anywhere else. The formula does not care about currency - it works in rupees, dollars, or any denomination. What changes is the context: fixed lot sizes on F&O, SEBI margin rules, and different price ranges for Indian equities. Here is how to apply position sizing to NSE, BSE, and Indian derivatives.

Position Sizing for Indian Cash Market (Equities)

Shares = (Capital x Risk%) / (Entry - Stop Loss)

Examples at Common Account Sizes

Capital (Rs)	1% Risk	Stock Price	Stop Loss	Risk/Share	Shares
2,00,000	2,000	Rs 500	Rs 480	Rs 20	100 shares
5,00,000	5,000	Rs 1,200	Rs 1,150	Rs 50	100 shares
5,00,000	5,000	Rs 250	Rs 240	Rs 10	500 shares
10,00,000	10,000	Rs 3,500	Rs 3,400	Rs 100	100 shares
10,00,000	10,000	Rs 150	Rs 145	Rs 5	2,000 shares
25,00,000	25,000	Rs 2,000	Rs 1,950	Rs 50	500 shares

Nifty and Bank Nifty Position Sizing

F&O contracts have fixed lot sizes. You cannot buy partial lots. The question becomes: can your account support the risk of 1 lot at your stop loss distance?

Index	Lot Size	1-Point Move	50-Point Stop	100-Point Stop	200-Point Stop
Nifty 50	25	Rs 25	Rs 1,250	Rs 2,500	Rs 5,000
Bank Nifty	15	Rs 15	Rs 750	Rs 1,500	Rs 3,000

Minimum Account for Nifty F&O (1% Risk Rule)

Stop Loss	1 Lot Loss	Account Needed (1% Risk)	Account Needed (2% Risk)
50 points Nifty	Rs 1,250	Rs 1,25,000	Rs 62,500
100 points Nifty	Rs 2,500	Rs 2,50,000	Rs 1,25,000
50 points Bank Nifty	Rs 750	Rs 75,000	Rs 37,500
100 points Bank Nifty	Rs 1,500	Rs 1,50,000	Rs 75,000

For Nifty with a 100-point stop loss, you need at least Rs 2,50,000 in your account to risk only 1% per trade on 1 lot. Accounts below this are either under-capitalized for Nifty F&O or must accept higher risk percentages.

Position Sizing on Zerodha, Groww, and Angel One

The formula does not change by broker. What changes:

• Margin requirements: SEBI standardized margins, but brokers may add additional margin. Check your available margin before placing orders
• Brokerage fees: Zerodha charges Rs 20 per F&O order (or 0.03%, whichever is lower). For small positions, this is significant. Factor it into your risk calculation
• Intraday vs delivery: Intraday positions get additional leverage (MIS/BO orders). But position size should still be calculated from your full account risk, not from available intraday margin
• GTT orders: Zerodha GTT (Good Till Triggered) lets you set stop losses that persist across sessions. Use them for swing trades to ensure your stop loss executes

Common Mistakes in Indian Markets

• Using intraday margin as your account size: Just because your broker gives you 5x intraday leverage does not mean you should trade 5x bigger. Calculate risk from your total capital, not available margin
• Ignoring STT and charges: Securities Transaction Tax, exchange fees, and GST add up. On F&O trades, these can be Rs 100-500 per lot. Not a sizing issue, but affects your net P&L
• Trading multiple lots without sizing: "I will buy 5 lots of Bank Nifty" without calculating that a 100-point stop on 5 lots = Rs 7,500 risk. On a Rs 3,00,000 account, that is 2.5% risk - aggressive

Calculate Your Position

• Position Size Calculator - enter INR values, get share/lot count
• The 1% Risk Rule - risk management basics
• Day vs Swing Sizing - adjust for your trading style