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A micro lot is 1,000 units of the base currency, or 0.01 of a standard lot. On EUR/USD one pip is worth about 10 cents on a micro lot, which makes it the size most beginners start with.
A standard lot is 100,000 units of the base currency. A mini lot is 10,000 units, or 0.1. A micro lot is 1,000 units, or 0.01. Some brokers also offer nano lots of 100 units. On MetaTrader you type the size as a decimal, so 0.01 is one micro lot.
On a pair where the US dollar is the quote currency, such as EUR/USD or GBP/USD, one pip is worth $10 on a standard lot, $1 on a mini lot and $0.10 on a micro lot. On other pairs the value changes with the exchange rate. Our profit and loss calculator works it out for any pair.
You buy 0.01 lots of EUR/USD at 1.1000 with a stop loss at 1.0950, 50 pips away. If the stop is hit you lose about $5. With 30:1 leverage the broker holds about $37 of margin for the trade. On a $500 account that is a 1% risk, which is where most trading plans start.
They let you trade real money with small risk while you learn, and they let a small account follow a proper risk rule. A $200 account cannot risk 1% a trade on a mini lot with a 50-pip stop, but it can on a micro lot.
See leverage for the margin each size needs, spread for what a trade costs, and our beginner brokers list for brokers that allow 0.01 lots on every account.
1,000 units of the base currency. On EUR/USD that is 1,000 euros, worth about $1,100, and each pip moves the trade by about 10 cents.
Most retail brokers allow it on standard and raw accounts. A few pro or ECN accounts start at 0.1. Check the contract specification before you deposit.
Sources: MetaTrader contract specifications and broker account pages, checked 25 September 2026. Checked 25 September 2026.
Risk warning: trading forex and CFDs on margin carries a high risk of losing money. Most retail accounts lose money. Never trade with money you cannot afford to lose.