Dynamic leverage

In short

Leverage falls in tiers as your position grows, and margin is worked out portion by portion like tax bands rather than at one blended rate.

Dynamic leverage gives higher leverage for small positions and progressively lower leverage as your position size grows. It builds on the basics in How leverage and margin work. It keeps small trades flexible while managing risk on large exposures. It applies to every order, whether placed by hand, while scalping, or by an Expert Advisor.

Margin is worked out portion by portion

Your margin is not calculated at one single rate. Think of it like income tax bands: you pay the lowest rate on the first portion, and a higher rate only on the portion in the next band. Each portion, called a tranche, locks in its own margin rate, and your total is the sum of them.

Worked example, 15 lots of gold

Tier	Tier in lots	Volume used	Leverage	Margin rate
1	< 1	1	1:1000	0.10%
2	< 10	9	1:500	0.20%
3	< 20	5	1:200	0.50%

Your first 1 lot takes 0.05%. Your next 1 lot takes 0.10%. The remaining 13 lots take 0.20%. Your total required margin is the sum of all three portions.

Worked example, 30 lots of EUR/USD

Tier	Tier in lots	Volume used	Leverage	Margin rate
1	< 1	1	1:2000	0.05%
2	< 5	4	1:1000	0.10%
3	< 25	20	1:500	0.20%
4	< 50	5	1:200	0.50%

The first 1 lot takes 0.05%, the next 4 lots take 0.10%, the next 20 take 0.20%, and the remaining 5 take 0.50%.

Adding to and closing a position

If you add to a position, only the new portions use the higher margin rate; the ones you already hold keep theirs. When you reduce size, exposure is released from the last filled portion first.

How exposure is measured

Exposure is tracked per instrument as the size of your net position. A buy and a sell on the same symbol offset each other, and what remains is what counts.

The full margin and leverage table

Every instrument has its own tiers. Find yours below, then read from the top down: the first slice of your position uses the first row, the next slice uses the second, and so on. The last row has no upper limit.

Forex

FX majors

Tier in lots	Leverage	Margin rate
< 1	1:2000	0.05%
< 5	1:1000	0.10%
< 25	1:500	0.20%
< 50	1:200	0.50%
< 100	1:100	1.00%
< 150	1:50	2.00%
< 200	1:20	5.00%
∞	1:10	10.00%

FX crosses

Tier in lots	Leverage	Margin rate
< 1	1:2000	0.05%
< 2	1:1000	0.10%
< 10	1:500	0.20%
< 25	1:200	0.50%
< 50	1:100	1.00%
< 100	1:50	2.00%
< 125	1:20	5.00%
∞	1:10	10.00%

Metals and energy

XAUUSD, spot gold

Tier in lots	Leverage	Margin rate
< 1	1:1000	0.10%
< 10	1:500	0.20%
< 20	1:200	0.50%
< 50	1:100	1.00%
< 100	1:50	2.00%
∞	1:10	10.00%

XAGUSD, spot silver

Tier in lots	Leverage	Margin rate
< 1	1:100	1.00%
< 5	1:50	2.00%
< 10	1:20	5.00%
< 20	1:10	10.00%
∞	1:5	20.00%

USOIL and UKOIL

Tier in lots	Leverage	Margin rate
< 5	1:200	0.50%
< 15	1:100	1.00%
< 30	1:50	2.00%
< 50	1:20	5.00%
< 100	1:10	10.00%
∞	1:5	20.00%

Cash indices

DJI30

Tier in lots	Leverage	Margin rate
< 25	1:500	0.20%
< 100	1:200	0.50%
< 200	1:100	1.00%
< 500	1:50	2.00%
< 750	1:20	5.00%
∞	1:10	10.00%

NDX100

Tier in lots	Leverage	Margin rate
< 100	1:500	0.20%
< 200	1:200	0.50%
< 500	1:100	1.00%
< 1000	1:50	2.00%
< 2000	1:20	5.00%
∞	1:10	10.00%

SPX500

Tier in lots	Leverage	Margin rate
< 250	1:500	0.20%
< 500	1:200	0.50%
< 1000	1:100	1.00%
< 2500	1:50	2.00%
< 3750	1:20	5.00%
∞	1:10	10.00%

GER40

Tier in lots	Leverage	Margin rate
< 50	1:500	0.20%
< 125	1:200	0.50%
< 500	1:100	1.00%
< 1000	1:50	2.00%
< 2000	1:20	5.00%
∞	1:10	10.00%

FTSE100

Tier in lots	Leverage	Margin rate
< 100	1:500	0.20%
< 250	1:200	0.50%
< 500	1:100	1.00%
< 1000	1:50	2.00%
< 1500	1:20	5.00%
∞	1:10	10.00%

STX50

Tier in lots	Leverage	Margin rate
< 100	1:500	0.20%
< 250	1:200	0.50%
< 500	1:100	1.00%
< 1000	1:50	2.00%
< 1500	1:20	5.00%
∞	1:10	10.00%

Futures

YM, E-mini Dow Jones

Tier in lots	Leverage	Margin rate
< 5	1:500	0.20%
< 20	1:200	0.50%
< 40	1:100	1.00%
< 100	1:50	2.00%
< 150	1:20	5.00%
∞	1:10	10.00%

NQ, E-mini Nasdaq 100

Tier in lots	Leverage	Margin rate
< 5	1:500	0.20%
< 10	1:200	0.50%
< 25	1:100	1.00%
< 50	1:50	2.00%
< 100	1:20	5.00%
∞	1:10	10.00%

ES, E-mini S&P 500

Tier in lots	Leverage	Margin rate
< 5	1:500	0.20%
< 10	1:200	0.50%
< 20	1:100	1.00%
< 50	1:50	2.00%
< 75	1:20	5.00%
∞	1:10	10.00%

EST, S&P 500 Micro E-mini

Tier in lots	Leverage	Margin rate
< 10	1:500	0.20%
< 25	1:200	0.50%
< 50	1:100	1.00%
< 100	1:50	2.00%
< 150	1:20	5.00%
∞	1:10	10.00%

FDAX, DAX futures

Tier in lots	Leverage	Margin rate
< 5	1:500	0.20%
< 10	1:200	0.50%
< 20	1:100	1.00%
< 40	1:50	2.00%
< 80	1:20	5.00%
∞	1:10	10.00%

FT1, FTSE 100 futures

Tier in lots	Leverage	Margin rate
< 10	1:500	0.20%
< 25	1:200	0.50%
< 50	1:100	1.00%
< 100	1:50	2.00%
< 150	1:20	5.00%
∞	1:10	10.00%

JPN, Nikkei 225 futures

Tier in lots	Leverage	Margin rate
< 10	1:500	0.20%
< 25	1:200	0.50%
< 50	1:100	1.00%
< 100	1:50	2.00%
< 150	1:20	5.00%
∞	1:10	10.00%

RTY, E-mini Russell 2000

Tier in lots	Leverage	Margin rate
< 5	1:500	0.20%
< 20	1:200	0.50%
< 40	1:100	1.00%
< 100	1:50	2.00%
< 150	1:20	5.00%
∞	1:10	10.00%

GC, COMEX gold futures

Tier in lots	Leverage	Margin rate
< 5	1:200	0.50%
< 10	1:100	1.00%
< 25	1:50	2.00%
< 50	1:20	5.00%
∞	1:10	10.00%

SI, COMEX silver futures

Tier in lots	Leverage	Margin rate
< 1	1:100	1.00%
< 5	1:50	2.00%
< 10	1:20	5.00%
< 20	1:10	10.00%
∞	1:5	20.00%

What you need to do

Keep enough equity to meet margin requirements, especially when moving into a higher tier or during a temporary limit.
Watch your exposure and free equity on your dashboard, and set alerts around key tier thresholds.
Remember positions can be closed automatically if your equity falls below what is required.

The complete tier tables for every symbol are on the Dynamic Margin and Leverage Tables page in the help center, and in your MetaTrader 5 symbol specifications.