Learn · Gold futures · Tool
Gold futures calculator for GC and Micro Gold (MGC)
Work out ticks, gross profit or loss, fees and net result for a gold futures trade, and the dollar distance to a stop. The maths uses CME Group contract terms and runs in your browser.
By the NQ Replay team · Updated
Short answer
Gold futures move in $0.10 ticks. One tick is $10 on GC (100 oz) and $1 on MGC (10 oz). P&L = (exit − entry) ÷ 0.10 × tick value × contracts, reversed for shorts; fees come off afterwards. A $5.00 move is 50 ticks: $500 per GC or $50 per MGC.
Calculator
Example values are pre-filled. Prices are in US dollars per troy ounce and must be in $0.10 steps. Everything runs in your browser.
The formula, step by step
- Price change per ounce = exit − entry (long) or entry − exit (short).
- Ticks = price change ÷ $0.10.
- Gross P&L = ticks × tick value ($10 GC, $1 MGC) × contracts.
- Net P&L = gross P&L − (round-trip fees per contract × contracts).
Keeping fees separate shows how much of a result is the market move and how much is cost — on small MGC trades the fee share can be large. For sizing in ticks across both contracts, see GC vs MGC.
Worked examples (arithmetic only)
| Example | Ticks | GC (1 contract) | MGC (1 contract) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Long 4,000.0 → 4,012.5 | +125 | +$1,250 | +$125 |
| Short 4,000.0 → 4,003.0 | −30 | −$300 | −$30 |
| Stop 4,000.0 → 3,995.0 (long) | 50 at risk | $500 at the stop price | $50 at the stop price |
| 3 MGC, long +$2.00, $1.50 fees each | +20 | — | +$60 gross, −$4.50 fees, +$55.50 net |
What a calculator cannot tell you
- Fill quality: real fills depend on liquidity, order type and speed.
- Margin: brokers and the exchange set margin separately and change it over time; check yours.
- Whether a trade idea is any good. Test the rules on historical sessions in gold replay and log every result.
Frequently asked questions
How do you calculate gold futures profit?
Take the price change in dollars per ounce, divide by the $0.10 tick to get ticks, then multiply by the tick value ($10 for GC, $1 for MGC) and the number of contracts. Subtract commissions and fees separately to get the net figure.
What is a $1 move in gold futures worth?
A $1.00 per ounce move is 10 ticks: $100 on one GC contract (100 oz) and $10 on one MGC contract (10 oz), per CME Group contract terms.
Does the stop calculation guarantee my maximum loss?
No. It is the arithmetic distance between entry and stop. A real stop order can fill worse than its price during fast markets or gaps, and fees are extra.
Is any data sent anywhere?
No. The calculator runs entirely in your browser; inputs are not stored or sent to a server.
Sources
- CME Group — Gold (GC) futures contract specifications
- CME Group — Micro Gold (MGC) futures contract specifications
- NQ Replay 1-minute archive (GC, MGC, NQ, MNQ), measured October 23, 2026. Measurements describe past sessions only.