Prop Firm Drawdown Buffer Calculator
"10% max drawdown" doesn't tell you how much you can actually still lose today — that depends on whether your firm's drawdown is static (fixed from day one) or trailing (rises with your peak balance), and how close your peak already is to your current balance. This calculator does the actual math for both types.
Trailing drawdown here is modeled as peak balance × (1 − max drawdown%) — the simplest version used by most firms. Some firms freeze the trailing floor once it reaches your starting balance ("stops trailing at breakeven"); this calculator doesn't account for that firm-specific detail, so treat the trailing result as a conservative estimate and confirm the exact mechanic in your firm's rules before trading on it. Daily loss limit is calculated off today's starting balance, per common firm convention — some firms instead calculate it off starting account size; check your firm's rules.
Why "10% drawdown" means something different at every firm
A static 10% drawdown on a $100K account always gives you a $90,000 floor, full stop. A trailing 10% drawdown on the same account starts at $90,000 too — but the moment your balance touches $102,000, the floor moves up to $91,800, and it never comes back down even if you give profit back. Two firms advertising the same "10% max drawdown" can leave you with very different amounts of real room to breathe, depending entirely on this one mechanic.
Where the drawdown rules come from
Drawdown percentages and types used in the presets are pulled from our Prop Firm Rules Comparison Table, sourced from each firm's own published documentation. Firms change rules often — check the firm's current terms before making a trading decision based on this calculator.