> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://docs.tradesurge.co/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://docs.tradesurge.co/platform/risk/risk-dial.md).
# Set the risk dial
The risk dial is the percent of an account you risk on each trade. TradeSurge sizes every order within it.
The risk dial is the one setting you own on every account. It is the percent of that account you are willing to lose if a trade hits its stop. TradeSurge sizes every order within it, so one idea becomes the right size on every account.
## One trade, sized for each account
You enter a trade once: the instrument, the entry and the stop. The distance from entry to stop is 1R. TradeSurge uses each account's size and risk dial to work out how many contracts make that 1R.
| Name | What it means |
| ----------------- | ----------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **Risk dial** | Percent of the account risked per trade, for example 0.5%. |
| **1R** | The amount lost if the trade hits its stop, set by the risk dial. |
| **Position size** | Calculated per account so that the stop costs exactly 1R. |
## Set it
{% stepper %}
{% step %}
### Open the account
Go to **Accounts** and open the account you want to change.
{% endstep %}
{% step %}
### Enter the risk per trade
Set the risk dial as a percent. New accounts start at 0.5%.
{% endstep %}
{% step %}
### Save
The next trade you place uses the new value. Open trades are not resized.
{% endstep %}
{% endstepper %}
## The dial is a ceiling, not a target
Other caps can size a trade smaller than the dial, for example when margin is tight. Nothing sizes a trade larger than the dial.
{% hint style="info" %}
Different accounts can use different dials. A common pattern is a lower dial on funded accounts and a higher one on evaluations.
{% endhint %}
## Next steps
---
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