Futures Commission Calculator — Round Trip Cost for ES, NQ, CL, GC and All CME Contracts
Commission feels trivial per trade but compounds to thousands per month for active futures traders. Enter your broker rate per side, contracts per trade, and daily trade count to see total commission per trade, per day, and per month. Switching from $2.25/side (TD Ameritrade) to $0.85/side (Interactive Brokers) saves over $3,000 per year at 8 round trips per day.
Updated · Reviewed by Foysal Mostafa
IB: ~$0.85 | Tradovate: ~$0.10 | TD Ameritrade: ~$2.25
Commission Costs
Per Trade (round-trip)
$3.00
Per Day
$15.00
Per Week
$75.00
Per Month
$315.00
Round-trip = $1.5/side x 2 sides x 1 contracts = $3.00 per trade
Why Use the Futures Commission Calculator?
Commission feels trivial per trade but compounds to thousands per month for active traders. This calculator shows the true monthly and annual commission burden of your trading frequency — making it impossible to ignore — and helps you decide whether to reduce trade count, switch brokers, or negotiate a volume rate.
Formula Used
Round-Trip Commission = Commission Per Side × 2 × Number of Contracts | Monthly Cost = Daily Trades × Round-Trip Commission × Trading DaysWorked Example
Day trader: 8 ES round trips per day, $1.50 commission/side/contract, 21 trading days/month. Round-trip cost per trade = $1.50 × 2 = $3. Daily cost = 8 × $3 = $24. Monthly = $24 × 21 = $504. Annual = $6,048 in commissions alone. Switching to Interactive Brokers ($0.85/side) saves $13 per day × 21 days = $273/month = $3,276/year.
How to Use the Futures Commission Calculator — Step by Step
- 1
Enter commission per side
Input your broker commission per contract per side (entry or exit). Common rates: Interactive Brokers ~$0.85, NinjaTrader Brokerage ~$0.09 (self-clearing), TD Ameritrade ~$2.25, Tradovate ~$0.10/contract (subscription plan). If unsure, use $1.50 as a typical retail rate.
- 2
Enter number of contracts
Enter how many contracts you trade per trade. Commission scales linearly — 2 contracts = 2x the commission.
- 3
Enter trades per day
Enter how many round-trip trades you make per day. A scalper might do 10–20 trades per day; a swing trader might do 1–2.
- 4
Enter trading days per month
Enter how many days per month you actively trade. The US futures market has roughly 21 trading days per month.
- 5
View total commission costs
The calculator shows commission per trade, per day, per week, and per month. Compare your commission costs to your average daily profit target to see if your strategy is viable.
What Your Futures Commission Calculator Results Mean
Commission per Trade (Round-Trip)
The total cost to open and close one trade at your entered commission rate and contract count. This is the minimum profit per trade needed just to cover trading costs.
Daily and Monthly Commission
Your cumulative commission cost at your entered daily trade frequency. The monthly figure must be accounted for as a fixed cost when evaluating whether your strategy is actually profitable.
Annual Commission Burden
The total commission cost for a full year at current volume. Use this to calculate the annual savings from switching to a lower-commission broker — often thousands of dollars for active traders.
Futures Commission Calculator — Frequently Asked Questions
Q.What is the typical futures commission rate?
Futures commission rates vary widely by broker: Discount brokers (Tradovate, NinjaTrader): $0.09–$0.35/contract/side. Mid-tier retail brokers (Interactive Brokers, Webull): $0.65–$0.85/contract/side. Full-service retail brokers (TD Ameritrade, Charles Schwab): $1.50–$2.25/contract/side. For active traders, the difference between $0.09 and $2.25 per side compounds massively — 10 trades/day × 2 sides × $2.16 difference = $43.20/day extra cost.
Q.What is a round-trip commission in futures?
Round-trip commission is the total cost to open and close one futures position: (Commission per side × 2 × contracts). If you pay $1.50 per contract per side and trade 2 contracts, your round-trip cost = $1.50 × 2 × 2 = $6.00 per trade. This is the minimum profit per trade you need just to break even on commissions.
Q.How much do commissions affect futures profitability?
Significantly, especially for scalpers. Example: scalper trading 1 ES contract, 10 trades/day at $3 round-trip = $30/day in commissions. ES average daily range is 40–60 points ($2,000–$3,000). To net $100/day profit, the scalper must gross $130 just to cover commissions. Active traders must factor commission into every strategy backtest.
Q.How do prop firm traders handle commissions?
Most prop firms (Apex, TopStep, Earn2Trade) include commissions in their fee structure — typically $0.50–$0.62 per contract per side including exchange fees. Some prop firms offer lower rates for higher-volume traders. Always check if the prop firm charges NFA fees and exchange fees separately or includes them in the stated commission rate.
Q.What are exchange fees vs broker commissions in futures?
Your total cost per contract includes both broker commission AND CME exchange/NFA fees. Exchange fees for ES: ~$0.60/side (CME) + $0.02 NFA = $0.62/side in exchange fees alone. If your broker charges $0.85/side, your true cost = $0.85 + $0.62 = $1.47/side = $2.94 round trip per contract. Always ask your broker if their quoted rate is all-in or excludes exchange fees.
About the Author
Forex Trader & Software Developer · Founder, TradeCalc
Active forex trader since 2019, specializing in risk management and systematic position sizing. Built TradeCalc to replace manual spreadsheets used in live trading. Every calculator is cross-verified against broker platforms before publishing.
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