Pips, ticks and points in cTrader: set the right stop distance

The short answer: these units are not interchangeable

• Pip size tells you the price distance represented by one pip for the selected broker symbol.
• Tick size is its minimum price increment. A tick can also mean a price-update event; here we mean the increment, not an event count.
• Digits describes decimal precision. It does not, by itself, tell you which unit a stop-loss field expects.
• Point is ambiguous across tools and markets. Ask whether it means a full price unit, a tick, or another convention.

cTrader exposes PipSize, TickSize and Digits separately in its symbol API. Do not assume every instrument has ten ticks per pip.

Find the values for your actual broker symbol

1. Select the symbol on the cTrader account that will receive the order, including any broker suffix.
2. Open its Active Symbol Panel and symbol information. Check minimum change, pip position, lot size and minimum trade volume. These are among the fields listed in cTrader's panel guide.
3. Write down the pip size and tick size before transferring a distance from another tool. For example, a pip position at the fourth decimal means a price distance of 0.0001 per pip.
4. Check the unit printed beside the input you are filling: an absolute price and a distance in pips are different instructions.

Two symbols with similar names on TradingView and cTrader are not proof of identical contract specifications. Use the destination broker's values, especially for gold and index CFDs.

Convert a price distance into pips or ticks

price distance = absolute value of (entry price - stop price)
distance in pips = price distance / pip size
distance in ticks = price distance / tick size
ticks per pip = pip size / tick size

For a BUY entered at 1.10000 with an intended stop at 1.09800, the distance is 0.00200. If the broker's pip size is 0.0001 and tick size is 0.00001, that is 20 pips or 200 ticks. Entering 200 into a field labelled pips requests a ten-times-larger distance.

For a SELL, a protective stop belongs above the entry. The absolute-value formula gives distance only; it does not validate which side the stop is on.

Four worked examples, with explicit assumptions

These are arithmetic examples, not universal broker specifications or trade recommendations. Replace the assumed sizes with your own symbol information.

If that index instead has a pip size of 0.1, the same 20.0 price move equals 200 pips. This is why copying a number described only as "20 points" is unsafe without its definition.

Which number belongs in NRUNO?

You do not need to write a conversion script to use the connector. Choose how you supply the stop, then check the resulting demo position:

• Stop in the alert: NRUNO's sl field is an absolute price. For the EURUSD example above, it is 1.09800, not 20. Use the complete alert setup examples; an isolated SL field is not a complete message.
• Stop in the cBot: when no signal SL is supplied, enable the local stop and enter its pip distance under Local SL / 1R (pips). With those example specifications, enter 20.
• TP, break-even and steps: select Pips or RiskReward under BE/TP/Steps Unit. A 2R target with an initial 20-pip SL is a 40-pip distance, not two pips. Moving the stop later does not redefine the original 1R.

A valid signal SL takes precedence over the local SL in V3.6.2. Market execution can differ from a quoted reference price; always inspect the stop actually attached to the filled position. cTrader also distinguishes relative and absolute order protections in its protection documentation.

A correct pip distance is not the same as a correct lot size

Pips measure distance; volume determines how much that distance is worth. In NRUNO, StopLossRiskPercent sizes the position from the initial SL and your percentage risk budget. EquityPercent sets nominal exposure as a percentage of equity; it is not a maximum-loss setting or a percentage of margin.

If the calculated size is below the broker's minimum, V3.6.2 rejects the entry rather than rounding up and increasing the intended risk. Do not solve that rejection by changing a correct SL just to force an order through.

The amount lost at execution can differ from the estimate because of fees, slippage, gaps and changing pip values. Even cTrader's proportional-risk API warns that risk calculations are not exact guarantees.

Before your first connected order

1. Record the cTrader symbol, pip size, tick size and intended SL price.
2. Convert the distance using the formulas above. Check BUY/SELL direction as well as the number.
3. Send one fresh signal to a separate demo connector. Never run two bot instances on the same connector key to test the same event.
4. Match the NRUNO signal ID to the demo position. Compare the requested distance, filled entry, attached SL and volume.
5. If rejected, read the reason first. A valid conversion can still fail a broker minimum-distance, volume or market-session rule. Do not repeatedly resend an unchanged alert.

Need help? Send NRUNO support the symbol specifications, unit-labelled settings and signal ID. Hide your connector key and private webhook URL. If the signal never arrives, use the webhook troubleshooting checklist instead.