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How-to guide

How to Calculate Risk Reward Ratio: Formula, Steps & Examples

Learn how to calculate Risk Reward Ratio — the formula explained step by step, with worked examples and a free calculator to check your answer.

By Aarav Mehta, CFA, MBA Finance · Updated Jun 2026 · 2 min read

Calculating your reward-to-risk ratio (to 1) is straightforward once you know the Risk Reward Ratio formula and what each input means. This guide explains the method in plain language, walks through a manual calculation, and gives worked examples you can follow — then you can do it instantly with the Risk Reward Ratio Calculator.

What is Risk Reward Ratio?

The Risk Reward Ratio calculation tells you your reward-to-risk ratio (to 1) from a few simple inputs. The figure you are solving for here is the reward-to-risk ratio (to 1).

The Risk Reward Ratio formula

The core formula is:

Reward-to-risk ratio (to 1) = (Target price - Entry price) ÷ (Entry price - Stop-loss price)

Here is what each input means:

  • Entry price — a money amount. Example: ₹100.
  • Stop-loss price — a money amount. Example: ₹95.
  • Target price — a money amount. Example: ₹115.

How to calculate it step by step

  • Write down the entry price (for example, ₹100).
  • Write down the stop-loss price (for example, ₹95).
  • Write down the target price (for example, ₹115).
  • Apply the formula above to get your reward-to-risk ratio (to 1).
  • Double-check the result with the Risk Reward Ratio Calculator.

Worked examples

Example 1

Input / OutputValue
Entry price₹100
Stop-loss price₹95
Target price₹115
Reward-to-risk ratio (to 1)3.00
Risk per share₹5.00
Reward per share₹15.00

With entry price of ₹100, stop-loss price of ₹95 and target price of ₹115, the reward-to-risk ratio (to 1) works out to 3.00.

Example 2

With entry price of ₹200, stop-loss price of ₹95 and target price of ₹115, the reward-to-risk ratio (to 1) works out to -0.81.

ResultValue
Reward-to-risk ratio (to 1)-0.81
Risk per share₹105.00
Reward per share-₹85.00

Example 3

With entry price of ₹50, stop-loss price of ₹95 and target price of ₹115, the reward-to-risk ratio (to 1) works out to -1.44.

ResultValue
Reward-to-risk ratio (to 1)-1.44
Risk per share-₹45.00
Reward per share₹65.00

Tips for an accurate result

  • Keep your units consistent — mixing, say, months with years or grams with kilograms is the most common source of error.
  • Round only at the very end. Rounding inputs early can shift the final answer noticeably.
  • Re-run the numbers whenever an input changes, rather than estimating from an old result.
  • Annual rates must be converted to the period you are calculating for (for example, divide an annual rate by 12 for a monthly figure).

Prefer not to do the maths by hand? — the Risk Reward Ratio Calculator does it instantly, for free, with the formula and a worked example built in.

Continue exploring finance calculators with these tools: SIP Calculator, EMI Calculator, CAGR Calculator, FD Calculator, Effective Annual Rate (EAR) Calculator.

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Frequently asked questions

The formula is: Reward-to-risk ratio (to 1) = (Target price - Entry price) ÷ (Entry price - Stop-loss price). With entry price of ₹100, stop-loss price of ₹95 and target price of ₹115, the reward-to-risk ratio (to 1) works out to 3.00.

Gather each input, apply the formula step by step keeping your units consistent, and round only at the end. You can verify your answer instantly with the Risk Reward Ratio Calculator.

It uses the standard formula with exact arithmetic, so the result is correct for the inputs you enter. Bear in mind that real-world outcomes can still differ when underlying assumptions change.

Aarav Mehta · CFA, MBA Finance

Aarav reviews every finance formula on CalcHub for accuracy.