The short answer
Your account has a maximum number of contracts you can hold at once, and it scales with your account size. The rule is simple: 1 mini contract per $10,000 of account size, and because 10 micro contracts equal 1 mini, that is 10 micros per $10,000.
Your limit is the same in the challenge and the funded phase. It does not drop when you get funded.
Contract limits by account size
These apply to Thunderbolt Classic, Thunderbolt Legacy, and Vanguard. On the challenge products (Thunderbolt Classic and Thunderbolt Legacy) the limit is the same in the challenge and funded phases. Vanguard is instant funding, so it applies straight to your funded account.
Account size | Max minis (e.g. ES, NQ, CL, GC) | Max micros (e.g. MES, MNQ, MCL, MGC) |
$25,000 | 3 | 30 |
$50,000 | 5 | 50 |
$100,000 | 10 | 100 |
$150,000 | 15 | 150 |
$200,000 | 20 | 200 |
$250,000 | 25 | 250 |
$300,000 | 30 | 300 |
$400,000 | 40 | 400 |
You can mix minis and micros as long as the total stays within the limit, counting 10 micros as 1 mini. On a $50,000 account (5 minis, 50 micros), 2 ES plus 30 micros is allowed (2 minis plus 3 mini-equivalents, so 5 in total). Six ES is not.
Why the limit exists
The contract limit caps how much size sits behind your other risk rules at once. It works alongside them, each on a $50,000 account:
Max Trade Loss (1.5%): caps the loss on any single trade, so $750 here.
Daily drawdown: caps a single session, 2% on Thunderbolt Classic and Vanguard ($1,000) or 3% on Thunderbolt Legacy ($1,500), reset 5:00 PM ET.
Trailing drawdown (Dynamic Risk Shield™): caps your total loss from the account high.
Contract limit: caps how many contracts stand behind every tick.
Oversizing is the most common way traders fail an otherwise good account. The limit removes that temptation.
What it means in dollars
On a $100,000 account your limit is 10 minis (or 100 micros). One ES tick is $12.50, and each point (four ticks) is $50. Ten ES contracts move $500 per point, so a 30 point move against you is $15,000.
That is why the limit is only half the job. It caps the number of contracts. Your Max Trade Loss and your stop cap how far a trade can run against you.
Minis and micros
A micro is one tenth the size of its mini, and it counts that way toward your limit: 10 micros equal 1 mini. Micros let smaller accounts size precisely and stay well inside the cap. See Mini vs micro contracts and Position sizing on futures for more.
What happens if you exceed it
An order that would put you over your contract limit is blocked or flagged by the platform. Do not rely on that safety net: size your own orders so you always stay inside your limit.
Need help?
Contact Upcomers support through live chat, the help center, or at [email protected].