Scaling Plan & Growth

Apex Contract Sizing Philosophy

Apex Trader Funding distinguishes itself from competitors by eliminating mandatory intra-account scaling plans. While other futures prop firms restrict you to 2 contracts until you build a $1,500 profit buffer, Apex grants 100% contract sizing freedom from your very first trade.

However, because the trailing threshold moves upward in real time against open unrealized profits, sizing appropriately is the single most critical factor in account longevity.

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Contract Limits Across All Evaluation Tiers

Each account tier features a fixed contract ceiling applicable to all CME, CBOT, NYMEX, and COMEX futures contracts.

Account Tier	Max Standard Minis	Max Micro Contracts (10:1 Ratio)	Max Trailing Drawdown	Dollar Drawdown per Mini
$25,000	4 Minis	40 Micros	$1,000	$250.00 / Mini
$50,000	10 Minis	100 Micros	$2,500	$250.00 / Mini
$100,000	14 Minis	140 Micros	$3,000	$214.28 / Mini
$150,000	17 Minis	170 Micros	$5,000	$294.11 / Mini
$250,000	27 Minis	270 Micros	$6,500	$240.74 / Mini
$300,000	35 Minis	350 Micros	$7,500	$214.28 / Mini

Contract Allocation Rule: Minis and Micros can be combined in any combination as long as the aggregate position does not exceed the tier limit:

Total Sizing = Mini Contracts + (Micro Contracts / 10) <= Max Tier Allowance

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The Danger of Max Sizing on Day 1

While Apex allows you to load 10 Mini contracts on a $50K account on Day 1, doing so is mathematically dangerous due to the live trailing threshold.

Sizing Risk Example: 10 Minis on NQ ($50K Account, $2,500 Drawdown)

• NQ Point Value: 1 Mini point = $20.00. 10 Minis = $200.00 per point.
• Drawdown Buffer: $2,500 total drawdown allowance.
• Liquidation Boundary:

Adverse Move to Breach = $2,500 / ($200 / pt) = 12.5 Points

On the Nasdaq (NQ), which regularly moves 15 to 30 points in seconds, trading 10 Minis gives you an operational margin of error of just 12.5 points before your account is terminated.

Recommended Risk Sizing Table

Account Tier	Max Allowed Minis	Conservative Evaluation Sizing	Aggressive Breakout Sizing
$25,000	4 Minis	5 – 10 Micros	1 – 2 Minis
$50,000	10 Minis	10 – 20 Micros (1 – 2 Minis)	3 – 4 Minis
$100,000	14 Minis	20 – 30 Micros (2 – 3 Minis)	4 – 5 Minis
$150,000	17 Minis	30 – 40 Micros (3 – 4 Minis)	5 – 6 Minis
$250,000	27 Minis	40 – 60 Micros (4 – 6 Minis)	7 – 9 Minis
$300,000	35 Minis	50 – 80 Micros (5 – 8 Minis)	10 – 12 Minis

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Multi-Account Portfolio Scaling (Up to 20 Accounts)

Rather than scaling risk inside a single account, Apex traders scale through horizontal account replication.

[Master Account: 2 Minis ES]
             │
             ▼ (Trade Copier)
┌────────────┬────────────┬────────────┐
│ 20 Accounts × 2 Minis = 40 Total Minis ES │
└──────────────────────────────────────┘

Portfolio Scaling Benefits:

1. Risk Isolation: If one account experiences a technical error or order rejection, the remaining accounts remain protected.
2. Small Per-Account Size, Massive Aggregate Profit:
   • Trading just 1 Mini per account across 20 accounts = 20 Minis total market exposure.
   • A standard 10-point ES win ($500 per account) generates $10,000 in gross profit in a single trading session.
3. Safety Buffer Accumulation: By trading small sizing per account, each account can comfortably build past the $52,600 safety net buffer without triggering the intraday trailing threshold trap.