Impermanent Loss Calculator

Compare your LP position against simply holding both tokens unswapped.

Impermanent Loss
HODL value (no LP)
If you had just held both tokens 50/50.
LP value (your position)
After AMM rebalancing — fees not included.
Token A change
Token B change
Gap (HODL − LP)

How to Use

  1. Enter the starting price of token A (e.g., ETH price when you deposited).
  2. Enter the current price of token A (now).
  3. Enter the starting and current price of token B (e.g., USDC stays at $1).
  4. Enter the initial deposit in USD (assumed split 50/50 in dollar value at entry).
  5. Read the IL percentage, the dollar amount, and HODL vs LP side by side.

Calculation Method

For a constant-product AMM (Uniswap v2 style), the IL factor compares LP value to a passive HODL portfolio:

price_ratio = (A_current ÷ A_initial) ÷ (B_current ÷ B_initial)
il_factor = 2 × √price_ratio ÷ (1 + price_ratio)
il_pct = (il_factor − 1) × 100 // typically ≤ 0
hodl_value = initial × 0.5 × (A_current ÷ A_initial) + initial × 0.5 × (B_current ÷ B_initial)
lp_value = hodl_value × il_factor
il_dollar = lp_value − hodl_value
price_ratio
— ratio of token A's relative price change to token B's.
il_factor
— always ≤ 1; equals 1 when both tokens move identically.
hodl_value
— what you would have if you had not LPed.
lp_value
— what your LP position is worth before trading fees.

Source / Last updated: Constant-product AMM (Uniswap v2) impermanent loss formula. Last reviewed for SmartCryptoCalcs in May 2026.

Examples

Example 1 — ETH/USDC, ETH rallies 50%

ETH goes $3,000 → $4,500, USDC stays $1. Price ratio = 1.5. IL factor = 2 × √1.5 / (1 + 1.5) ≈ 0.9798. IL ≈ −2.02%. On a $10,000 deposit, HODL would be worth $12,500 — your LP is worth ≈ $12,247 (gap = $253). Trading fees over the period need to exceed $253 to break even vs HODL.

Example 2 — ETH/USDC, ETH crashes 50%

ETH goes $3,000 → $1,500, USDC stays $1. Price ratio = 0.5. IL factor = 2 × √0.5 / 1.5 ≈ 0.9428. IL ≈ −5.72%. IL is symmetric in price ratio but the dollar amount differs because the HODL value also shrank. Stable-stable pools (USDC/USDT) avoid this entirely.

'Does IL ever cancel out over time?', 'a' => 'Only if the two tokens'' relative price returns to the entry ratio. For uncorrelated pairs (ETH/SOL), this is unlikely to happen exactly. IL only fully cancels for stablecoin pairs (USDC/USDT) where the ratio stays near 1.0 by design.'], ['q' => 'Are stablecoin pairs safer?', 'a' => 'For IL, yes — USDC/USDT or DAI/USDC pools have near-zero IL because both tokens target $1. The tradeoff is lower trading fees (low volatility = low volume), but recent stablecoin volume has made these pools competitive yield options.'], ['q' => 'Do trading fees offset IL?', 'a' => 'Often yes — in high-volume pairs (ETH/USDC on Uniswap), accumulated fees over 6-12 months frequently exceed IL even with moderate price divergence. Use our LP ROI calculator to combine the two and get net return.'], ['q' => 'What is the single-sided staking alternative?', 'a' => 'Liquid staking (Lido stETH, Rocket Pool rETH), lending markets (Aave), or yield-bearing stables (sDAI, USDe) all let you earn yield on one token without IL exposure. Returns are usually lower than LP yields but the risk profile is simpler.'], ]" />

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Not financial advice. DeFi protocols carry smart contract, custody, and liquidity risks beyond price volatility. Estimates here are illustrative — actual returns depend on protocol-specific parameters that change in real time. Full disclaimer →