What Is a Hash Rate?
A hash rate is the rate at which a blockchain network like Bitcoin generates hashes, or hexadecimal numbers that are the result of sending transactional data through hashing algorithms.
Hash rates are generally measured in increments of seconds, and cryptocurrency networks can generate trillions of hashes per second. They are measured using the metric system prefixes, such as kilo for 1,000 or mega for one million.
Key Takeawys
- Hashes result from sending transactional information and data through a mathematical encryption algorithm.
- Hashes are generally 64-digit hexadecimal numbers, which can be converted to decimal values.
- Cryptocurrency networks generate trillions of hashes per second.
How Hash Rates Work
A hashing algorithm is a mathematical function that takes an input of variable size and converts it to an output of a predetermined size. A hash is a hexadecimal value generated by a hashing algorithm. The rate at which a system converts data is called its hash rate.
Modern systems can create hashes from large amounts of data very quickly—an online SHA 256 generator can create a 64-digit hash from a 10,000-word (more than 67,000 characters) document in less than half a second. This generator’s rate (which, in reality, is the rate of how fast you can click the generate button and the time it takes for your web page to refresh) is how many it can create per second.
Assume that this 10,000-word document took exactly 0.25 seconds to turn into a hash and be displayed on your web browser. If you managed to click generate four times in one second, your hash rate would be four hashes per second.
Blockchain network hashing is automated, so it is orders of magnitude faster than humans clicking a button in a browser. On these networks, participants can use one or more of any type of computer or machine loaded with software that completes tasks for a blockchain. Each will have different hash rates based on what it is and how fast it can send data through the algorithm. Each participant has a combined individual hash rate, and the combined rate of all network participants can be totaled to determine the network’s total hash rate.
Blockchains can use different hashing algorithms, which might take more or less time to hash a specific number of values depending on the hardware used. The following table lists algorithms used in some blockchains and hash rates based on the equipment doing the hashing.
| Entity | Algorithm | Hash Rate |
|---|---|---|
| AMD 7900 XTX (GPU) | KAWPOW | ~52 Mh/s |
| RTX 4090 (GPU) | Ethash (Ethereum POW) | ~115 Mh/s |
| Ipollo V1 Mini SE Plus (Mini-miner) | Ethash (Ethereum POW) | ~400 Mh/s |
| Jasminer X16_Pro (solo miner) | Ethash (Ethereum POW) | ~2.1 Gh/s |
| F2Pool | Ethash (Ethereum POW) | ~8.4 Th/s |
| Antminer ALPH Miner AL1 | Blake3 (Decred, Alephium) | ~16.6 Th/s |
| Antminer S21 XP+ Hyd | SHA-256 (Bitcoin) | ~500 Th/s |
Measuring Hash Rates
Hashrates are measured using the metric system. As blockchain participation grows, hash rates can become incredibly fast:
- Kilo hash per second (Kh/s): 1,000 hashes per second, slow (compared with other rates)
- Mega hash per second (Mh/s): One million hashes per second. Generated by a GPU or CPU.
- Giga hash per second (Gh/s): One billion hashes per second. Usually low-end, older mining equipment or solo miners.
- Tera hash per second (Th/s): One trillion hashes per second. Generally, high-end mining equipment or small pools
- Peta hash per second (Ph/s): One quadrillion hashes per second. Typically a medium-sized mining pool or small network
- Exa hash per second (Eh/S): One quintillion hashes per second. The Bitcoin blockchain hashes in the hundreds of exa hashes per second.
- Zetta hash per second (Zh/S): One sextillion hashes per second. As of February 2025, Bitcoin is close to reaching one zetta hash per second—it hashed at 992.2999 EH/s on Feb. 2, 2025, and had a daily average of 722.68 EH/s on Feb. 12, 2025.
- Yotta hash per second (Yh/s): If metric system prefixes remain in use and Bitcoin’s network hash rate keeps increasing, the next iteration of the hash rate will be measured in yotta hashes, or one septillion (1 x 1024) hashes per second.
The Bottom Line
A hash rate is the rate at which a program or network sends data through an encryption algorithm. In blockchain programming, these algorithms are called hashing algorithms, and they are used to turn transaction information into 64-digit hexadecimal numbers. These numbers are then used differently depending on how a blockchain is programmed.
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