Hashrate measures how many guesses the computers used for MiningMiningThe process in which computers compete to solve a puzzle so they can add the next block to the blockchain and earn new bitcoin and fees. make each second as they try to find the next BlockBlockA batch of transactions added to a blockchain in one go, together with a reference to the block before it.. Each guess means calculating a HashHashA short fingerprint calculated from data, which changes completely if the data is altered by even a single character., so hashrate is measured in hashes per second (H/s).
How big are the numbers?
Very big, so prefixes are used:
- TH/s (terahash): a trillion guesses per second. A single recent mining machine can deliver several hundred TH/s.
- EH/s (exahash): a million TH/s.
In October 2026, the Bitcoin network's hashrate was around 1,000 EH/s. That is roughly a billion trillion guesses every second.
Hashrate can't be measured directly. It is estimated from how quickly blocks are found and how hard the puzzle is, so the estimate moves around from day to day.
Why does it matter?
In networks secured by proof of workProof of workA consensus method where the right to add the next block to a blockchain goes to whoever first solves a hard computing puzzle., hashrate is the main line of defence. The more there is, the more expensive it is to attack the network. Someone who wanted to rewrite recorded transactions would need to control more than half of all the hashrate, in what is called a 51% attack. On Bitcoin, that would cost an enormous amount in hardware and electricity.
In the long run, hashrate doesn't change how fast blocks are found. The network adjusts the difficulty regularly so that the average time stays at about ten minutes, whatever the hashrate.
Everything in Myntkaup Learn is written and regularly reviewed by the Myntkaup editorial team. It is for education and is not investment advice. Editorial policy. Updated 18 October 2026.