Units

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Most commonly, units of bitcoin are expressed in decimal exponents such as BTC ("bitcoins"), mBTC ("millibitcoins") and μBTC ("micro-bitcoin or bit ").

Decimal metric units

The BTC unit was chosen to represent a value of 108 so as to give sub-unit precision rather than large whole numbers. Mirroring the standard Le Système International d'Unités, this allows for divisions of 1/10th (deci-bitcoins, dBTC), 1/100th (centi-bitcoins, cBTC), 1/1 000th (milli-bitcoins, mBTC), and 1/1 000 000 (micro-bitcoins, μBTC).

Bits

Many have adopted the practice of referring to the micro-bitcoin metric sub-unit as "bits".

Table of all units

This table is intended to include all well-defined units of bitcoin value, including less common and niche units.

Unit Abbreviation Decimal (BTC) Alternate names Info
Algorithmic maximum 20,999,999.9769     Calculation
tam-bitcoin 2,814,749.76710656 1,0000,0000 tonal
mega-bitcoin MBTC 1,000,000          Rare in context
kilo-bitcoin kBTC 1,000          Rare in context
hecto-bitcoin hBTC 100          Rare
Initial block subsidy 50          Until block 210000[1]
bong-bitcoin ᵇTBC 42.94967296 1,0000 tonal
Current block subsidy 6.25        block As of halving day 2020, block 630000
deca-bitcoin daBTC 10          Rare
mill-bitcoin ᵐTBC 2.68435456 1000 tonal
bitcoin BTC 1          coin SI base unit
san-bitcoin ˢTBC 0.16777216 100 tonal
deci-bitcoin dBTC 0.1        Rare
ton-bitcoin ᵗTBC 0.01048576 10 tonal
centi-bitcoin cBTC 0.01       bitcent Formerly frequent[2]
milli-bitcoin mBTC 0.001      millibit, millie Occasional
bitcoin TBC 0.00065536 Tonal base unit
bitcoin-ton TBCᵗ 0.00004096 0.1 tonal
bitcoin-san TBCˢ 0.00000256 0.01 tonal
micro-bitcoin μBTC 0.000001   bit Frequent
bitcoin-mill TBCᵐ 0.00000016 0.001 tonal
0.0000001  finney[3]
bitcoin-bong TBCᵇ 0.00000001 0.0001 tonal
sat 0.00000001 satoshi Blockchain value
msat 0.00000000001 millisatoshi[4] Payment channel value

See also

References

  1. Block 209999. Main chain. 2012-11-28. Hash 00000000000000f3819164645360294b5dee7f2e846001ac9f41a70b7a9a3de1. Block explorer
  2. Bitcents were frequent until the November 2013 bubble
  3. After Hal Finney, Bitcoin Pioneer
  4. Receiving and receiving payments