What Is Gwei?
Gwei is a denomination of the cryptocurrency ether (ETH), the digital coin used on the Ethereum network. Ethereum is a blockchain platform, like Bitcoin, where users transact to buy and sell goods and services without an intermediary or interference from a third party.
Similar to fiat currencies like the U.S. dollar or euro, ether is broken into denominations. Wei is the smallest denomination of ether like cents are to the U.S. dollar. However, while there are 100 cents in a dollar, there is one quintillion wei (18 zeros) to one ether and one billion gwei to one ether.
Key Takeaways
- Gwei is a denomination of the cryptocurrency ether (ETH), used on the Ethereum network to buy and sell goods and services.
- A gwei is one-billionth of one ETH.
- Gwei is the most commonly used ether unit because Ethereum transaction fees are priced so that it is easier to refer to.
- Many cryptocurrencies have adopted naming conventions for their micro-denominations because these smaller units can be used more often in transactions.
Understanding Gwei
The Ethereum platform has a native cryptocurrency known as ether (ETH). Ethereum itself is a blockchain that supports a wide range of decentralized applications (dApps), sidechains, and programs—all of which can be used to develop other cryptocurrencies.
Ethereum (the blockchain) processes the transaction for these other applications, and users pay for the processing in ether. These fees are payments made by users to compensate the validators for the computational and storage resources they provide for the Ethereum Virtual Machine.
The fees are priced in small fractions of ether, so denominations were needed to make it economical to charge transaction fees. There are seven denominations used on the Ethereum network. Gwei is the middle denomination, making it simpler to use and understand because it can be used to express values above and below it.
Fast Fact
Transaction fees on Ethereum are called gas fees or gas prices.
For instance, on May 5, 2024, the median transaction fee of the Ethereum blockchain was five Gwei. You could’ve said, “The gas price was 0.000000005 ETH,” but it is much easier to say five gwei. You could also use any of the other denominations, but most users comprehend gwei better.
Ether Denominations Explained
The list below displays the typical ether units. Notice in the table that the denominations each have an alternate name (in parentheses)—based on influential figures in the world of cryptography. For example, gwei may also be called shannon, after Claude Shannon, an American mathematician, cryptographer, and crypto-analysis guru.
Investopedia / Sabrina Jiang
Ether’s naming convention is a nod to its founding figures, much like a $100 bill features an image of Ben Franklin and a $5 bill pictures Abraham Lincoln. It’s interesting to note that Ethereum uses cryptic language and naming conventions, just like Bitcoin does.
Here, in order of appearance in the table, is the significance of the ether units’ nicknames:
- Wei (wei): For Wei Dai, who formulated the concepts of all modern cryptocurrencies—best known as the creator of the predecessor to Bitcoin, B-money.
- Kwei (babbage): For Charles Babbage, a mathematician, philosopher, inventor, and mechanical engineer—designed the first automatic computing engines.
- Mwei (lovelace): For Ada Lovelace, mathematician, writer, and computer programmer—she wrote and published the first algorithm.
- Gwei (shannon): For Claude Shannon, an American mathematician, cryptographer, and crypto-analysis guru—also known as “the father of information theory.”
- Twei (szabo): For Nick Szabo, a computer scientist, legal scholar, and cryptographer—known for his pioneering research in digital contracts and digital currency.
- Pwei (finney): For Hal Finney, a computer scientist and cryptographer—he was one of the early developers of Bitcoin, and alleged to be the first human to receive a bitcoin from Satoshi Nakamoto, the named founder of Bitcoin.
- Ether (buterin): For Vitalik Buterin, a programmer, writer, and the creator of Ethereum.
Important
It’s important to note that Ethereum is constantly evolving, so there are many denominations in use currently that are not in the yellow papers maintained by the Ethereum developers and community.
What Is a Gwei?
Gwei is a denomination of the cryptocurrency ether, used in the Ethereum ecosystem.
How Much Is a Gwei?
There are one billion gwei per ether (ETH). How much one gwei is in fiat currency depends on its market value. If ether’s market value were $1,500, one gwei would be worth $0.0000015.
How Much ETH Is 1 Gwei?
There are one billion gwei to one ether, so one gwei is 0.000000001 ETH.
The Bottom Line
The blockchain and global virtual machine Ethereum has a native token called ether. Ether is further divided into smaller denominations to make it easier to express them. Gwei represents the middle denomination that is easiest to express values in. One gwei is equal to 0.000000001 ETH.
Transaction fees, also called gas on Ethereum, are charged in gwei, making their small amounts easier to comprehend.
The comments, opinions, and analyses expressed on Investopedia are for informational purposes only. Read our warranty and liability disclaimer for more info. As of the date this article was written, the author does not own cryptocurrency.
