The number of block confirmations measures the degree to which an on-chain transaction is considered "irreversible." Binance will only credit the funds to your account after the required number of confirmations is reached. The rules vary greatly across different coins—BTC takes over 20 minutes, while USDT-TRC20 only takes a minute. This article lists the confirmation rules for common cryptocurrencies and explains the factors that affect actual arrival times. For the most accurate confirmation times, log in to the Binance Official Website and go to the deposit page; you can also see this on mobile via the Binance Official App. For iOS installation issues, refer to the iOS Installation Tutorial.
What is a Block Confirmation?
Every time a new block is mined, it means your transaction is buried one layer deeper. The cost of attacking or rolling back this transaction increases exponentially. Most exchanges use "confirmations" to measure security:
- 1 confirmation: The transaction has just been included in the latest block.
- 6 confirmations: 5 more new blocks have been added after the block containing your transaction.
- 60 confirmations: The transaction is buried very deep, and the cost of attack is extremely high.
For an exchange like Binance, which takes on the risk of making funds "available immediately after deposit", higher confirmation numbers mean greater security, but users have to wait longer. Binance's compromise strategy is: set requirements based on the hash rate and historical stability of each specific blockchain.
Mainstream Coin Confirmations Reference Table
Mainnet Blockchains
| Coin | Required Confirmations | Block Time | Estimated Arrival Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| BTC (Bitcoin) | 2 | 10 mins | 20 - 60 mins |
| ETH (Ethereum) | 12 | 12 secs | 3 - 5 mins |
| LTC (Litecoin) | 6 | 2.5 mins | 15 - 30 mins |
| DOGE | 40 | 1 min | 40 - 50 mins |
| BCH | 15 | 10 mins | 1.5 - 3 hours |
| ETC | 500 | 13 secs | Approx. 2 hours |
| XMR | 10 | 2 mins | 20 - 40 mins |
| ZEC | 24 | 75 secs | 30 - 50 mins |
High-Performance Chains
| Coin | Required Confirmations | Estimated Arrival Time |
|---|---|---|
| SOL (Solana) | 1 | 10 - 30 secs |
| TRX (Tron) | 1 | Approx. 1 min |
| AVAX (Avalanche) | 12 | Approx. 1 min |
| ADA (Cardano) | 15 | Approx. 10 mins |
| XRP (XRP Ledger) | 1 | 10 secs |
| XLM (Stellar) | 1 | 10 secs |
| DOT (Polkadot) | 10 | Approx. 1 min |
| ALGO | 1 | Approx. 10 secs |
| ATOM | 1 | Approx. 1 min |
| NEAR | 1 | Approx. 5 secs |
| APT (Aptos) | 1 | Approx. 1 sec |
| SUI | 1 | Approx. 1 sec |
L2 and Sidechains
| Network | Required Confirmations | Estimated Arrival Time |
|---|---|---|
| Arbitrum One | 63 or L1 Confirmed | 3 - 5 mins |
| Optimism | 120 | 5 - 10 mins |
| Polygon | 30 | Approx. 3 mins |
| BNB Smart Chain | 15 | Approx. 1 min |
| Base | 120 | Approx. 5 mins |
| zkSync Era | 10 | Approx. 3 mins |
Stablecoins (Follow Underlying Chain)
The required confirmations for USDT / USDC are entirely determined by the blockchain they reside on, not the stablecoin itself:
| USDT Network | Confirmations |
|---|---|
| TRC20 | 1 |
| ERC20 | 12 |
| BEP20 | 15 |
| Solana | 1 |
| Polygon | 30 |
| Arbitrum | 63 or L1 equivalent |
Five Factors Affecting Actual Arrival Time
Factor 1: On-Chain Congestion
Theoretically, 12 ETH confirmations = 2 minutes and 24 seconds, but during congestion, a block might be uncled or block production may slow down, making it actually take 5 - 10 minutes. This is more pronounced during bull market kick-offs or meme coin crazes.
Factor 2: Gas Fees
Whether the gas fee you set is sufficient determines how fast your transaction is picked up by miners/validators and included in a block. Low gas might result in your transaction not being included for hours; this waiting time happens before any "confirmations" even start counting.
Factor 3: Binance Backend Batch Processing
Even if the confirmations are reached on-chain, Binance's backend deposit crediting service has a batch processing delay of tens of seconds to a few minutes. In very rare cases, service maintenance will delay crediting.
Factor 4: Account Risk Control
If your account is flagged for temporary risk control, the deposit might get stuck in "Reviewing" until the restriction is lifted. Common triggers include:
- Newly registered accounts
- Logging in from a different location
- Deposits from multiple new addresses in a short period
- Privacy coins (XMR, ZEC) often require extra review
Factor 5: Maintenance of the Coin Itself
- Chain upgrades: Binance may pause deposits for that coin for 1 to 24 hours.
- Major security incidents: Temporary freezes.
- Network forks: Confirmation requirements may be temporarily increased.
How to Speed Up Deposits During Congestion
Method 1: Use a Faster Chain
If you're depositing USDT and find ERC20 is too slow, bridge your funds internally to TRC20 before sending. Binance's "Convert" feature can swap ERC20 USDT for TRC20 USDT directly (sometimes an external swap is required).
Method 2: Resend with Higher Gas
If your transfer hasn't been included in a block yet (i.e., 0 confirmations), on chains supporting RBF (Replace-By-Fee), you can resend the same transaction with a higher gas fee to overwrite the original one. The BTC mainnet supports this, and on the ETH mainnet, it can be achieved by sending a new transaction with the same nonce.
Method 3: Wait (The Best Method)
If your transaction has already been included in a block but hasn't reached the required confirmations, you can only wait. Miners and validators produce blocks at a normal pace, and there is no external way to speed up the confirmation count.
Expected Times for Different Scenarios
Scenario A: Weekday Morning, Normal Network
| Operation | Expected Time |
|---|---|
| BTC Mainnet $500 | 25 mins |
| USDT-TRC20 $1000 | 1 min |
| ETH Mainnet 1 ETH | 4 mins |
| SOL Chain 100 USDT | 30 secs |
Scenario B: Weekend Night, Average Market Activity
Arrival times are basically consistent with the table above, perhaps slightly faster (due to decreased network usage).
Scenario C: Major Market Movements, Extreme Congestion
| Operation | Expected Time |
|---|---|
| BTC Mainnet | 1 - 3 hours (waiting for high gas to be included) |
| ETH Mainnet | 10 - 30 mins |
| TRC20 | Basically unchanged |
Scenario D: Chain Upgrade Period
Deposits for the entire coin are suspended, and arrival time is unpredictable. Keep an eye on the [Announcements] section.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q1: Why is my deposit showing 0/12 and not increasing?
A: This means the transaction hasn't been included in any block yet. You've sent a "pending transaction," and miners haven't processed it. Possible reasons: gas is set too low, nonce error, or the chain is reorganizing. Wait or speed it up. If it's ETH, you can use etherscan.io to check the pending status.
Q2: The block explorer shows success, but it hasn't arrived on Binance yet?
A: This is normal. Block explorers show success after 1 confirmation, but Binance requires 12 confirmations. You still need to wait about 2 - 3 minutes for it to arrive. If it still hasn't arrived, check Binance's "Deposit History" to see if it shows "Processing." If there's no record of this transaction at all, you might have selected the wrong network.
Q3: Why is there such a huge difference in required confirmations between SOL and BTC?
A: Differences in block times and consensus mechanisms. BTC is PoW + 10-minute blocks, meaning the risk of a single block rollback is higher, so it needs 2 confirmations to be relatively safe. SOL is Proof of History + sub-second blocks, where single block rollbacks are almost impossible, making 1 confirmation sufficient. The value of "1 confirmation" varies across different chains, so you can't compare the numbers directly.