When you send Bitcoin, your transaction enters the mempool and waits to be included in a block. One confirmation happens the moment a miner includes your transaction in a block; each block mined on top of it adds another confirmation. After enough bitcoin confirmations, the chance of a chain reorganization zapping your payment approaches near-zero. That’s why many wallets and exchanges display a “confirmations” counter instead of calling a payment instantly final.
Bitcoin targets a new block roughly every 10 minutes, but the actual BTC transaction time varies with network congestion and fees. Independent trackers and explainers use this as the baseline: faster or slower blocks happen, but the security model assumes confirmations accumulate over time.
Why confirmations exist
Bitcoin’s security is probabilistic. An attacker would need to redo proof-of-work faster than the honest network to rewrite history. As more blocks settle after your transaction, the cost to reverse it grows exponentially. For large, high-stakes transfers, the old-school norm is ~6 bitcoin confirmations—about an hour on average—because beyond that the odds of a successful double-spend become vanishingly small. You’ll see this “six confirmations = very safe” line in many reputable primers.
That said, modern platforms sometimes use fewer bitcoin confirmations thanks to better monitoring and risk controls. Coinbase, for example, credits Bitcoin (BTC) deposits after 2 confirmations, while it asks 14 confirmations for Ethereum (ETH/ERC-20)—illustrating that required counts differ by chain and by venue.
Bottom line: How many confirmations for Bitcoin? Depends on your risk tolerance and context. Small retail amounts often clear with 1–2 confirmations; institutional or adversarial contexts often wait 6+.
The confirmations mechanics in one picture
Source: Coinguides
- Broadcast: Your wallet signs and broadcasts a transaction.
- Mempool: Nodes hold it until a miner includes it in the next block.
- 1 confirmation: Your transaction is in a block.
- N confirmations: Each new block built on top adds more economic weight behind your payment.
Bitcoin’s difficulty algorithm keeps the long-term average at ~10 minutes per block, but in the moment, luck and hashpower shifts can make it shorter or longer. That’s why guides and explorers often talk about estimates for BTC transaction time rather than hard guarantees. Read more on Bitcoin Mining in 2025.
How confirmations show up at exchanges
Exchanges don’t all use the same thresholds. Some platforms credit BTC quickly, then place a temporary withdrawal hold until more confirmations accrue; others wait longer before crediting at all. Coinbase publicly lists several assets’ confirmation counts (BTC 2, ETH 14, etc.), while Binance documents the general policy and has historically used 1–2 confirmations for BTC deposits. Kraken and others present it as “wait until required confirmations are met,” emphasizing that it’s per-asset and subject to change.
Why the variation? Venue risk appetite, chain design (PoW vs. PoS), and real-time monitoring all play a role. The key insight is that a confirmation number is a venue policy, not a protocol law.
How long does Bitcoin take to send?
Source: Cointelegraph
Two factors dominate your real-world wait:
- Your fee rate: If your fee is competitive with current demand, miners pick it up sooner. Underpay the fee and your transaction can linger. (Most wallets now automatically suggest a fee.) Coinbase’s help center explicitly points to insufficient fees as a reason a transaction stays “Pending.”
- Network congestion: When everyone is transacting (NFT/inscription spikes, volatility in Bitcoin price), blocks fill up and queues form; slow blocks occasionally add to the delay. Neutral glossaries and trackers explain that confirmation time is an estimate, not a promise.
How Bitcoin compares with newer chains
“Confirmations” are a Bitcoin/PoW convention. Many modern PoS networks target deterministic finality: once a block is “finalized,” it cannot be reverted under normal assumptions, so exchanges key off a finalized state (or a very small number of blocks) rather than waiting for a long chain of bitcoin confirmations.
- Solana exposes developer-level commitment stages (processed, confirmed, finalized). Community and infra teams note ~10–20 seconds to finalization under normal conditions.
- NEAR touts ~1.2-second finality after a 2025–2026 performance push.
- SEI markets near-instant finality (sub-second / ~400 ms) in docs for its latest releases.
- Aptos claims sub-second end-to-end latency and finality in official materials.
Important: Exchanges still apply their own buffers. Even if a chain finalizes fast, a venue might wait for an extra block or two—or for its internal risk checks—before crediting deposits. Binance Academy’s glossary captures the spirit: the “right” number of confirmations varies by network and operator, with six on Bitcoin long considered “highly secure.”
Comparison table: confirmations & finality
These are typical orientations, not universal rules. Exchanges may set different thresholds. Where available, we include example venue requirements and official finality guidance.
| Chain | Typical block time / finality | Example requirement / reference |
| Bitcoin (BTC) | ~10 min per block | Coinbase: credits after 2 conf; “6 conf” long viewed as very safe; Binance: historically 1–2 conf for deposits |
| Ethereum (ETH) | ~12s block target; deterministic PoS finality | Coinbase: 14 conf for ETH/ERC-20 as of its help page. |
| Solana (SOL) | Finalized in ~10–20s under normal conditions | Solana dev docs + infra notes on commitment levels and typical finalization timing. |
| NEAR | ~1.2s finality; 600 ms blocks | Official NEAR post on 1.2s finality. |
| SEI | < ~400 ms finality (Twin-Turbo consensus) | SEI docs / reputable explainers referencing sub-second finality. |
How to choose your own confirmation policy
- Match value to risk: For coffee-size payments, 1–2 conf often suffice; for five-figure amounts, stick to 6 or more. Some custodians (e.g., Coinbase) operationalize 2 conf for BTC while keeping higher counts for other networks.
- Consider adversarial contexts: P2P escrow, OTC, or thin-liquidity scenarios justify more Bitcoin confirmations.
- Watch the mempool and fees: If fees are spiking, use a wallet with fee bumping (RBF/CPFP) and set realistic expectations for BTC transaction time.
- Understand chain semantics: On PoS chains with finality, confirmations aren’t apples-to-apples with Bitcoin; rely on the chain’s finalized state and your venue’s guidance.
Where can you exchange Bitcoin?
If you want to exchange BTC to USDT or any other liquid pair, you have two broad options:
- Centralized exchanges (CEXs): account-based, deep books, fiat ramps—confirmation requirements vary by asset. Examples include Quickex, Coinbase, Binance, Kraken; they publish help pages describing deposit confirmation logic and holds.
- Non-custodial instant services: no account balance, you swap wallet-to-wallet at floating/fixed quotes.
Quickex is a centralized instant exchange that’s operated since 2018, supports hundreds of pairs, and positions itself as a fast way to exchange cryptocurrency without maintaining a hosted balance.
Frequently asked questions
How many confirmations for Bitcoin are “enough”?
There’s no one-size-fits-all number. 2 confirmations is common at large U.S. venues for crediting deposits; 6 confirmations remains a classic security norm for high-value transfers. Adjust up or down based on value, counterparties, and urgency.
How long does Bitcoin take to send?
On average, one confirmation arrives in about 10 minutes, but real times vary with fees and luck. Plan for 10–60 minutes depending on load and your required number of confirmations.
Why did my exchange say “waiting for confirmations”?
It’s verifying your deposit on-chain until it meets the venue’s policy (e.g., BTC 2 conf at Coinbase). If it seems stuck, check the TXID in a block explorer and verify you used adequate fees.
Do other chains skip confirmations?
Many PoS chains use finality rather than accumulating confirmations. Solana targets a finalized state in roughly 10–20s; NEAR advertises ~1.2s; SEI and Aptos aim for sub-second. Exchanges still may add a buffer.
Final thoughts
Bitcoin confirmations are an elegant way to translate raw proof-of-work into settlement assurance. For traders and treasurers, the rule is simple: match confirmations to risk, understand your venue’s policy, and never rush large transfers when the mempool is heaving or the bitcoin price is whipping around. For newer chains, think in terms of finality instead—and always check what your exchange actually requires before you hit “send.”