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Which tokens can you transfer on Ethereum mainnet?

You can transfer ether and tokens built on ERC-20, ERC-721, or ERC-1155 on Ethereum mainnet. Your wallet must hold ETH to pay gas for the transfer.

Vahe HakobyanEditor-in-chief Updated Oct 6, 20263 min readFact-checked

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Which tokens can Ethereum mainnet transfer?How do you know it is mainnet?What must your wallet support?What can block a token transfer?How is mainnet different from other networks?FAQ

Key takeaways

Token transfers need ETH in the same wallet for gas.
Check the contract address to confirm Ethereum mainnet.
Issuers can pause, blacklist, tax, or lock transfers.

Short answer

You can transfer ether (ETH) and tokens on Ethereum mainnet that use ERC-20, ERC-721, or ERC-1155 contracts. The contract must allow the transfer.

Ethereum runs open-source programs that can create tokens. Mainnet is the original network, and a transfer calls the token's contract.

Which tokens can Ethereum mainnet transfer?

Ethereum mainnet at a glance

Launched: July 30, 2015
Native coin: Ether (ETH)
Used for: Stablecoins, NFTs and governance tokens
Fees: Elevated transaction fees

Ethereum mainnet transfers its native coin, ether (ETH), and tokens made by contracts. The main standards are ERC-20, ERC-721, and ERC-1155.

Token types on Ethereum mainnet
Token type	Standard	What it covers
Ether	Native coin	The network's own currency
Fungible token	ERC-20	Interchangeable tokens
NFT	ERC-721	One unique token per item

How do you know it is mainnet?

A token can share a name with a token on another network. The contract address is the reliable identifier, and on Ethereum mainnet it starts with 0x.

What must your wallet support?

Your wallet or exchange must support the token's contract on Ethereum mainnet. The wallet also needs ETH to pay gas for the transfer.

Before you send a token

The wallet or exchange lists the token's mainnet contract.
The wallet holds enough ETH for gas.
The recipient address is correct for Ethereum mainnet.

What can block a token transfer?

Token issuers can write rules into the contract that stop or change transfers. Some tokens use blacklists, taxes, pauses, or lockups.

Blacklists that block named addresses.
Transfer taxes that reduce the amount received.
Pause functions or lockups that stop transfers.

How is mainnet different from other networks?

Ethereum mainnet is the original network for ETH and mainnet tokens. A mainnet token is not directly transferable on another network by an ordinary send.

Ethereum price todayLive price, charts and market data live in our Coins section.

Frequently asked questions

Look up the token on a public Ethereum block explorer or the issuer's website. Compare the 0x contract address with the one your wallet shows.

The token usually will not arrive because the receiving chain has no record of the mainnet contract. The transfer may fail, or the funds may be stuck.

No. If the token contract has a pause function and the issuer used it, transfers revert. Check the contract or ask the issuer.

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Written byVahe HakobyanVahe Hakobyan is the editor-in-chief of World-Crypt. He covers bitcoin, markets and regulation, and leads the newsroom that fact-checks every story before it goes live.

Which tokens can Ethereum mainnet transfer?

How do you know it is mainnet?

What must your wallet support?

What can block a token transfer?

How is mainnet different from other networks?

Frequently asked questions

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