Analysis

Litecoin hashrate: correcting the 3.5 PH/s record claim

Why a hashrate record needs a consistent source and averaging window, and how to interpret mining estimates.

Litecoin hashrate: correcting the 3.5 PH/s record claim

The earlier headline called 3.5 PH/s a new all-time high. That comparison was not adequately supported and has been withdrawn. This correction preserves the original publication date.

Why the record claim was wrong

The Litecoin Foundation's 2025 review reports a daily-average peak of 3.827 PH/s on 6 December 2025, attributed to CoinWarz. A later 3.5 PH/s observation cannot establish a higher record on that same basis.

Compare the same measurement

Required fieldWhy it matters
Provider and seriesDifferent estimators can report different values.
Observation timeA present value is not the value at publication.
Averaging windowAn instantaneous estimate, daily mean and weekly mean are not interchangeable.
Units1 PH/s equals 1,000 TH/s or 1,000,000 GH/s.
Historical comparisonA record needs the preceding history from the same series.

Hashrate and security

Hashrate is estimated from observed proof-of-work, difficulty and block timing; it is not a direct inventory of every machine. A short run of fast blocks can lift an estimate without demonstrating an equivalent permanent increase in equipment.

Higher hashrate alone does not establish a precise dollar cost for an attack. Available hardware, rental-market depth, miner behavior, duration and network conditions also matter. The earlier attack-cost figures and claims that merchants can automatically lower confirmation requirements have been removed.

Profitability needs dated inputs

ASIC profitability depends on purchase cost, wall-power consumption, electricity price, pool fees, uptime, difficulty, exchange rates and merged-mining proceeds. A device specification is not a verified profit forecast. The earlier equipment and payback tables lacked enough source detail to reproduce their results and were withdrawn.

Use the mining dashboard and mining ROI calculator to examine explicit assumptions. Save the observation time and input values with any result you intend to compare later.

Method and data

No separate completed review is recorded for this article. The byline identifies its author or responsible editor; it does not imply independent verification.

Review target: 2026-09-18. The scheduled review is overdue and remains uncompleted.

Sources saved with the review:

See the article body for source links and any downloadable materials. Editorial method · Corrections · Report an issue

Jarosław Wasiński
Editor-in-chief · Financial markets and Litecoin education

Editor-in-chief of Litecoin.watch and founder of MyBank.pl. His published work covers foreign exchange, financial education and Litecoin. On Litecoin.watch, his remit includes editorial direction, source transparency and the practical guides and research published by the site.

Background, selected work and editorial responsibility →

Founder of MyBank.plFinancial education and market analysisNamed editorial responsibility