Mean Block Interval
- 1M1M
- 3M3M
- 6M6M
- 1Y1Y
- ALLALL
- LinearLinear
- LogLog
About this metric
What it measures
Mean Block Interval is the arithmetic average of the elapsed times between successive Bitcoin blocks in each daily sample, measured in seconds. Divide by 60 to read minutes; the protocol’s long-run average target is 600 seconds.
How to read it
Persistently above 600 seconds means blocks are arriving slowly relative to target, while below 600 means they are arriving faster. On June 27, 2021, the daily mean reached about 1,398 seconds, or 23.3 minutes, illustrating a substantial slowdown.
A few very long gaps can lift the mean sharply, so compare it with the median and several surrounding days. Mining randomness, miner-supplied block timestamps and hash-rate shifts before difficulty retargets can all affect the reading; it is not the confirmation time promised for a particular transaction.
- Frequency
- Daily (UTC 00:00)
- Asset
- BTC
- Category
- Blocks & Outputs
- Type
- Single value
- Data since
- 2009-01-03
- Latest data
- 2026-10-27
- Data points
- 6,501
FAQ
Is the Bitcoin average block time shown in minutes or seconds?
The values in this series are seconds: 600 means 10 minutes, not 600 minutes. The full-history median of the daily averages is about 579 seconds.
Why can average block time exceed 10 minutes?
Ten minutes is a long-run target, not a deadline. Random discovery and a decline in hash power before the next 2,016-block difficulty adjustment can make blocks arrive more slowly.
Does average block time tell me when my transaction will confirm?
No. It summarizes past block intervals; a transaction’s wait also depends on its fee rate, competing transactions and miners’ inclusion choices. A longer daily mean does not translate into a fixed waiting time.
