Ethereum Glamsterdam upgrade breaks 21,000 gas rule for new addresses
In brief
- Glamsterdam charges 183,600 gas for new addresses, up from 21,000 for existing ones
- Ethereum Foundation warns wallet makers, trackers, and fee calculators to update software
- Testnet rollout Thursday on Platåberget, then Sepolia and Hoodi before mainnet
- Legacy software treating 21,000 gas as ceiling will reject valid ETH transfers
The Cost Difference
Sending ether to an existing account will continue to cost 21,000 gas units under Glamsterdam. But sending ether to a new address will cost 183,600 units of state gas, a new category introduced by the upgrade. The reasoning is practical: paying an account that already exists only adjusts balances Ethereum is already tracking, while paying a new address adds a permanent record the network's computers may have to store forever.
This distinction matters because creating a new account on Ethereum requires the network to create and permanently store a new account record. The upgrade charges for that storage cost explicitly.
Why Wallets Break
Software built around the old rule won't know how to price a transfer to a new address. The Ethereum Foundation warned wallet makers, blockchain trackers, and fee calculators to update software that assumes a basic ETH transfer costs 21,000 gas units.
The problem is real. Software treating the 21,000 gas figure as both floor and ceiling for ETH transfers will reject valid payments or quote fees that come up short. A user trying to send ETH to a fresh address might see an error message. A fee calculator might underbid the actual cost. Either way, the transfer fails.
Rollout Timeline
Glamsterdam switches on Thursday on Platåberget, a practice version of Ethereum that uses worthless tokens so developers can test without risk. It reaches two more test networks — Sepolia and Hoodi — after that, and then the real Ethereum. This staged rollout gives wallet teams time to patch their code before the upgrade hits mainnet.
Frequently asked questions
Why does sending ETH to a new address cost more gas?
Creating a new account on Ethereum requires the network to create and permanently store a new account record, which costs more work than adjusting balances in an existing account. Glamsterdam charges for that storage cost explicitly through state gas units.
What happens to wallets that don't update for Glamsterdam?
Wallets treating 21,000 gas as both the floor and ceiling for ETH transfers will reject valid payments to new addresses or quote fees that come up short, breaking user experience until developers patch their software.
When does Glamsterdam go live on mainnet?
Glamsterdam launches Thursday on Platåberget testnet, then rolls through Sepolia and Hoodi test networks before deploying to mainnet Ethereum, giving wallet teams time to update their code.
