Ethereum Classic (ETC) Maximum Supply
Ethereum Classic (ETC) has a clearly defined supply cap, with a maximum supply of 210,700,000 ETC. This hard cap was established in December 2017 through the ECIP-1017 proposal, aimed at providing greater certainty and scarcity to its monetary policy, similar to Bitcoin’s fixed supply model.
Unlike Ethereum (ETH), which has no fixed maximum supply, Ethereum’s fixed cap is a key component of its “sound money” attributes, leading some to view it as “digital gold.”
Ethereum Classic (ETC) Total Supply
The total supply of Ethereum Classic refers to the total number of ETC tokens that have been minted (mined) and are in circulation. Since ETC has a hard-capped maximum supply, its total supply gradually increases as new blocks are mined until it reaches the maximum supply.Currently, ETC’s total supply generally aligns with its maximum supply, which is 210,700,000 ETC. This means that the total number of ETC tokens that can ever exist is finite.
Ethereum Classic (ETC) Circulating Supply
Circulating supply refers to the number of ETC tokens currently available for public use and trading. This figure fluctuates over time, as it is influenced by factors such as new token mining output, lost tokens, and tokens locked in specific contracts.
As of June 2026, Ethereum Classic’s circulating supply ranges roughly between 157 million and 160 million ETC. Specific figures may vary slightly depending on the statistical methods and real-time data availability of different data providers. For example:
- CoinMarketCap shows approximately 157.24 million ETC.
- CoinGecko shows approximately 160 million ETC.
- Coinbase shows approximately 157.24 million ETC.
Circulating supply is a key metric for calculating a cryptocurrency’s market capitalization (market cap = price × circulating supply).
ETC’s Issuance Mechanism and Supply Changes
Ethereum Classic uses a Proof-of-Work (PoW) consensus mechanism to generate new ETC tokens through mining. ETC’s block rewards are halved periodically in accordance with the “5M20” policy, meaning that for every 5 million blocks mined, the block reward is reduced by 20%. The last block reward halving occurred around June 2024, when the block reward decreased from 2.56 ETC to 2.048 ETC. This halving mechanism further reinforces ETC’s scarcity.
It is worth noting that ETC’s issuance mechanism also includes rewards for “Uncle Blocks,” which generate new tokens; however, their impact on the total supply is capped at a hard limit of 210.7 million.
Summary
Ethereum Classic (ETC) has a clearly defined maximum supply of 210.7 million. Its total supply is currently approaching this cap. The circulating supply—the number of tokens actually tradable on the market—stands at approximately 157 million to 160 million as of June 2026. This fixed and decreasing issuance mechanism is a key feature of Ethereum Classic as “digital gold” and a store of value.
