## Definition

**Hash rate** (also written *hashrate*) is the number of cryptographic hash operations a piece of mining hardware — or the entire network — can perform per second. It is the core measurement of mining power and directly determines how many attempts a miner can make per second at finding a valid block hash, the proof-of-work mechanism described in the [Bitcoin whitepaper](https://bitcoin.org/bitcoin.pdf). A higher hash rate means more chances of earning block rewards.

## How It Works

Hash rate is measured by counting how many SHA-256 hashing operations are completed in one second. Mining hardware is designed to perform these operations as fast as possible while consuming electricity. Different hardware types produce vastly different hash rates:

Hash rates scale by orders of magnitude:

| Unit | Hashes per Second |
|------|-------------------|
| KH/s (kilohash) | 1,000 |
| MH/s (megahash) | 1,000,000 |
| GH/s (gigahash) | 1,000,000,000 |
| TH/s (terahash) | 10¹² |
| PH/s (petahash) | 10¹⁵ |
| EH/s (exahash)  | 10¹⁸ |

A modern Bitcoin ASIC produces roughly **200–400 TH/s**, as shown by current-generation miners listed by manufacturers like [Bitmain](https://shop.bitmain.com/). The entire Bitcoin network sits in the **600+ EH/s** range, which can be tracked on explorers such as [mempool.space](https://mempool.space/graphs/mining/hashrate). When choosing hardware, miners compare hash rate against power consumption to determine efficiency — typically measured in joules per terahash (J/TH). Lower J/TH means more mining output per watt of electricity.

## Why It Matters

Hash rate has two distinct meanings depending on context:

- **For an individual miner**: It determines your share of block rewards. Higher hash rate = more chances to win.
- **For the network**: It is a proxy for security. The higher the total hash rate, the more expensive it would be to attempt a [51% attack](/glossary/51-percent-attack).

## Hash Rate vs. Difficulty

Hash rate and [mining difficulty](/glossary/mining-difficulty) move together. As more miners join the network and total hash rate climbs, the protocol raises difficulty to keep block times near 10 minutes.

## Related Terms

- [What is Bitcoin Mining?](/glossary/what-is-bitcoin-mining)
- [Proof of Work](/glossary/proof-of-work)
- [Mining Difficulty](/glossary/mining-difficulty)