In a latest move, the block limit on Ethereum has been increased to 45 million units over the weekend. It rose by nearly 25% from its previous ceiling of 36 million units.
This rise was triggered after a majority of validators signalled support to raise the limit, making it essential for network scaling. Marking the first major change on the network since February, the move enables Ethereum validators to include more transactions in a block.
Onchain data shows that the new limit was activated at the block height of 22,968,004. Although the update did not require a full network upgrade or hard fork. Instead, it works automatically as more than 50% of validators agreed to raise the limit through individual block proposals.
A validator can adjust the gas limit slightly in each block they produce. When enough validators signal higher limits, the network gradually increases.
Ethereum Co-founder Vitalik Buterin confirmed on Sunday that nearly half of all validators are voting to reach 45 million units. He described the change as part of a “pump the gas” campaign launched last year.
The goal is to support more activity on Ethereum without breaking the network’s stability. Buterin also noted that recent improvements to the Geth client have made these kinds of upgrades safer.
Raising the gas limit means more transactions fit into each block. According to Etherscan, daily Ethereum transactions have climbed from 1.1 million in April to about 1.4 million now. The increased usage has also helped Ether’s price, which briefly touched $3,800 over the weekend.
The campaign to increase Ethereum’s gas limit began in March 2024. Back then, developers raised the cap from 30 million to 36 million. The latest push now takes it to 45 million.
Ethereum’s long-term plan includes a short-term target of 60 million units per block with a possible path toward 150 million units in future through various upgrades.