Overview
Table of Contents
OP_RETURN Snapshot
OP_RETURN Outputs Created
238,945,274
Payload (all)
5.04 GB
Height
958,576
Last Data Update
2026-07-18 16:22:34 UTC
First observed OP_RETURN
2013-03-29 14:18:58 UTC @
228,596
Last observed OP_RETURN
2026-07-18 16:22:28 UTC @
958,576
First observed payload >= 224 B
2013-11-05 11:23:00 UTC @
268,060
Last observed payload >= 224 B
2026-07-18 15:49:54 UTC @
958,573
Scanned blocks
958,577
Scanned Txs
1,399,461,590
(*) Tx = transaction in that block with the highest OP_RETURN payload. If tied, first transaction in block order is used.
Size Metrics
OP_RETURN payload (all)
5.04 GB
Payload in txs with >= 224 B
7.02 MB (7,021,220 B)
Payload share from txs with >= 224 B
OP_RETURN data (script)
5.72 GB
OP_RETURN output serialized
7.87 GB
Payload push overhead
686.03 MB
Definition for >=224 B metrics: a Tx qualifies if it has at least one OP_RETURN output payload >= 224 bytes.
Output Metrics
OP_RETURN outputs created
238,945,274
Outputs with payload >= 224 B
3,450
Output share >= 224 B
Txs with OP_RETURN
238,312,566
Total Tx outputs
3,832,973,626
Non-OP_RETURN outputs
3,594,028,352
OP_RETURN tx share
Time Series
OP_RETURN Data by Year
Payload bytes
Push overhead bytes
Y-axis: GB per year
By Year
CSV| Year | OP_RETURN Outputs | TXs with OP_RETURN | Payload | Script | Avg payload/output | Share | Max Payload | Blocks |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 57,505,127 | 57,415,798 | 959.41 MB | 1.13 GB | 16.7 B | 19.053 % | 184 KB | 28,236 |
| 2025 | 44,342,296 | 44,190,163 | 751.00 MB | 881.89 MB | 16.9 B | 14.914 % | 985 KB | 53,082 |
| 2024 | 83,164,438 | 83,087,898 | 563.37 MB | 811.52 MB | 6.8 B | 11.188 % | 80 KB | 53,473 |
| 2023 | 1,927,691 | 1,879,343 | 69.96 MB | 75.61 MB | 36.3 B | 1.389 % | 80 B | 53,999 |
| 2022 | 1,943,342 | 1,873,832 | 127.00 MB | 132.11 MB | 65.3 B | 2.522 % | 80 B | 53,188 |
| 2021 | 2,949,557 | 2,868,415 | 162.08 MB | 169.49 MB | 54.9 B | 3.219 % | 80 B | 52,686 |
| 2020 | 7,915,402 | 7,845,311 | 442.95 MB | 463.42 MB | 56.0 B | 8.797 % | 86 B | 53,222 |
| 2019 | 28,398,777 | 28,360,598 | 1.55 GB | 1.63 GB | 54.7 B | 30.858 % | 80 B | 54,232 |
| 2018 | 6,795,367 | 6,788,399 | 302.89 MB | 319.09 MB | 44.6 B | 6.015 % | 80 B | 54,498 |
| 2017 | 2,254,393 | 2,253,947 | 63.03 MB | 67.55 MB | 28.0 B | 1.252 % | 80 B | 55,928 |
| 2016 | 1,080,837 | 1,080,819 | 31.04 MB | 33.21 MB | 28.7 B | 0.616 % | 80 B | 54,851 |
| 2015 | 654,756 | 654,754 | 8.51 MB | 9.53 MB | 13.0 B | 0.169 % | 80 B | 54,321 |
| 2014 | 12,851 | 12,849 | 358.01 KB | 383.79 KB | 27.9 B | 0.007 % | 186 B | 58,865 |
| 2013 | 440 | 440 | 18.48 KB | 19.39 KB | 42.0 B | 0.000 % | 983 B | 63,433 |
| 2012 | 0 | 0 | 0.00 B | 0.00 B | 0.0 B | 0.000 % | 0 B | 54,526 |
| 2011 | 0 | 0 | 0.00 B | 0.00 B | 0.0 B | 0.000 % | 0 B | 59,627 |
| 2010 | 0 | 0 | 0.00 B | 0.00 B | 0.0 B | 0.000 % | 0 B | 67,920 |
| 2009 | 0 | 0 | 0.00 B | 0.00 B | 0.0 B | 0.000 % | 0 B | 32,490 |
By Subsidy Epoch
CSV| Epoch | OP_RETURN Outputs | TXs with OP_RETURN | Payload | Script | Avg payload/output | Share | Max Payload | Blocks |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Epoch 1 | 0 | 0 | 0.00 B | 0.00 B | 0.0 B | 0.000 % | 0 B | 210,000 |
| Epoch 2 | 1,170,602 | 1,170,598 | 22.32 MB | 24.38 MB | 19.1 B | 0.443 % | 983 B | 210,000 |
| Epoch 3 | 42,726,155 | 42,654,440 | 2.22 GB | 2.33 GB | 51.9 B | 44.048 % | 80 B | 210,000 |
| Epoch 4 | 11,311,356 | 11,041,938 | 556.29 MB | 586.09 MB | 49.2 B | 11.047 % | 8 KB | 210,000 |
| Epoch 5 | 183,737,161 | 183,445,590 | 2.24 GB | 2.79 GB | 12.2 B | 44.461 % | 985 KB | 118,577 |
OP_RETURN Outputs by Year
OP_RETURN outputs
Y-axis: count per year
Average OP_RETURN Output Size (Payload Bytes) by Year
Y-axis: bytes per output (year)
Distribution
Bucket Distribution (log scale)
Bar length uses log10(count + 1) so long-tail buckets remain visible.
Payload Buckets
CSV| Bucket | Count | Share | First Seen (UTC) | First Height |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0 | 512,932 | 0.2147 % | 2013-03-29 14:18:58 UTC | 228,596 |
| 1-40 | 204,454,668 | 85.5655 % | 2013-03-29 14:18:58 UTC | 228,596 |
| 41-75 | 5,817,175 | 2.4345 % | 2013-10-29 22:11:04 UTC | 266,766 |
| 76-80 | 28,133,190 | 11.7739 % | 2013-11-05 11:23:00 UTC | 268,060 |
| 81-223 | 23,859 | 0.0100 % | 2013-07-03 15:48:33 UTC | 244,591 |
| 224-255 | 1,502 | 0.0006 % | 2024-02-09 09:29:28 UTC | 829,644 |
| 256-1000 | 1,401 | 0.0006 % | 2013-11-05 11:23:00 UTC | 268,060 |
| 1001-10000 | 478 | 0.0002 % | 2024-01-26 21:44:26 UTC | 827,529 |
| 10001-20000 | 24 | 0.0000 % | 2024-10-30 16:52:39 UTC | 868,113 |
| 20001-40000 | 17 | 0.0000 % | 2024-11-18 03:26:28 UTC | 870,805 |
| 40001-60000 | 4 | 0.0000 % | 2024-11-18 00:31:51 UTC | 870,787 |
| 60001-80000 | 4 | 0.0000 % | 2024-11-17 06:59:15 UTC | 870,683 |
| 80001-100000 | 17 | 0.0000 % | 2025-05-10 09:14:50 UTC | 896,088 |
| 100001-200000 | 1 | 0.0000 % | 2026-05-18 18:30:04 UTC | 949,973 |
| 200001-300000 | 0 | 0.0000 % | – | – |
| 300001-400000 | 0 | 0.0000 % | – | – |
| 400001-500000 | 0 | 0.0000 % | – | – |
| 500001-600000 | 0 | 0.0000 % | – | – |
| 600001-700000 | 0 | 0.0000 % | – | – |
| 700001-800000 | 0 | 0.0000 % | – | – |
| 800001-900000 | 0 | 0.0000 % | – | – |
| 900001-1000000 | 2 | 0.0000 % | 2025-05-14 16:36:24 UTC | 896,696 |
| >1000000 | 0 | 0.0000 % | – | – |
Deep Dive
Record Milestones Timeline
Record max payload
Record max OP_RETURN outputs per tx
Milestones
CSV| Height | Time (UTC) | Type | Label | Transaction | Value |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 870,787 | 2024-11-18 00:31:51 UTC | First in bucket 40001-60000 | First OP_RETURN payload in bucket 40001-60000 | 2b72...a8a9 | – |
| 870,683 | 2024-11-17 06:59:15 UTC | Record max payload | New record: max OP_RETURN payload bytes | fd3c...53bc | 79,870 |
| 870,683 | 2024-11-17 06:59:15 UTC | First in bucket 60001-80000 | First OP_RETURN payload in bucket 60001-80000 | fd3c...53bc | – |
| 868,113 | 2024-10-30 16:52:39 UTC | Record max payload | New record: max OP_RETURN payload bytes | 2e33...8b93 | 18,121 |
| 868,113 | 2024-10-30 16:52:39 UTC | First in bucket 10001-20000 | First OP_RETURN payload in bucket 10001-20000 | 2e33...8b93 | – |
| 829,644 | 2024-02-09 09:29:28 UTC | First in bucket 224-255 | First OP_RETURN payload in bucket 224-255 | 6e24...71ce | – |
| 827,668 | 2024-01-27 17:41:31 UTC | Record max payload | New record: max OP_RETURN payload bytes | 4719...5754 | 7,588 |
| 827,541 | 2024-01-26 23:15:07 UTC | Record max payload | New record: max OP_RETURN payload bytes | 33a2...e701 | 7,304 |
| 827,529 | 2024-01-26 21:44:26 UTC | Record max payload | New record: max OP_RETURN payload bytes | 8c9f...921b | 3,025 |
| 827,529 | 2024-01-26 21:44:26 UTC | First in bucket 1001-10000 | First OP_RETURN payload in bucket 1001-10000 | 8c9f...921b | – |
Large Payload
Large Payload Activity by Month
TX count (payload >= 224 bytes)
Max payload in month (log scale)
Bars show monthly transaction count. Line shows monthly maximum payload size.
Payload Size Over Time (log scale)
Each point is one transaction with OP_RETURN payload >= 224 bytes.
Payload Size Distribution
Histogram buckets for transactions with OP_RETURN payload >= 224 bytes.
Top 20 Largest Payload Transactions with payload >= 224 bytes
Top transactions by maximum OP_RETURN payload bytes in tx.
Transactions with OP_RETURN payload >= 224 bytes
CSV| Height | Time (UTC) | Type | Label | Transaction | Value |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 926,540 | 2025-12-05 16:12:19 UTC | Large payload transaction | Seen tx with OP_RETURN payload of 682 bytes | e359...b062 | 682 |
| 926,540 | 2025-12-05 16:12:19 UTC | Large payload transaction | Seen tx with OP_RETURN payload of 662 bytes | edf0...124e | 662 |
| 926,171 | 2025-12-02 18:26:07 UTC | Large payload transaction | Seen tx with OP_RETURN payload of 6,951 bytes | 0563...5895 | 6,951 |
| 926,140 | 2025-12-02 13:48:11 UTC | Large payload transaction | Seen tx with OP_RETURN payload of 82,573 bytes | 8546...3c87 | 82,573 |
| 926,140 | 2025-12-02 13:48:11 UTC | Large payload transaction | Seen tx with OP_RETURN payload of 82,560 bytes | 87ab...7dbd | 82,560 |
| 926,140 | 2025-12-02 13:48:11 UTC | Large payload transaction | Seen tx with OP_RETURN payload of 82,560 bytes | ac5b...a655 | 82,560 |
| 926,140 | 2025-12-02 13:48:11 UTC | Large payload transaction | Seen tx with OP_RETURN payload of 82,558 bytes | baca...d5f8 | 82,558 |
| 926,139 | 2025-12-02 13:42:01 UTC | Large payload transaction | Seen tx with OP_RETURN payload of 82,547 bytes | 00b8...5c04 | 82,547 |
| 926,139 | 2025-12-02 13:42:01 UTC | Large payload transaction | Seen tx with OP_RETURN payload of 82,549 bytes | 5511...f9b9 | 82,549 |
| 926,139 | 2025-12-02 13:42:01 UTC | Large payload transaction | Seen tx with OP_RETURN payload of 82,546 bytes | b8b0...d571 | 82,546 |