What is the difference between kH/s, MH/s, GH/s and TH/s?

GlobalPublished 6 October 2026 · Written by BuyMeWhiskey Editorial Team · How we check facts

kH/s, MH/s, GH/s and TH/s all measure hashes per second. Each step is 1,000 times larger: 1 MH/s equals 1,000 kH/s, 1 GH/s equals 1,000 MH/s, and 1 TH/s equals 1,000 GH/s.

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Convert every miner specification into the same unit before comparing hardware, pool performance or expected mining output.

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Hash rate is a speed measurement

Hash rate describes how many hash calculations hardware can attempt in one second. Bitcoin mining uses repeated hashing of block-header data, so a faster device can test more candidate values in the same amount of time. The unit does not describe how many bitcoins the machine owns or earns; it describes computational throughput.

The prefixes are decimal rather than binary. “k” means 1,000, “M” means 1,000,000, “G” means 1,000,000,000 and “T” means 1,000,000,000,000. That is why the same piece of hardware can be described as 1,500 GH/s or 1.5 TH/s without any change in performance.

How the unit ladder works

Moving one prefix to the next divides the number by 1,000, provided you are moving from the smaller unit to the larger one. Going the other way multiplies by 1,000. The easiest way to avoid mistakes is to write the unit beside the number instead of silently changing the scale in a spreadsheet.

1 MH/s = 1,000 kH/s
1 GH/s = 1,000 MH/s
1 TH/s = 1,000 GH/s
1 PH/s = 1,000 TH/s

This ladder is useful because mining discussions mix units constantly. A statement such as “the miner does 5,000 GH/s” sounds different from “the miner does 5 TH/s”, even though they describe the same hash rate.

Why unit mistakes distort mining comparisons

Suppose one specification lists a machine at 900 GH/s and another lists 1 TH/s. Reading the printed numbers without converting the units can make the first machine look almost as powerful as the second. In fact, 1 TH/s is 1,000 GH/s. The difference is small only after the correct conversion, not before it.

Hash rate alone also does not settle whether a miner is economically attractive. Electricity efficiency, pool fees, uptime, network conditions and the market value of mined coins affect the result. Two machines with similar hash rates can therefore have very different running costs if one consumes substantially more power.

Your miner versus the Bitcoin network

A single miner’s hash rate should be understood relative to network hash rate. Bitcoin Core exposes an estimate of network hashes per second through the getnetworkhashps RPC. That number is an estimate based on recent blocks, so it is not a live meter attached to every miner on earth. Changes in network participation can alter the probability of finding a block even when your own hardware has not changed.

This is why older forum posts that quote a fixed “chance per day” can become misleading. Mining difficulty and network participation move over time, so the same hardware can have a different expected share of block rewards months later.

Why mining pools show different numbers

A mining pool can report a worker’s current, average or estimated hash rate, and those labels are not interchangeable. Shares submitted by a worker are evidence that the miner is contributing work, but the pool may smooth those observations over a time window. A short-lived dip can therefore appear in the dashboard differently from a long-run benchmark.

When comparing pool statistics, check the measurement period and whether the value is “reported”, “effective”, “current” or “average”. The same miner may display different figures in a manufacturer benchmark, local software dashboard and pool interface without any one of them necessarily being wrong.

A reliable way to compare specifications

Pick one unit, convert everything into it, then compare like-for-like figures. For home calculations, GH/s or TH/s is usually easier to read than raw hashes per second. After the conversion, add power draw and electricity price if you are testing profitability, because a larger hash rate can arrive with a much larger electricity bill.

Keep the conversion separate from the revenue model. First establish the hardware throughput; only then use network difficulty, pool payout assumptions and other inputs to estimate expected earnings. That separation makes it much easier to spot whether an error came from the unit conversion or from the profitability assumptions.

Worked example

Illustrative conversion: a machine is advertised at 2.5 TH/s. To compare it with a pool dashboard reporting GH/s, convert the whole value into GH/s.

2.5 TH/s × 1,000 = 2,500 GH/s
2,500 GH/s × 1,000 = 2,500,000 MH/s
2,500,000 MH/s × 1,000 = 2,500,000,000 kH/s

The hardware did not become faster at each step; only the reporting unit changed. If a second machine is listed at 2,250 GH/s, the first machine is higher by 2,500 − 2,250 = 250 GH/s. Only after making that conversion can you make a fair comparison.

The unit direction matters: moving from TH/s to GH/s multiplies the number, while moving from GH/s to TH/s divides it. Keeping that direction visible prevents a spreadsheet from accidentally making a machine appear 1,000 times faster or slower than it really is.

How many GH/s are in 1 TH/s?#

There are 1,000 GH/s in 1 TH/s because the “T” prefix is 1,000 times the “G” prefix. So a miner rated at 1 TH/s can be written as 1,000 GH/s. The same decimal pattern continues between kH/s, MH/s, GH/s, TH/s and PH/s.

What does MH/s mean in crypto mining?#

MH/s means megahashes per second: one million hash attempts each second. It is simply a rate unit. A Bitcoin miner can technically be described in MH/s, but modern specialised Bitcoin hardware is normally quoted in GH/s or TH/s because its throughput is far higher.

Is TH/s better than GH/s?#

Neither unit is inherently better. TH/s is simply a larger way of expressing the same type of measurement. If a machine produces 1,000 GH/s, it is exactly 1 TH/s. Use the unit that makes the number easiest to compare with the other hardware or network statistic you are reading.

Why do mining calculators ask for hash rate?#

Hash rate is one input into the probability of finding proof of work. A calculator also needs network conditions and economic assumptions because a miner’s output depends on how much computational work the whole network is doing, the current difficulty, pool arrangements and the value of the reward.

How do I convert MH/s to GH/s?#

Divide the MH/s figure by 1,000 to get GH/s. For example, 5,000 MH/s becomes 5 GH/s. Going in the other direction requires multiplication by 1,000. Writing the conversion as an explicit equation prevents the common mistake of moving the decimal in the wrong direction.

Does a higher hash rate guarantee more Bitcoin?#

No. Higher hash rate gives a miner more computational work, but it does not guarantee a particular amount of Bitcoin. Your result depends on network conditions and whether you mine alone or through a pool. Electricity costs and downtime can also determine whether the activity makes financial sense.

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Sources

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