Try it Live
Run FeeMarket examples in the interactive playground
Conceptual Guide - For API reference and method documentation, see FeeMarket API.
What is EIP-1559?
EIP-1559 replaced the legacy gas price auction with a predictable base fee that adjusts based on network demand:- Base Fee: Minimum fee per gas, adjusted each block based on utilization
- Priority Fee: Optional tip to validators for faster inclusion
- Fee Burn: Base fee is burned (destroyed), reducing ETH supply
Why EIP-1559 Exists
Before EIP-1559 (Legacy):- Users bid gas prices in blind auction
- Unpredictable fees (overpay or wait forever)
- Validators keep all fees
- Base fee calculated algorithmically
- Predictable costs:
base_fee + priority_fee - Base fee burned (deflationary pressure)
- Only tips go to validators
Base Fee Mechanics
The base fee targets 50% block utilization and adjusts ±12.5% per block:Calculating Next Base Fee
Base Fee Adjustment Formula
/8n factor gives 12.5% max adjustment per block.
Priority Fee (Tip)
Priority fee (tip) incentivizes validators to include your transaction:How Effective Gas Price is Calculated
maxFeePerGas vs maxPriorityFeePerGas
Understanding the two fee parameters:Setting Fees for Different Urgency Levels
Complete Example: Estimating Transaction Cost
Calculate total cost for a token transfer:Handling Fee Spikes
Protect against sudden base fee increases:EIP-4844 Blob Gas
EIP-4844 introduced a separate fee market for blob data (layer 2 data availability):Blob Fee Mechanics
Unlike EIP-1559’s ±12.5% adjustment, blob fees use exponential pricing:Complete Blob Transaction Example
Visual Fee Calculation
EIP-1559 Transaction Fee Breakdown
Base Fee Adjustment Visualization
Blob Gas Market Visualization
Resources
- EIP-1559 - Fee market change specification
- EIP-4844 - Shard blob transactions specification
- ethereum.org fee guide - Gas and fees overview
- Ethereum Yellow Paper - Formal protocol specification
Next Steps
- Overview - Type definitions and API reference
- BaseFee - Construct next base fee
- calculateTxFee - Estimate transaction cost
- BlobBaseFee - Construct blob fees
- projectBaseFees - Project future fees

