How much time is needed to mine 1 Bitcoin? The complete guide

The basics: What is Bitcoin mining?

Bitcoin mining is not magic: it is the process of validating transactions and creating new BTC. Imagine that each transaction enters a block, and when it fills up, it needs to be verified before being added to the blockchain. Miners are the “verifiers” who solve complex mathematical equations to do this.

The numbers are clear: in July 2024, there were 19.5 million BTC in circulation. The cap is set at 21 million (, leaving 1.5M to be released ), and at this rate, it won't be reached until 2140.

The halving changed everything

Here comes the important part: before April 2024, miners earned 6.25 BTC per block. After the halving, it dropped to 3.125 BTC. This means that profitability was cut in half, and the difficulty to compete continues to increase every 2,016 blocks.

How much time really?

The network is designed to confirm a block every 10 minutes. That means that, on average, 3.125 BTC are released every 10 minutes. If you want to calculate how long it takes to mine just 1 BTC: approximately 3.2 minutes if you have the necessary hash power.

But here is the problem: it is almost impossible to mine alone. Competing against the entire global network with a home setup is like playing the lottery and hoping to win.

Hardware: the battle of the machines

Not all teams are the same:

• CPU: The basics, but super slow (like searching manually in a stadium)
• GPU: Better, but still insufficient for BTC
• ASIC: The true technology, designed exclusively for Bitcoin mining

A modern ASIC outperforms a GPU by 1,000x. It's the difference between an advanced drone and a flashlight.

The solution: Mining pools

Most miners join pools, where they combine computational power. There are three main models:

1. Proportional: Rewards based on your hashrate contribution
2. Pay-Per-Last-N-Shares: Payments per shift (miners work in shifts)
3. Pay-Per-Share: Fixed daily income, but you lose access to transaction fees.

The challenge of difficulty

The more miners enter the network, the harder everything becomes. It is a self-regulating system: more competition = greater difficulty = lower individual profitability. Fewer miners = lower difficulty = better opportunities.

Is it worth mining today?

The reality: mining Bitcoin is practically impossible without serious investment. A state-of-the-art ASIC costs thousands of dollars, consumes a lot of electricity, and the competition is fierce. Mining pools and cloud services are more accessible, but they require patience and constant profitability calculations.

In summary: 10 minutes per block, 3.125 BTC released, and you deciding whether to enter the game or not.