Definition
Gas is Ethereum's unit for measuring execution work. For an execution transaction, its gas fee is the gas actually used multiplied by the effective price per unit. It is not normally a percentage of the amount sent. Ethereum's gas documentation separates the work from its price.
Gas used, gas limit and fee price
| Field | Meaning | What it does not mean |
|---|---|---|
| Gas used | Work charged for the transaction's execution | The amount of ETH transferred |
| Gas limit | The transaction's execution-work ceiling | A bid for faster inclusion |
| Effective gas price | The price charged per unit | A promise that the transaction will succeed |
| Maximum fee per gas | A price cap in an EIP-1559 transaction | The price necessarily charged |
In EIP-1559, the effective price combines the applicable base fee and priority fee within the transaction's caps. A cap below the block's base fee cannot meet that block's fee requirement. Other validity and selection conditions still matter.
A useful distinction when a transaction is pending
Increasing the gas limit alone does not make the offered price more competitive. An included execution that fails can still incur gas charges; that is different from a transaction rejected before inclusion. A wallet's maximum estimate and the eventual charged fee are not interchangeable.
For the wider fee model, read network fees explained. If the problem is a stuck payment, use the pending Ethereum transaction diagnosis before submitting another transaction. An exchange's withdrawal charge is a separate provider fee, not necessarily this execution fee.
Sources
Sources checked 5 October 2026. This definition covers Ethereum execution fees, not every network's fee model or every additional data charge.
- Ethereum.org: Gas and fees — units, execution costs, limits and failure boundaries.
- EIP-1559 — fee caps and effective price under this transaction model.
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