eth_blockNumber on BNB Smart Chain
Everything below was measured on 2026-10-13 by calling eth_blockNumber on BNB Smart Chain through the same endpoint customers use, and is re-measured weekly.
What eth_blockNumber does
Returns the number of the most recent block the node has, as a hex string. It is the cheapest way to tell whether a node is keeping up and the usual starting point for polling a chain.
eth_blockNumber on BNB Smart Chain: what we measured
| Head block when measured | 127,401,926 (0x797ffc6) |
|---|---|
| Age of that block when read | 1 s |
| Average block time (last 1,000 blocks) | 450 ms |
| Median gap between newHeads over WebSocket | 418 ms |
| "safe" behind the head | 0 blocks |
| "finalized" behind the head | 0 blocks |
What this means for polling
BNB Smart Chain produces a block about every 450 ms, so a client that polls eth_blockNumber once a second sees the number jump by about 2 each time. If you need every block, subscribe to newHeads over WebSocket (see eth_subscribe on BNB Smart Chain) or fetch the skipped range with eth_getBlockByNumber.
"finalized" pointed at the head block itself on BNB Smart Chain: its nodes report each new block as finalized, so the tag adds no safety over "latest". If you need settlement on Ethereum or protection from deep reorgs, check BNB Smart Chain's own finality rules rather than the tag.
Compared with other chains
Measured by the gap between WebSocket headers, BNB Smart Chain has the 5th fastest block cadence of the 40 chains we measure.
Example request
curl -s https://rpc.swiftnodes.io/rpc/bsc?key=YOUR_API_KEY \
-X POST -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
-d '{"jsonrpc":"2.0","id":1,"method":"eth_blockNumber","params":[]}'import { createPublicClient, http } from "viem";
const client = createPublicClient({
transport: http("https://rpc.swiftnodes.io/rpc/bsc?key=YOUR_API_KEY"),
});
const head = await client.getBlockNumber(); // bigint
// Follow the chain: poll about once per block (450 ms on BNB Smart Chain)
const unwatch = client.watchBlockNumber({
pollingInterval: 450,
onBlockNumber: (n) => console.log("new head", n),
});Other methods on BNB Smart Chain
- eth_chainIdSupported
- eth_getBalanceSupported
- eth_getBlockByNumberSupported
- eth_getTransactionByHashSupported
- eth_getTransactionReceiptSupported
- eth_callSupported
- eth_estimateGasSupported
- eth_gasPriceSupported
- eth_maxPriorityFeePerGasSupported
- eth_sendRawTransactionSupported
- eth_getTransactionCountSupported
- eth_getCodeSupported
- eth_subscribeSupported
- eth_getLogsSupported
- eth_getBlockReceiptsSupported
- eth_feeHistorySupported
- eth_getProofSupported
- eth_createAccessListSupported
- debug_traceCallSupported
- trace_blockSupported
- trace_transactionNot available
eth_blockNumber on other chains
- Ethereum
- Base
- Arbitrum
- Optimism
- Polygon
- Avalanche
- Sonic
- Linea
- Scroll
- zkSync Era
- Blast
- Mantle
- Gnosis
- Celo
- Berachain
- Monad
- Unichain
- Kaia
- PulseChain
- World Chain
- Ronin
- Abstract
- ApeChain
- MegaETH
- Fantom
- Lisk
- Hemi
- X Layer
- BOB
- Plasma
- Fraxtal
- Zora
- Story
- Soneium
- Sei
- Hyperliquid
- Taiko
- Morph
- Ink
- Katana
- Ethereum Classic
- opBNB
- Mode
- Flare
- Core
- Chiliz
- Telos EVM
- Tempo
- Cronos
- Manta Pacific
- Shibarium
- Boba Network
- Arbitrum Nova
- Immutable zkEVM
Frequently asked questions
Does BNB Smart Chain support eth_blockNumber?
Yes. eth_blockNumber answered on the SwiftNodes BNB Smart Chain endpoint when our weekly probe called it through the customer path (2026-10-13).
How fast are blocks on BNB Smart Chain?
About 450 ms per block, averaged over recent blocks (measured 2026-10-13).
How often should I poll eth_blockNumber on BNB Smart Chain?
Polling cannot keep up with 450 ms blocks; subscribe to newHeads over WebSocket instead.
BNB Smart Chain endpoints, live block height and WebSocket status are on the BNB Smart Chain RPC page.
One key covers every chain we serve, and SwiftNodes has a free tier.