What Does an ERC20 Address Look Like?
An ERC20 address is a 42-character alphanumeric string that always begins with 0x followed by 40 hexadecimal characters (0–9, a–f). Example:
0x742d35Cc6634C0532925a3b844Bc454e4438f44e
Address Format Breakdown
The 0x prefix indicates a hexadecimal value. The remaining 40 characters form the unique wallet identifier derived from the public key using the Keccak-256 hash function. The mixed-case letters implement EIP-55 checksum encoding, which helps detect typing errors.
How ERC20 Addresses Are Generated
When you create an Ethereum wallet, a private key is generated randomly. From that private key, a public key is derived using elliptic-curve cryptography. The last 20 bytes (40 hex characters) of the Keccak-256 hash of the public key become your ERC20 wallet address, with "0x" prepended.
Checksum & Case Sensitivity
While Ethereum itself is not case-sensitive for addresses, the EIP-55 mixed-case checksum standard is widely supported by wallets and tools. You can use an address in all-lowercase safely — just never alter the characters themselves.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is an ERC20 address the same as an Ethereum address?
Yes. An ERC20 address is identical to an Ethereum (ETH) address. The same 42-character 0x address holds your ETH and all ERC20 tokens simultaneously.
How many characters is an ERC20 address?
Exactly 42 characters: "0x" plus 40 hexadecimal digits.