Why every chain has its own address format

Each blockchain was built independently, by different teams, with different design goals. Bitcoin was created in 2009, Ethereum in 2015, Solana in 2020. Each made its own choices about cryptographic encoding, address length, checksum design, and human-readability. The result: addresses that look nothing like each other and aren't interchangeable.

This matters practically: sending Bitcoin to an Ethereum address, or USDC from a Solana wallet to an Ethereum USDC address, typically results in permanent loss of funds. The transaction succeeds on-chain — but the receiving chain doesn't recognize the address format and the funds are effectively gone.

⚠️ The cross-chain loss problem

Cross-chain fund loss is one of the most common and preventable crypto mistakes. Always verify that the address format matches the network you're sending on. Most modern wallets now warn you — but not all, and the warnings are sometimes ignored.

OrangeTill's QR codes specify the network and address together, which eliminates this risk for payments received through the app.

Bitcoin address formats

Bitcoin has three active address formats, each introduced at different times:

Legacy (P2PKH)
Starts with "1"
Example: 1BvBMSEYstWetqTFn5Au4m4GFg7xJaNVN2
The original Bitcoin address format from 2009. Still valid and widely supported, but higher transaction fees than newer formats. You'll still see these in the wild, especially from older wallets.
SegWit (P2SH)
Starts with "3"
Example: 3J98t1WpEZ73CNmQviecrnyiWrnqRhWNLy
Introduced in 2017. Supports Segregated Witness (SegWit) transactions, which reduce fees. The "3" prefix was also used for multi-sig addresses, which can cause some confusion.
Native SegWit (Bech32)
Starts with "bc1"
Example: bc1qxy2kgdygjrsqtzq2n0yrf2493p83kkfjhx0wlh
The current recommended format. Lowest fees, best error detection, fully lowercase. Most new wallets generate bc1 addresses by default. OrangeTill uses bc1 format for Bitcoin payment requests.

Ethereum address format

Ethereum uses a single address format: 42 characters starting with "0x," followed by 40 hexadecimal characters. Example:

0x71C7656EC7ab88b098defB751B7401B5f6d8976F

The same address works across all EVM-compatible chains — Ethereum, Polygon, Arbitrum, Base, Optimism, BNB Chain, and others all use the 0x format. This is useful (one address, many chains) but also dangerous: it means you can accidentally send tokens on the wrong EVM chain and they'll appear to arrive at a valid-looking address on a chain you didn't intend.

Checksummed vs. lowercase: Ethereum addresses can be written in all-lowercase or in "checksum" form (mixed case). The checksum encoding provides error detection — if you mistype one character, the mixed case reveals the mistake. Modern wallets always display checksummed addresses.

Solana address format

Solana uses Base58 encoding — 32–44 characters of uppercase letters, lowercase letters, and digits, with no "0", "O", "I", or "l" to avoid visual ambiguity. Example:

4Nd1mBQtrMJVYVfKf2PX9riE3KAAOx1J2oGLj8Vh8J6P

Solana addresses are clearly distinct from Bitcoin and Ethereum addresses in format — 44 characters, no "0x" prefix, mixed case. If you see a Solana address, it's unmistakable.

Quick identification guide

🔍 How to identify a chain by address format

Starts with "1": Bitcoin (Legacy)

Starts with "3": Bitcoin (SegWit) or multi-sig

Starts with "bc1": Bitcoin (Native SegWit) — most common today

Starts with "0x" + 40 hex chars: Ethereum or any EVM chain

44 Base58 chars, no prefix: Solana

Starts with "ltc1" or "L": Litecoin

When in doubt: paste the address into a blockchain explorer for that chain and see if it recognizes it.

For merchants: why this usually doesn't matter

If you're using OrangeTill, your payment QR codes embed the correct address and network together. A customer scanning your Bitcoin QR code can't accidentally pay in Ethereum — their wallet sees "this is a Bitcoin payment request" and handles it accordingly.

Address format confusion becomes relevant when you're manually copying and pasting addresses — for example, when withdrawing from an exchange to your wallet, or sending a refund to a customer's address. In those cases: double-check the format, verify the first few characters match what you expect, and use a small test transaction for large amounts.

What happens if I send Bitcoin to an Ethereum address? ▼
The transaction will be broadcast on the Bitcoin network. The Bitcoin blockchain will record the transaction as sent — but it will go to an address that has no corresponding private key on the Bitcoin network (even though the same characters might correspond to a valid Ethereum private key on a different chain). The Bitcoin is effectively lost, with no recovery possible in almost all cases.
Can I send USDC from Ethereum to a Solana USDC address? ▼
No — not directly. USDC on Ethereum and USDC on Solana are technically different tokens on different blockchains, even though they're both worth $1 and issued by Circle. To move USDC from Ethereum to Solana, you need a cross-chain bridge. Most reputable wallets will warn you if you try to send to a mismatched format. Never bypass these warnings.
Are Bitcoin addresses reusable? ▼
Technically yes — Bitcoin addresses can receive multiple payments. But privacy best practice recommends using a new address for each transaction, since all transactions to the same address are publicly linked on the blockchain. HD wallets (including most modern wallets) generate a new address automatically for each receive request while still controlling all of them with your single seed phrase. OrangeTill handles this automatically.

Let OrangeTill handle the address complexity.

The right format, the right network, every time. Your payment QR codes are generated correctly — your job is just to show them.

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