--- title: Swap USDC ERC-20 to BTC without an account | Sablebolt description: Swap USDC ERC-20 for BTC without an account: live floating rate, network fee shown before you send, about 4–10 minutes from deposit to payout. url: https://sablebolt.io/swap/usdc-erc20/btc --- # Swap USDC ERC-20 to BTC Swap USDC on Ethereum for Bitcoin without an account: enter the amount, paste a Bitcoin address and send USDC from any Ethereum wallet. - **Arrival:** ≈ 4–10 min - **Confirmations:** 15 on Ethereum - **Rate:** Floating - **Fee token after arrival:** BTC ## When this route is the right one You hold USDC on Ethereum — from a payment, a DeFi exit, an exchange withdrawal — and want bitcoin in a wallet you control, without opening an account and without wrapping anything. USDC is a token on Ethereum and bitcoin is a different chain; no wallet moves one into the other. The USDC is received at a one-time 0x… address, Ethereum confirms it 15 times — about 4–10 minutes — and a Bitcoin transaction is then sent to the address you gave. Bitcoin's own confirmation adds ten minutes on average before your wallet calls it final. ## USDC ERC-20 vs BTC — side by side | | USDC on Ethereum ERC-20 | BTC on Bitcoin | |---|---|---| | Address format | 0x… (42 characters) | 1…, 3…, bc1… | | Fee token | ETH | BTC | | Confirmations we wait for | 15 | 2 | | Explorer | etherscan.io | blockchain.com | ## What happens, in order 1. Enter the USDC amount and your Bitcoin address Paste a receiving address from your Bitcoin wallet — 1…, 3…, bc1q… or bc1p…. The estimate is in BTC. 2. Send USDC on Ethereum You get a one-time 0x… deposit address. Send USDC from any Ethereum wallet; the wallet pays gas in ETH. 3. Ethereum confirms 15 confirmations, about 4–10 minutes. The BTC amount is fixed at that point. 4. Bitcoin is paid out The status page links the payout on the Bitcoin explorer. It shows in your wallet first as unconfirmed, then with 1 confirmation after the next block. ## Before you send — checklist - The Bitcoin address is on the Bitcoin network — not a BTC token on Ethereum or BNB Smart Chain, which would start with 0x. - The USDC you send is the Ethereum-mainnet USDC. The same wallet may hold USDC on Base or Arbitrum under the same 0x… address; those balances cannot reach the deposit address. - The Ethereum wallet has ETH for gas; USDC cannot pay the fee of its own transfer. - You send the full amount in one transaction. - You saved the status link. ## The two mistakes that cost money on this route ### Sending USDC from a rollup to the mainnet deposit address A wallet switched to Base or Arbitrum will send USDC to the 0x… deposit address and report success. That transfer happened on the rollup, where nobody is watching the address. Make sure the wallet is on Ethereum mainnet before you confirm. ### A low-balance wallet that cannot pay gas Gas for a USDC transfer is paid in ETH. If the wallet holds USDC and dust ETH, the transaction either does not go out or fails on chain. Add ETH first, then start the swap, so the deposit arrives within the estimate's window. ## Other ways to make the same move | Way | What you need | Where it is slower or dearer | |---|---|---| | An exchange account | An account, an ERC-20 deposit, a purchase, a BTC withdrawal | Two waits and a withdrawal fee; a trade in the exchange's records | | A DEX into wrapped BTC | An Ethereum wallet with ETH, a DEX swap into a wrapped bitcoin token, then a custodian to unwrap | Gas on every step and a token that is not bitcoin until the last one | | This swap | Two addresses | A floating rate fixed at the 15th Ethereum confirmation | ## What is visible on-chain Etherscan shows a USDC transfer event from your address to the deposit address with the amount, the gas and the time. The Bitcoin explorer shows a payout to your address with the amount and the fee. Both are permanent and public; from the Bitcoin side nothing says the coins were bought with USDC, and from the Ethereum side nothing says where the USDC went. ## FAQ How long does it take? About 4–10 minutes until the bitcoin is sent, then one Bitcoin block — ten minutes on average — until your wallet shows 1 confirmation. Which Bitcoin address type is best? The one your wallet offers by default. bc1q… (native SegWit) gives the smallest fee when you later spend; 1… and 3… work; bc1p… (Taproot) works if your wallet supports it. Can I send USDC from an exchange? Yes, withdrawing on Ethereum (ERC-20). Not on Base, Polygon, Arbitrum or Solana, even though exchanges offer USDC on those too. Is the BTC amount fixed when I press send? No — at the 15th Ethereum confirmation. Ethereum confirms quickly, so the window is short, but the rate can move within it. What is the minimum? It is shown under the amount field and follows Ethereum gas and the Bitcoin fee market. What if the swap cannot be completed? Write to support with the swap ID from the status page. The form has no refund address: a swap that cannot be completed is handled by hand, and a return to the address you sent from is arranged under the partner's rules, less the network fee. ## Related routes About the coins on this route: [USD Coin (USDC)](https://sablebolt.io/coin/usd-coin) · [Bitcoin (BTC)](https://sablebolt.io/coin/bitcoin) - [USDC ERC-20 → USDT TRC-20](https://sablebolt.io/swap/usdc-erc20/usdt-trc20) - [USDT TRC-20 → USDC ERC-20](https://sablebolt.io/swap/usdt-trc20/usdc-erc20) - [BTC → USDC ERC-20](https://sablebolt.io/swap/btc/usdc-erc20) - [USDC Solana → USDT BEP-20](https://sablebolt.io/swap/usdc-solana/usdt-bep20) - [USDC ERC-20 → USDC Polygon](https://sablebolt.io/swap/usdc-erc20/usdc-polygon) - [USDC Base → USDT TRC-20](https://sablebolt.io/swap/usdc-base/usdt-trc20) Read next [Floating rate: what changes between the estimate and the payout](https://sablebolt.io/blog/floating-rate-estimate-vs-payout) Read next [Reading a swap status page: every state from waiting to finished](https://sablebolt.io/blog/reading-a-swap-status-page) ## External resources - [Circle — USDC on Ethereum](https://www.circle.com/multi-chain-usdc/ethereum) - [Etherscan](https://etherscan.io/) - [Blockchain.com explorer](https://www.blockchain.com/explorer) - [Bitcoin wiki — address formats](https://en.bitcoin.it/wiki/Invoice_address)