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TRC-20 or ERC-20: which USDT address is this?

A USDT address starting with T is TRON (TRC-20), one starting with 0x is an EVM chain (ERC-20, BEP-20 …). How to tell, and what each exchange calls the network.

Worked example · TRON · USDT contractTR7NHqjeKQxGTCi8q8ZY4pL8otSzgjLj6tOpen the checker

The first characters decide

A TRON address starts with T and has 34 characters. It is Base58Check with the version byte 0x41, so the checksum catches a typo. A USDT deposit address that looks like this receives USDT on TRON, usually labelled “TRC-20” or “TRON (TRC20)”.

An address that starts with 0x and has 42 characters is an EVM address. Ethereum (ERC-20), BNB Smart Chain (BEP-20), Polygon, Arbitrum, Optimism, Base and Avalanche C-Chain all use exactly this format. The address alone cannot say which of them the recipient watches.

Why a T… address is safe from the mix-up and a 0x… address is not

Sending ERC-20 USDT to a T… address is refused by wallets and exchanges before anything is sent, because the address is not valid on Ethereum. The same is true the other way round.

Sending BEP-20 USDT to a 0x… address that the recipient meant for ERC-20 is not refused: the address is valid on both chains, the transfer goes through on BNB Smart Chain, and the recipient's exchange may not watch that chain. Whether it can be recovered depends on who holds the key for that address on the other chain.

What exchanges call the networks

The names differ by exchange, which is part of the confusion. The usual labels:

  • TRON: “TRC20”, “TRON”, “Tron (TRC20)”
  • Ethereum: “ERC20”, “Ethereum”, “ETH”
  • BNB Smart Chain: “BEP20”, “BSC”, “BNB Smart Chain”
  • Solana: “SPL”, “Solana”, “SOL”
  • TON: “TON”, “The Open Network”, sometimes with a comment field

Before sending

Ask the recipient for the network name together with the address, and select exactly that network. For a 0x… address this is the only way to know. The checker above marks EVM networks “Fits · confirm” for that reason.

FAQ

Is my USDT address TRC-20 or ERC-20?

If it starts with T and has 34 characters, it is a TRON address (TRC-20). If it starts with 0x and has 42 characters, it is an EVM address: ERC-20 on Ethereum, but the same address also works on BNB Smart Chain, Polygon and other EVM chains. Ask the recipient which one they expect.

Can I send TRC-20 USDT to an ERC-20 address?

No. A 0x… address is not valid on TRON, so wallets and exchanges refuse it before sending. Choose the network that matches the address.

Can I send BEP-20 USDT to an ERC-20 address?

The transfer goes through, because both use 0x… addresses — but it arrives on BNB Smart Chain, not Ethereum. If the recipient is an exchange that only watches Ethereum for that address, the deposit is not credited automatically.