Address starting with “3”

Coin: Bitcoin (BTC)
Type: Pay-to-script-hash (P2SH), version byte 0x05 — multisig or wrapped SegWit
Length: 34 characters
Confused with: Older Litecoin addresses used the same 3… form before Litecoin switched to M…. Bitcoin Cash legacy P2SH also looks the same.

A 3… address can be a multisig wallet or a SegWit address wrapped for compatibility. The address does not say which.

Check one

Checked in this browser. The address is not sent to a server.

Public examples

Valid format and checksumBitcoin · Script · P2SH

Base58Check checksum matches

Parts of this address

1Prefix 3
Fixed by the version byte 0x05 → pay-to-script-hash.
2Payload CWFdd…gqDL
20-byte script hash: 76a04053…9873.
3Checksum PVMTzC
Last 4 bytes, taken from a double SHA-256 of everything before. Base58 does not align to bytes, so the marked characters are approximate.

Details

Network: Bitcoin
Type: Script · P2SH
Encoding: Base58Check
Length: 34 characters · 25 bytes
Checksum: matches
Version: 0x05
Hash: 76a04053bd…

Watch out

Bitcoin Cash legacy addresses look the same (1… and 3…). Make sure the sender is sending BTC, not BCH.

Same address in another form

If this is a Bitcoin Cash legacy address, its CashAddr formbitcoincash:ppm2qsznhks23z7629mms6s4cwef74vcwvn0h829pq

If this is an older Litecoin 3… address, its M… formMJiPwX84iBe4WnFDwsYGgtnz1XonPhUqhf

What this does not proveA valid format only means the address is well-formed. It does not show who controls it or that it is the address the recipient gave. Compare the whole address with the source and send a small test amount first.

FAQ

What coin uses addresses starting with 3?

Bitcoin (BTC). Pay-to-script-hash (P2SH), version byte 0x05 — multisig or wrapped SegWit.

What can a 3 address be confused with?

Older Litecoin addresses used the same 3… form before Litecoin switched to M…. Bitcoin Cash legacy P2SH also looks the same.