<p>You should know that as of bitcoin 0.8.6, the default maximum block size is actually now increased to <a href="https://gist.github.com/gavinandresen/7670433#086-accept-into-block" rel="nofollow">350,000 bytes</a>.</p>

<p>The 350,000 bytes is a soft limit. All miners are motivated to maximize filling the block size to 1MB for each block because it would be irrational for them to do any less and leave fees to other miners that they could easily collect themselves.</p>

<p>Thus all blocks are usually mined to the maximum limit with paid transactions and then free transactions are included once all fee-based, unverified transactions have been verified.</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2013-12-18T00:35:08.077Z
If there are a lot of transaction with fees the miners will create 1MB blocks and the rule only apply for free transactions?
Jan Moritz
CC BY-SA 3.0
2013-12-18T00:08:28.143Z
2013-12-18T00:08:28.143Z
tlewis
<p>Actually the <strong>default maximum block size</strong> is 300,000 Bytes and the <strong>protocol hard limit</strong> is 1MB.</p>

<p>So what I understood is that all blocks over 1MB will be rejected but the ones between 300,000 Bytes and 1MB will not.</p>

<p>So if there are lot of transactions with little fees that make that a miner can create let's say a 700,000 Bytes bloc. Will it be profitable for the miner to create such a block or is there a additional risk that his block will be rejected?</p>

<block><blocksize>
Is there a reason why miners should respect the default maximum block size?
Jan Moritz
# Is there a reason why miners should respect the default maximum block size?

(Asked by: username_0 on 2013-12-15)

Actually the **default maximum block size** is 300,000 Bytes and the **protocol hard limit** is 1MB.

So what I understood is that all blocks over 1MB will be rejected but the ones between 300,000 Bytes and 1MB will not.

So if there are lot of transactions with little fees that make that a miner can create let's say a 700,000 Bytes bloc. Will it be profitable for the miner to create such a block or is there a additional risk that his block will be rejected?

**Tags:** block, blocksize


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## 1 answers

### Answer by username_1 on 2013-12-18. Score: 2 | Accepted answer

You should know that as of bitcoin 0.8.6, the default maximum block size is actually now increased to [350,000 bytes](https://gist.github.com/gavinandresen/7670433#086-accept-into-block).

The 350,000 bytes is a soft limit. All miners are motivated to maximize filling the block size to 1MB for each block because it would be irrational for them to do any less and leave fees to other miners that they could easily collect themselves.

Thus all blocks are usually mined to the maximum limit with paid transactions and then free transactions are included once all fee-based, unverified transactions have been verified.

> **Comments:**
> **username_0**: If there are a lot of transaction with fees the miners will create 1MB blocks and the rule only apply for free transactions?  

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