Introduction

Ethereum Classic mining profitability in 2025 is under pressure after recent reward cuts, but many miners still find opportunities with the right setup. It remains one of the oldest Proof-of-Work (PoW) blockchains still standing in a post-Ethereum-merge world. As a decentralized, censorship-resistant smart contract platform, ETC aims to preserve the original vision of Ethereum prior to the DAO hard fork. But with the most recent 20% block reward reduction in May 2024 and a competitive mining environment, the main question is: is mining Ethereum Classic still profitable in 2025?

Let’s take a deep look at the current state of ETC mining, the equipment required, the economics involved, and whether miners can still earn meaningful income in the current environment.

The Current State of Ethereum Classic Mining

Ethereum Classic uses the Etchash algorithm, a modified version of Ethereum’s original Ethash. Introduced to reject ASICs built for Ethereum’s final mining phase, Etchash was initially aimed at preserving compatibility with older hardware and attracting displaced ETH miners. While it retains Ethash’s memory-hard design, the landscape has shifted. Today, Etchash is dominated by specialized ASICs, and GPU mining is no longer profitable in most scenarios.

In May 2024, Ethereum Classic underwent its third block reward reduction, decreasing the payout from 2.56 ETC to 2.048 ETC per block. This event, often referred to as a “halving” by the community, gradually reduces ETC’s inflation rate and mimics the deflationary mechanics seen in Bitcoin. Despite the reward cut, the network has remained stable, and according to F2Pool, most modern ASIC machines continue to mine ETC profitably — provided energy costs remain reasonable.

Here’s the profitability of some of the most popular ASICs with electricity costs of $0.1 per kWh:

ModelHashrateDaily Profit
Bombax EZ100-PRO15.5 Gh/s$4.15
iPollo V210.0 Gh/s$3.88
iPollo V2H3.4 Gh/s$1.40
Bitmain Antminer E119 Gh/s$1.12
Jasminer X16-Q Pro2.1 Gh/s$0.29

Mining Economics and Profitability

Block Rewards and Supply Cap

ETC has a capped supply of 210.7 million coins, with around 151.2 million already issued. That leaves roughly 59.5 million ETC left to mine, with around 50% of that expected to be issued over the next decade. This could represent an opportunity for miners, but mining competition remains fierce. Rewards for solving blocks are predictable, but the real challenge is operating costs, especially electricity prices. Miners with high-efficiency ASICs and access to cheap power have a clear advantage.

Equipment Requirements

The era of GPU mining ETC is long gone. In 2025, ASIC miners are essential. Popular models like the Bombax models, and the iPollo’s line of Etchash ASICs dominate the market. These machines can provide solid profitability, but only when paired with decently low electricity costs. For those without access to wholesale power or industrial infrastructure, colocation services are a growing option, allowing miners to host their ASICs in dedicated mining farms.

Mining Pools and Network Security

Because of the competitive difficulty and decreasing rewards, solo mining is rarely viable. Most ETC miners join mining pools like F2Pool, 2Miners, or Hiveon, which offer stable payouts and reduce income volatility.

As of 2025, F2Pool controls over 60% of the known ETC hashrate, which provides additional consistency in the distribution of rewards. The network’s total hashrate remains healthy, evidence that mining Ethereum Classic is still profitable for a large number of miners.

Challenges and Risks for ETC Miners

Mining Ethereum Classic comes with several challenges:

  • Market Volatility: ETC prices fluctuate more than others such as Bitcoin. Dips can quickly render operations unprofitable if costs are too high.
  • Hardware Depreciation: ASICs lose value quickly, especially if a newer generation of miners enters the market.
  • Limited Number of Alternative Cryptocurrencies to Mine: There are very few coins that use ethash algorithms. This makes it difficult to amortize mining machines during low profitability periods.

Despite these challenges, ETC remains one of the more accessible PoW networks for miners seeking a long-term play.

Conclusion

Ethereum Classic mining in 2025 is still profitable, but not for everyone. With the right hardware and access to cheap electricity, miners can still generate steady income. As rewards decline over time, cost-efficiency is key.

While some small miners may exit the network due to thinning margins, those who remain, especially those accumulating ETC, may find that today’s efforts pay off in the future. With over $1.7 billion worth of ETC left to be mined, the opportunity is still very much alive.