📚 Part of our Ordinals & Runes guide.
New to the protocol? Read the Runes deep-dive and the Ordinals vs Runes vs BRC-20 comparison first — they explain why Runes uses Bitcoin's UTXO model and how it differs from inscriptions. Tooling changes over time, so treat tool names generically and always check current documentation.
Etching vs minting: the one concept to get right
Etching is the one-time act of defining a rune — its identity and rules. Minting is issuing units of that rune afterwards, according to those rules. Once a rune is etched, none of its parameters can be changed. That permanence is the single most important thing to internalise before you spend a satoshi.
Plan your tokenomics before you touch a wallet
Because etching is irreversible, design everything up front. The parameters you lock in are:
| Parameter | What it controls |
|---|---|
| Name & spacers | The human-readable rune name (uppercase letters, with optional spacers for readability). |
| Symbol | A single display character shown alongside balances. |
| Divisibility | How many decimal places a unit can be split into. |
| Supply & premine | The total issuable amount and any portion allocated to you at etch time. |
| Mint terms | For an open mint: the amount per mint, the cap, and the start/end block heights. |
The step-by-step process
- Choose a Runes-compatible wallet or etching tool. It must understand the Runes protocol to build a valid etching transaction and to track rune balances separately from your BTC. Apply the same care from our self-custody guide — back up the seed offline and never share it.
- Finalise your tokenomics. Lock the name, symbol, divisibility, supply, premine, and mint terms from the table above. Sanity-check them twice — there is no edit later.
- Fund the wallet with BTC. Cover the etching transaction plus any minting you plan to do. Verify the receive address on your device before sending.
- Etch the rune. Submit the etching transaction, choose a fee rate appropriate for the current mempool, and review every parameter before confirming. Etching is final once the transaction is mined.
- Open minting or distribute. If you set an open mint, publish the rune name so others can mint within the cap and time window. If you premined, distribute units according to your plan.
- Verify in an explorer. After confirmation, look the rune up in a Runes-aware explorer to confirm its ID, supply, and mint status are exactly what you intended.
Costs, timing & risk
- Fees scale with the mempool. A busy network — often driven by popular mints — raises fees for everyone. Etch during quieter periods if cost matters.
- Permanence cuts both ways. A typo in the name or a mistake in the supply cannot be fixed; it can only be abandoned.
- Not financial or legal advice. Issuing a token can carry regulatory implications depending on your jurisdiction — see our regulation overview and consult a professional.
FAQ
What does it cost to launch a Rune?
Only Bitcoin network fees — for the etching transaction plus any minting. There is no fixed protocol fee; cost tracks the current mempool fee rate.
Can I change a Rune after etching it?
No. Name, symbol, divisibility, supply, premine, and mint terms are permanent. Finalise them before etching.
What's the difference between etching and minting?
Etching defines the rune once; minting issues units afterward under the etched rules.
Bitcoin Penguins is an independent research publication — not a token. Educational content only; nothing here is financial advice. Always DYOR.