What it means
Intrinsic gas is what a transaction costs simply for existing: a base amount for any transaction, plus a charge for every byte of data it carries. A plain native transfer has a base cost of 21,000 gas. A transaction carrying data — a token transfer or a contract call — costs that base plus a charge per byte.
If the gas limit is below that sum, the transaction is invalid on its face and nodes reject it without executing anything.
Why it happens
A limit of 21,000 on a token transfer
The most frequent cause. 21,000 is the cost of a native transfer only. A token transfer calls a contract and carries data, so it needs substantially more.
A hand-edited limit
Lowering the limit to save money does not work — unused gas is not charged, so a higher limit costs nothing extra — and lowering it below the intrinsic cost makes the transaction invalid.
A reused limit from a different operation
A limit copied from a previous, simpler transaction will not cover one carrying more data.
How to fix it
- Clear any custom gas limit and let the wallet estimate it.
- If you are setting it manually, start from the wallet’s estimate and go up, never down.
- Retry. Nothing was charged, because nothing executed.
How to avoid it
Remember that the gas limit is a ceiling rather than a price. Setting it generously costs nothing when the transaction uses less, and setting it tightly risks both this error and out of gas, which does cost you.
Frequently asked
What is the minimum gas limit?
21,000 gas for a plain transfer of the native asset. Anything carrying data costs that plus a per-byte charge, so a token transfer or contract call needs more.
Does a higher limit waste money?
No. You are charged for gas used, not gas reserved. The only cost of a high limit is that you must hold enough to cover it while the transaction is pending.
Is this the same as out of gas?
No. Intrinsic gas too low is caught before execution and costs nothing. Out of gas happens during execution and consumes the fee.
Sources & further reading
- Ethereum: gas and fees
Gas units, limits and the fee calculation.
- Ethereum: transactions
Transaction fields including nonce, gas limit and fee caps.
- MetaMask: user guide to error codes
Wallet-level explanations of the error strings surfaced to users.
- Etherscan: reasons for failed transactions
How a reverted transaction is displayed and what state is rolled back.
Sources checked on 18 September 2026. Network features and platform support can change; check the relevant provider before acting.
AI-assisted editorial content; no independent expert review is claimed. Error behaviour varies between wallets, networks and client versions. This is educational information, not investment advice. Read our editorial policy.