# Blockspace expansion policy

Research: the relay and consensus levers that change how much blockspace is usable and who can reach it, each measured effect beside the arguments for and against. Descriptive; it takes no side.

URL: https://blockspace.wiki/research/blockspace-expansion-policy/

**Status on [blockspacelabs.com](https://blockspacelabs.com): Research.**

## What it studies

The Labs site describes "the levers that change how much blockspace is usable and who can reach it". It names two kinds:

- **relay policy:** the [fee floor](https://blockspace.wiki/glossary/fee-floor/), the [standard transaction](https://blockspace.wiki/glossary/standard-transaction/) size, data-carrier limits ([OP_RETURN](https://blockspace.wiki/glossary/op-return/)) and [full-RBF](https://blockspace.wiki/glossary/full-rbf/);
- **consensus:** the block weight limit and the [witness discount](/concepts/witness-discount/).

For each lever the study sets "the measured effect beside the arguments for and against". It is written as research, not advocacy, and states no position. The card ends: "Descriptive research; it takes no side."

## The figures on the card

The card shows each lever's current setting on the Labs node, in the reading of 2026-10-20 09:07:08 UTC:

| lever | setting |
|---|---|
| fee floor here | 0.00000000 BTC/kvB |
| max standard tx | 400,000 WU |
| OP_RETURN limit | 83 bytes |
| full-RBF here | on |
| max block weight | 4,000,000 WU |
| weight per byte | witness 1 WU, base 4 WU |

The card notes that the size and OP_RETURN figures are Bitcoin Core 28 defaults and that the weight limits are consensus. The wiki's own reading of the node, as of block 972,320, 2026-10-20 12:17:53 UTC: fee floor 0 sat/vB, full-RBF on.

## The data it will use

The node's settings, and for the measured effects two other studies: the [policy observatory](/research/policy-observatory/) and [the byte census](/research/byte-census/). Like every Research card it is descriptive: it says what it studies and from which data, and claims no results. The [relay policy](/concepts/relay-policy/) page describes each relay lever on the node.

Sources:

- The blockspacelabs.com page (index.html) · https://blockspacelabs.com
- Blockspace Labs facts (data/facts.json) · https://blockspacelabs.com
- Blockspace Holdings records

Live figures: relay as of block 972,320, 2026-10-20 12:17:53 UTC

Updated: 2026-10-20