Glamsterdam Upgrade: Ethereum’s Sepolia Test Leaves New Gas Space Idle

Ethereum’s Glamsterdam upgrade has increased Sepolia’s block-gas limit from about 60 million to nearly 200 million, giving developers an opportunity to test Ethereum with a much larger processing allowance. The network has handled the change smoothly so far, but sampled blocks have used less than half of the available gas. The test also does not mean the same limit will eventually be applied to Ethereum mainnet.

More than 25 consecutive blocks consumed between roughly 52 million and 92 million gas, equivalent to 26% to 46% of the available capacity. In another six-minute testing period, all 32 scheduled blocks were produced, with 99.97% of eligible testnet stake voting toward finality. Hoodi is tentatively set for October 27, depending on the results of the Sepolia test.

Sepolia Tests Ethereum’s Expanded Gas Capacity

Glamsterdam was activated on Sepolia on October 6. Two days later, blocks were being produced under a gas limit of close to 200 million, compared with roughly 60 million before the upgrade, according to CoinDesk.

Gas measures the computational resources needed to process transactions. When users compete for limited block space, network congestion can push transaction fees higher. Increasing the gas allowance gives Ethereum room to accommodate more activity before reaching that point.

Still, a near-threefold increase in the gas limit does not automatically translate into three times more transactions per block. Glamsterdam also changes the gas pricing of certain operations. As a result, actual transaction capacity will depend on the types of transactions being processed and the amount of gas each one consumes.

Reviews of more than 25 consecutive blocks found gas usage ranging from about 52 million to 92 million. That represents only 26% to 46% of the new limit, with none of the blocks coming close to the 200 million ceiling. The test therefore has not yet subjected the network to sustained maximum-capacity blocks, which would provide a tougher test for the machines running Ethereum.

Glamsterdam also changes the division of processing responsibilities between transaction builders and validators. The revised process gives validators more time to verify transaction computations.

Another feature adds lists of accounts and storage information accessed by transactions. This allows software to retrieve relevant data ahead of time and process unrelated transactions in parallel. The changes support Ethereum’s broader effort to expand capacity while improving its Layer-2 scaling framework.

Sepolia Shows Strong Block and Finality Performance

During a separate six-minute voting window, Sepolia successfully produced all 32 scheduled blocks. At the same time, 99.97% of eligible testnet stake voted toward finality, according to the ethPandaOps explorer.

The figures indicate that the upgraded configuration maintained expected block production and attracted almost complete participation from eligible stake during that period. They do not, however, prove that blocks approaching 200 million gas could be sustained safely during prolonged periods of heavy activity or under the broader range of conditions found on mainnet.

Sepolia is a public Ethereum test network where developers can test protocol changes with tokens that have no real monetary value. Its results offer valuable technical feedback, but they should not be treated as a direct estimate of how much additional transaction volume Ethereum mainnet will support.

Hoodi Next as Mainnet Limit Remains Undecided

Hoodi is tentatively scheduled to undergo the Glamsterdam upgrade on October 27, provided the Sepolia results meet expectations. Ethereum has not yet established a mainnet activation date, and developers have not finalized the production gas limit.

The Sepolia results will help shape subsequent testing, but a higher testnet gas ceiling is not proof that mainnet is ready for the same configuration. Developers must still evaluate validator workloads, block production, computation, and data-storage requirements before determining a safe production limit.

Glamsterdam forms part of Ethereum’s broader protocol roadmap, which seeks to increase capacity while balancing network performance, economics, and functionality. For now, the Sepolia test demonstrates that Ethereum can operate with a significantly higher gas ceiling, but blocks remain well below that threshold. The results therefore should not yet be interpreted as evidence that Ethereum mainnet will achieve three times its current transaction throughput.