Games and digital items
Thousands of item types, from common to rare, managed efficiently in one place.
Token standard
ERC-1155: many kinds of item, managed in one place.
ERC-1155 lets one program manage thousands of item types at once, some interchangeable, some unique. It is efficient and flexible. Like the formats before it, it leaves the question of who may own each item entirely open.
- Introduced
- 2018
- Type
- Multi-token
- Transfer rules
- None built in
What it is
ERC-1155 was proposed in 2018 and is a final Ethereum standard. It is called a multi-token standard because one smart contract, a small program on the blockchain that runs exactly as written, can hold many different tokens side by side.
Some of those tokens can be fungible, meaning identical and interchangeable like units of one share class. Others can be non-fungible, meaning each one is unique, like a numbered certificate. ERC-20 handles only the first kind and ERC-721 only the second. ERC-1155 handles both.
How it works, in plain terms
- 01
One program, many item types
Each item type has its own number. The program keeps track of how many units of each type every account holds.
- 02
Batch transfers
Several item types can be sent in one transaction. This lowers gas, the processing fee paid to the network for each transaction, and saves time when moving many items.
- 03
Open accounts
Accounts are controlled from a wallet, the software or device holding the key that proves control. Anyone can open one, and the standard checks only that the sender holds enough units.
Where ERC-1155 is the right tool
Tickets and passes
Many ticket categories for one event, with seats or passes that may be unique or interchangeable.
Large catalogues
Any case where many item types are issued and moved often, and cost per transfer matters.
Why it falls short for regulated ownership of real assets
Efficiency is useful, but it is not the hard part of tokenizing a real asset. The hard part is making sure only eligible, verified investors ever appear on the investor register, and that the issuer can act when something goes wrong. ERC-1155 has no built-in identity, no transfer rules and no issuer controls.
An issuer with several share classes or tranches might be drawn to ERC-1155 because it can hold them all in one place. Doing that safely still means writing custom compliance code around it, which then has to be reviewed and audited as new work. A standard designed for regulated securities already carries those checks in a shared, audited format.
ERC-1155 at a glance
- Introduced
- Proposed 2018, now a final Ethereum standard
- Type
- Multi-token: fungible and non-fungible items in one contract
- Built-in transfer rules
- None, beyond checking the sender's balance
- Identity
- Not part of the standard
- Issuer controls
- None in the standard
Questions we get
We have several classes of investor. Is ERC-1155 a better fit?
Multiple classes can be handled by issuing separate ERC-3643 securities, each with its own rules. That keeps each class clean on the investor register and in your legal documents.
Is ERC-1155 cheaper to run?
It can be cheaper per transfer for large batches. For a regulated offering, the cost that matters more is the review of any custom compliance code you would need to add.
Does anyone use ERC-1155 for securities?
Some projects have experimented with it. It is not a security token standard, so each such project defines its own rules.
General information about a public technical standard. Not legal, tax or investment advice.
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