To swap ETH to ZEC, choose ETH on Ethereum, Arbitrum or Base as “from” and ZEC on Zcash as “to”, paste your Zcash address and confirm one transaction. On November 13, 2026, $1,000 of ETH (0.51814 ETH) quoted 1.058688 ZEC on Ethereum in about 2.7 minutes, before the 0.7% service fee. ZEC arrives as the native coin on the Zcash network. The reverse route: ZEC to ETH.
Key Takeaways
- Route type: NEAR Intents, a single route from each network.
- Time: about 140 to 160 seconds.
- Cost: a 0.37% route fee plus source gas ($0.14 on Ethereum, $0.01 or less on Arbitrum and Base); you kept about 99.2% of the reference value.
- Main catch: a zs-only Zcash address will not work; use t1, t3 or u1.
What Is ETH?
ETH is the gas coin of Ethereum and its layer-2 networks Arbitrum and Base. The same ETH can start this swap from any of them. LI.FI priced ETH at $1,929.96 on November 13, 2026.
What Is ZEC?
ZEC is the native coin of Zcash, which supports shielded transactions. It exists only on Zcash, so the swap pays real ZEC to a Zcash address. LI.FI priced ZEC at $937.04 in the same check.
How the ETH to ZEC Swap Works
You sign one transaction on your EVM network that sends ETH to the route. NEAR Intents waits for it to confirm and pays ZEC from its Zcash liquidity to your address. You sign nothing on Zcash and need no ZEC beforehand. The reverse direction takes longer, about 8 minutes, because it waits for Zcash confirmations: ZEC to ETH.
Quotes by Amount (Ethereum, November 13, 2026)
| You send | ETH | You receive | ZEC per ETH | Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $100 of ETH | 0.051814 | 0.105576 ZEC | 2.038 | about 160 s |
| $1,000 of ETH | 0.51814 | 1.058688 ZEC | 2.043 | about 160 s |
| $10,000 of ETH | 5.1814 | 10.576603 ZEC | 2.041 | about 160 s |
At reference prices 1 ETH equals about 2.060 ZEC, so the route kept about 99.2% at $1,000 and $10,000 and 98.9% at $100, where the fixed gas weighs more. Quotes are LI.FI routes before the 0.7% Step Exchange service fee.
Which Network to Send ETH From ($1,000 of ETH)
| ETH on | You receive | Gas | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ethereum | 1.058688 ZEC | $0.14 | about 160 s |
| Arbitrum | 1.057872 ZEC | $0.01 | about 140 s |
| Base | 1.053009 ZEC | under $0.01 | about 152 s |
Ethereum and Arbitrum paid almost the same; Base paid about 0.5% less. Moving ETH between networks first would cost more than the difference, so start from where your ETH is.
Zcash Addresses: What Works
| Address type | Starts with | Worked on our test |
|---|---|---|
| Transparent | t1, t3 | Yes |
| Unified with Orchard | u1 | Yes |
| Sapling only | zs | No |
The ETH side is a public transaction on its network. Receiving to a unified address keeps your ZEC in a wallet that can shield it. Results from our October 23, 2026 test of Zcash routes.
Step by Step
- Copy your Zcash address (t1, t3 or u1).
- From: ETH on Ethereum, Arbitrum or Base. To: ZEC on Zcash. Paste the address.
- Check the quote in ZEC.
- Confirm the transaction in your wallet.
- Wait about 2.5 minutes for ZEC to arrive.
Mistakes to Avoid
- zs-only address: use the unified address from the same wallet.
- Leaving no ETH for gas: keep a little for the transaction itself.
- Bridging ETH to another network first: the ZEC difference between networks was under 0.5%.
More ZEC routes: USDT to ZEC, ZEC to USDT, ZEC to BTC and back.