Base launches Denim upgrade with 200ms block times
Full blocks now arrive five times per second
Base has launched Denim, its fourth independent mainnet upgrade. Base is a Coinbase-incubated Layer 2, meaning it is a separate blockchain built on top of Ethereum.
The upgrade went live on November 5, 2026. Base now produces a full canonical block every 200 milliseconds. That is five blocks per second.
Each block now follows its parent exactly 200 milliseconds later. Base said the protocol enforces the interval, rather than relying on the sequencer's clock. The sequencer is the system that orders transactions.
The main changes in Denim
- Flashblocks are retired.
- New blocks arrive every 200 milliseconds.
- Smart contracts, which are programs that run on a blockchain, can use millisecond timestamps through BaseTime.
- B20 tokens get new transfer and compliance controls.
What Base said about BaseTime and B20
BaseTime gives smart contracts access to Unix timestamps in milliseconds. The existing Ethereum-compatible block.timestamp stays at whole-second resolution.
New RPC fields, which are tools for programs to read blockchain data, provide millisecond timestamps for blocks, transactions, and logs.
For B20 tokens, Denim adds reusable compliance policies through a NOT operator. It also extends transfer-executor restrictions to direct transfers.
Denim also blocks transfers, mints, and seizures that send tokens to the token contract's own address.
How Denim fits with earlier upgrades
Denim follows Azul, Beryl, and Cobalt. Those were Base's first three independent upgrades since its 2023 launch.
Azul introduced a new client stack and multiproof system. Beryl brought the B20 token standard. Cobalt added conditional transactions and expanded B20 compliance features.
Why Base changed the timing
Base said Flashblocks are retired and the pending block tag has changed. It said this makes block production simpler, more consistent, and more reliable.
In its statement, Base said: "Base's north star is to bring the world onchain, starting with trading, financing, and payments. Those use cases need a chain that updates state often and lets builders reason about time precisely."
What applications using Flashblocks must do
Applications that previously relied on Flashblocks must migrate to standard canonical block subscriptions, according to Base.
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