Why does the estimated time on a swap change from a range to a single number after I send the deposit

07 September 2026

The estimated time changes because the swap is no longer predicting when you might send funds - it now knows the deposit has arrived and is measuring the actual processing time from that fixed point. Before you send, the exchanger must guess when you will act; after you send, it counts from a known timestamp.

How the estimate works before deposit

When you request a quote, the swap interface shows a range - for example, "30 seconds to 5 minutes." This range covers two unknowns. The first is when you will complete the deposit. The second is how long the network will take to confirm that deposit. The range absorbs both variables. It also accounts for normal variation in block times and mempool congestion. A wide range protects the exchanger from promising a precise time it cannot control.

Why it sharpens after deposit

Once your transaction appears in the blockchain, the exchanger discards the waiting-for-you variable. The estimate now starts from the moment of first confirmation. The single number you see - say "2 minutes" - is the exchanger's current projection for the remaining steps: swapping your token, sending the output, and waiting for enough confirmations on the destination chain.

This number updates in real time. If the destination network is congested, the estimate may increase. If blocks arrive quickly, it may shrink. The single number reflects a live calculation, not a static promise.

What the number actually measures

The exchanger runs a series of internal checks after your deposit confirms. It verifies the amount, matches it to your swap order, and submits the trade on the source chain's decentralized exchange. Then it monitors the swap transaction until the destination chain's bridge or swap contract releases your funds. Each step has a minimum confirmation requirement.

The estimate you see is the sum of those steps, calculated from recent block times on both chains. It does not include time for manual review - the exchanger only intervenes if something breaks.

When the number can be wrong

Network spikes are the main cause of drift. If gas prices rise suddenly, your swap transaction may sit in the mempool longer than the estimate assumed. The exchanger can bump the gas on its end, but that takes time to propagate. If the destination chain experiences a slowdown, confirmations stack more slowly.

The estimate also fails if your deposit had an unusually low gas fee. The exchanger cannot force a transaction through a congested network cheaply. In that case, the single number becomes optimistic until the network clears.

What to do while the swap runs

Do not close the page or navigate away until you see the final transaction hash on the destination chain. The swap page shows a live status line. Refresh it if the estimate freezes for more than a few minutes without updating. If the estimate climbs past the original range and stays there, read the hub page "Why your swap is stuck and what to do" - it covers the specific causes and remedies for stalls.

The shift from a range to a single number is a sign that the process has moved from "waiting for you" to "working on your trade." It is not a guarantee of speed. It is simply a more precise measurement of the same uncertain machinery.

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