Why 0.05 TH/s Is the Floor We Use for Retirement Decisions
How we arrived at a per-unit hash-rate threshold for Phase 1 retirement recommendations in Korean farms.
When operators ask why we draw the line at 0.05 TH/s per unit, the answer is tied to Korean industrial electricity bands and secondary-market liquidity — not an arbitrary round number.
Tariff Bands and Break-Even
Most farms we visit operate on time-of-use industrial rates between ₩95 and ₩145 per kWh depending on season and voltage tier. At current network difficulty, a unit consistently delivering below 0.05 TH/s at the wall often fails to cover power before maintenance — even before accounting for hosting fees.
We measure at the wall, not from the pool dashboard. Voltage drop through aging PDUs can hide an additional 4–7% hash-rate loss that spec sheets never mention.
Secondary-Market Reality
Units above the 0.05 TH/s observed band still attract buyers on local secondary channels. Below that threshold, listings sit for weeks and buyers expect steep discounts for parts harvesting. Phase 1 retirement targets units that cost more to run than they earn and won’t recover capital on resale.
Exceptions We Document
Some operators keep sub-threshold units for firmware testing or pool failover. We note these in the report with a clear “non-production” label so they don’t accidentally enter revenue projections.
What to Do Next
Run a hash-rate audit if you suspect your fleet averages near the threshold. Pool totals can mask individual underperformers in a mixed row.