Steem (STEEM)
Unlock Schedule
Steem (STEEM) Token Unlock & Vesting Schedule
The chart shows gross modeled releases of every allocation: vesting unlocks, new issuance and reserve distributions, each allocation counted once. These have different meanings; a scheduled release is not evidence that tokens entered circulation or were sold. Review the coverage, sources and assumptions below.
Each color segment in the chart corresponds to a specific allocation group described in the Allocations section below. Underlying assumptions and data models used to reconstruct this schedule are explained in detail under Assumptions, while broader utility insights and token use cases are covered in Tokenomics & Utility.
Tokenomics & Utility
Three balances with different roles
Steem’s economy is easier to understand when its three main balances are viewed separately:
- STEEM is the liquid token. It can be transferred, traded, or converted into Steem Power.
- Steem Power (SP) represents vested STEEM. It gives an account influence over content rewards and witness elections, as well as access to resource credits.
- Steem Dollars (SBD) are designed as a dollar-referenced token. Witness price feeds support their conversion into STEEM, while their value in a market is set by buyers and sellers. (steemitwallet.com)
Converting STEEM into SP is called powering up. Reversing that process is called powering down. A power-down returns the converted balance in four weekly installments, beginning one week after it starts. This makes the difference between liquid STEEM and vested influence visible in how an account operates. (steemitwallet.com)
The network creates new tokens according to an inflation schedule that began at 9.5% a year in December 2016 and declines by 0.01 percentage points every 250,000 blocks until it reaches 0.95%. Under the distribution described by Steemit Wallet, 65% of new tokens fund author and curator rewards, 15% go to SP holders, 10% fund the Steem Proposal System, and 10% pay witnesses. The proposal allocation supports projects and services approved through community voting. (steemitwallet.com)
Assumptions
Steem started with zero STEEM and issued tokens through early mining, content rewards and Steem Power rewards; ongoing inflation funds content, Steem Power holders, witnesses and the proposal system. SBD conversions can also change supply, while proposal payments depend on governance decisions. The chart follows dated net-total-supply readings, with changes between readings estimated rather than assigned to individual mechanisms. Its October 1, 2026 endpoint is a supplied reference, not an independently verified chain reading, and cumulative burns remain unknown.
- Historical PoW mining rewards: New issuance depends on network activity, such as staking, so it cannot be dated in advance.
- Early content and curation reward issuance: New issuance depends on network activity, such as staking, so it cannot be dated in advance.
- Early Steem Power holder rewards: New issuance depends on network activity, such as staking, so it cannot be dated in advance.
- Historical protocol liquidity rewards: New issuance depends on network activity, such as staking, so it cannot be dated in advance.
- DPoS witness and Steem Power rewards: New issuance depends on network activity, such as staking, so it cannot be dated in advance.
- DPoS witness and Steem Power rewards: Emission continues with no published future rate or end date.
- Post-HF16 content and curation reward pool: New issuance depends on network activity, such as staking, so it cannot be dated in advance.
- Post-HF16 content and curation reward pool: Emission continues with no published future rate or end date.
- Steem.DAO proposal-system funding: Releases depend on future governance or treasury decisions.
- STEEM created through SBD conversions: New issuance depends on network activity, such as staking, so it cannot be dated in advance.
- 1. https://github.com/steemit/whitepaper/blob/master/whitepaper.md
- 2. https://www.steem.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/whitepaper20250704.pdf
- 3. https://developers.steem.io/apidefinitions/database-api
- 4. https://developers.steem.io/tutorials-recipes/understanding-configuration-values
- 5. https://developers.steem.io/tutorials-recipes/understanding-dynamic-global-properties
- 6. https://developers.steem.io/tutorials-javascript/get_state_replacement_api
- 7. https://developers.steem.io/apidefinitions/broadcast-ops
- 8. https://developers.steem.io/services/steem.dao
- 9. https://developers.steem.io/tutorials-javascript/convert_sbd_to_steem
- 10. https://github.com/steemit/steem/issues/178
- 11. https://github.com/steemit/steem/releases
- 12. https://bitsharestalk.org/index.php?topic=22125.135
- 13. https://steemex.hexdocs.pm/0.8.0/Steemex.DatabaseApi.html
- 14. https://ecency.com/%40anonymity.inlet/ubuntu-steem-v2ray-usd100
- 15. https://ecosynthesizer.com/steem/%40blockchainstudio
- 16. https://helloacm.com/retrieve-the-latest-block-information-from-steem-blockchain/amp/
- 17. https://www.ecosynthesizer.com/steem
- 18. https://www.coingecko.com/
Allocations
Estimated from the last observation onward: about 89,461 per day (2,722,967 per month), the rate between the observations of 15 September 2026 and 1 October 2026.
Description
#629
Steem is a blockchain-based platform that allows users to earn cryptocurrency by creating and curating content. It rewards participants with STEEM tokens for their contributions to the network, providing a decentralized social media experience where users have control over their data and earnings.
| Sector: | SocialFi |
| Blockchain: | Other L1 |