Dead mint passes and collections that went quiet years ago can sit in your wallet holding SOL. Burning them destroys the NFT and returns SOL from its accounts, and a standard NFT usually has more of those accounts than an ordinary token does.
How much SOL do you get for burning an NFT?
It depends on the standard. Across 9,037,450 standard NFT burns through Sol Incinerator, the average returned about 0.0103 SOL before fees, roughly five times a token account's deposit. Core assets averaged 0.00151 SOL, and compressed NFTs return 0 SOL. Burns since Solana's September 2026 rent cut return less.
| NFT type | Accounts that return SOL | Average returned per burn (before fees) |
|---|---|---|
| Standard NFT | Token account, metadata and edition accounts | 0.0103 SOL |
| Programmable NFT (pNFT) | The same accounts plus a token record | 0.0115 SOL |
| Print edition | Token account, metadata and edition accounts | 0.00952 SOL |
| Core asset | The asset's single account | 0.00151 SOL |
| Compressed NFT (cNFT) | Nothing: it has no accounts of its own | 0 SOL |
These are averages across every burn of that type through Sol Incinerator from August 2022 to October 6, 2026, from our burn statistics. Most of those burns happened before Solana lowered its rent rate in September 2026, and a burn today returns less. An NFT minted since then holds smaller deposits, and even on an older NFT the metadata account (or a Core asset's own account) gives back only the deposit Solana requires now; the rest stays with the burned account. The preview shows what you'll get before you approve.
Our 2% base fee means most of each deposit comes back to you. Minimum fees for standard and programmable NFTs raise the rate on NFT burns, programmable NFTs most of all.
Why do standard NFTs return more SOL than tokens?
An ordinary token account holds one refundable deposit. A standard NFT has more accounts than that. On top of the token account that holds the NFT, it has an on-chain metadata account (name, image link, creators, royalty settings) and an edition account that marks it as a non-fungible token with a supply of one.
Each of those accounts was funded with its own deposit when the NFT was minted. Burning the NFT releases them together, so several deposits come back at once instead of one.
Which NFTs return nothing?
Compressed NFTs. If a burn returned nothing, this is why. To be blunt: burning a compressed NFT returns zero SOL, with any tool.
Compressed NFTs aren't stored in their own accounts. They live as entries in a shared on-chain tree, which is what makes them cheap enough to airdrop by the hundred thousand. No account means no deposit, so there's nothing to give back. Spam NFT airdrops are usually compressed for exactly that reason.
Burning compressed NFTs is still worth doing: spam NFTs often use their image and name to advertise a malicious site, and clearing them out removes the lure. Just don't expect a payout. The full explanation is in Why Burning Compressed NFTs (cNFTs) Gives Zero SOL Back.
Which NFT types can Sol Incinerator burn?
Pro Mode burns standard NFTs, programmable NFTs, print editions, compressed NFTs and Core assets, as well as .sol domains. Programmable NFTs need extra handling: they enforce royalties through a token record, and their token account is normally frozen, so a plain token burn fails. Sol Incinerator burns them through the path that handles both; our pNFT and print edition guide covers them in detail.
How to burn NFTs on Solana, step by step
- Open Sol Incinerator and connect your wallet. The scan is read-only, so you can see everything before you sign anything.
- Switch to Pro Mode using the toggle in the footer. Fun Mode is non-destructive by design: it closes empty accounts and withdraws eligible surplus deposits, and it can't burn anything.
- Open the NFTs tab. Your NFTs are listed separately from fungible tokens, with floor prices where they're available. Compressed NFTs have their own cNFTs tab.
- Select what you want to destroy. Anything above a USD value threshold is hidden by default, so it can't be swept up in a big selection.
- Check the preview and approve in your wallet. A burn is final. Bigger selections can take more than one approval.
No SOL for the network fee? Gasless Pay covers it automatically when your burn or cleanup qualifies and takes its charge from the SOL that comes back.
Burning an NFT is permanent. The asset is destroyed on-chain and nobody can restore it, including us. Check floor prices before you burn: a collection you've written off may still have a bid.
Why won't my NFT burn?
If an NFT won't burn, check these two things first:
It's listed on a marketplace. A listing usually either moves the NFT into the marketplace's escrow, so it isn't in your wallet at all, or locks it in your wallet so it can't be burned. Delist it first and it will burn normally.
It's frozen, staked or locked. Programmable NFTs are normally held frozen to enforce royalties, and Sol Incinerator handles that case in its burn flow. But an NFT that is staked in your wallet, or frozen by its collection's authority, shows as Frozen and can't be burned until it's unstaked or thawed; a staked or locked programmable NFT can't burn either. See our frozen and stuck tokens guide for what to check.
Should you burn it or sell it?
Burn an NFT when it has no bids and no realistic prospect of any: dead mint passes and abandoned collections. Getting the deposit back beats leaving it in your wallet.
If a collection still has a floor, sell into it instead. And if you bought an NFT that has since gone to zero with no market to sell into, the Tax Loss Harvester sells illiquid NFTs for 1 lamport each, creating a sale record for a position you otherwise can't sell (how that works). Nothing here is tax advice; check with a tax professional about your situation.
Close empty accounts first
Before burning anything, close your empty token accounts. That pass is non-destructive and it's the default mode. Fun Mode can also withdraw surplus from the token accounts of NFTs you keep; see reclaiming SOL from an NFT without burning it.
