Cross-chain · Ethereum → Base

Swap DAI from Ethereum to WETH on Base

Swap DAI from Ethereum to WETH on Base. A trader moving Maker DAI into wrapped ETH on chain 8453 receives the Base WETH predeploy.

DAI is not a wrapper around ETH. You spend 0x6B175474E89094C44Da98b954EedeAC495271d0F on Etherscan. You receive 0x4200000000000000000000000000000000000006 on Basescan. That WETH is not 0xC02aaA39b223FE8D0A0e5C4F27eAD9083C756Cc2, and withdrawing from the mainnet contract is not this route. Chain id 1 gas is ETH, about 12 seconds a block. Chain id 8453 gas is a separate ETH balance, and the received WETH cannot pay it. Switch to Base before you search, because the mainnet WETH row does not move. Switch to chain id 8453 and read the predeploy on Basescan. The Ethereum WETH balance does not record this route. Confirm the predeploy on Basescan before you deposit the wrapped ETH into a pool.

Diagram for Swap DAI from Ethereum to WETH on Base
DAI leaves Ethereum. WETH is what can arrive on Base.

Base WETH is the predeploy on Basescan

Search 0x4200000000000000000000000000000000000006 before you treat the balance as spendable ETH. It will not pay fees on chain id 8453. It will not show as native ETH on Ethereum. The wallet has to be on Base.

Buying WETH with DAI on mainnet stays home

This route is the wrong tool if you want 0xC02aaA39b223FE8D0A0e5C4F27eAD9083C756Cc2 or native ETH on chain id 1. Those markets are on Ethereum. How cross-chain bridges work is the split. Bridge when the WETH address you were given is the Basescan predeploy.

The DAI approval

Only 0x6B175474E89094C44Da98b954EedeAC495271d0F. Maker DAI and Base WETH both use 18 decimals, so the unit count can look familiar while the asset changes from a dollar to wrapped ETH. You still need ETH on Ethereum so the approval can be mined.

Base ETH has to be waiting

Plan ETH on the receiving address on chain id 8453. Base WETH cannot sponsor its own first transfer. Until that gas is present, the token can be visible on Basescan and still be stuck.

Legal

Risk disclosure

XAUConnect is a non-custodial swap aggregator. Digital assets are volatile and may lose value rapidly. Content on this page is educational and not investment advice. Verify every contract address on the official block explorer before approving a transaction.

Frequently asked questions

What is the best way to swap DAI from Ethereum to WETH on Base?

DAI is not a wrapper around ETH. You spend 0x6B175474E89094C44Da98b954EedeAC495271d0F on Etherscan.

Is this an unwrap of DAI into ETH?

DAI is not wrapped ETH, so there is nothing to unwrap. Selling DAI for WETH on Ethereum credits 0xC02aaA39b223FE8D0A0e5C4F27eAD9083C756Cc2. This route credits 0x4200000000000000000000000000000000000006 on Base. Use it when that predeploy is the position. Skip it when ETH exposure should stay on mainnet.

Which explorers do I check?

Etherscan for the DAI spend at 0x6B175474E89094C44Da98b954EedeAC495271d0F. Basescan for the WETH credit at 0x4200000000000000000000000000000000000006. Native ETH would use the 0xEeee placeholder and is not the output. Chain id 8453 is Base. Confirm the full address on the explorer before you send it onward.

What blocks the WETH after it arrives?

No ETH on Base. Chain id 8453 charges ETH for every transfer, and this WETH is an ERC-20. Add gas on that chain before the next signature. You also needed ETH on chain id 1 to spend the DAI. The route delivers neither gas balance.

Live execution

Trade on XAUConnect

Open the swap page with this cross-chain route pre-selected, then connect your wallet on the source chain to quote and execute. You keep the keys.

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