ERC-1155 can have multiple copies because its standard introduces an independent amount field outside of tokenId. The same tokenId represents one "asset type," and any number of copies can be issued under that type. ERC-721 does not have this field. Each tokenId in the contract corresponds to only one owner, so it is naturally a single copy.
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ERC-721: One ID, One Owner
ERC-721 is designed around uniqueness. In the contract, each tokenId records a specific owner. ownerOf(tokenId) returns an address, not "how many copies an address holds." The concept of quantity does not exist in the standard.
To issue 10 identical NFTs under ERC-721, you must perform 10 separate minting operations and generate 10 different tokenId values (such as #1 to #10). Each ID has its own metadata and independent transfer history. The same applies to transfers: 10 NFTs require 10 separate transfer calls, and each one incurs a base gas fee.
This design suits assets where every single item must be individually identified and tracked: a piece of art, an ENS domain name, or a unique property certificate. You do not care about "how many copies there are," but rather "who owns this specific one."
ERC-1155: ID Is a "Type," Quantity Is "Inventory"
The meaning of tokenId in ERC-1155 changes. It no longer points to a unique item, but to an asset type. Under that type, the contract maintains how many copies each address holds.
For example, suppose you want to issue a "healing potion" in a game. In ERC-1155, you can mint only once, specifying id = 1 and amount = 1000. These 1000 potions share the same id and the same set of metadata, but the contract records "Address A holds 50 copies of id 1" and "Address B holds 200 copies of id 1." Standard ERC-1155 functions such as balanceOf return a balance, not a single owner.
If the total supply of a certain id happens to be 1, then it behaves like an NFT. Therefore, ERC-1155 can manage fungible tokens (such as game coins with a huge supply), semi-fungible tokens (such as limited-edition tickets with a supply of 500), and one-of-a-kind NFTs all within the same contract.
Batch Operations Are a Bonus, Not the Reason for Multiple Copies
ERC-1155 supports safeBatchTransferFrom, which can transfer multiple id types and multiple quantities in a single transaction. For example, you can transfer 50 copies of id 1 and 10 copies of id 2 to the same person in just one transaction.
The gas savings of this feature are significant in batch scenarios. But the reason it can batch is that the standard itself allows "multiple copies under the same id" and "one contract managing multiple id types." ERC-721 cannot achieve true batch transfers because each ID is an independent asset with a unique owner, and the contract layer has no native interface for "packing multiple IDs into one operation."
How to Decide Which Standard a Project Should Use
Ask whether what you want to express is "one thing" or "one type."
If your asset is narrative and unique—such as a 1/1 artwork, an identity marker, or a collectible with a specific serial number—ERC-721 is the more natural fit. Its ownerOf precisely answers "who owns this specific thing," and the market has long built indexing and display habits around this model.
If your asset is repeatable and batch-based—such as game items, event tickets, membership badges, or multiple licensed copies of the same song—ERC-1155 is more suitable. You do not need to generate a separate ID and metadata for each copy, and both minting and transfer costs are much lower. The trade-off is that when you want to track "ticket number 37," ERC-1155 itself does not provide that ability. You can only see "how many copies of a ticket type a certain address holds."
A common misunderstanding is that "ERC-1155 is an upgraded version of ERC-721." The two standards do not solve the same problem. ERC-721 guarantees precision at the individual level, while ERC-1155 optimizes efficiency at the type level. A project can absolutely use both in the same ecosystem: use ERC-721 for core collectibles, and ERC-1155 for consumable game resources or bulk passes.
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References
- Ethereum.org · ERC-1155 Multi-Token Standard, 2026-11-02
- EIP-721 · Non-Fungible Token Standard, 2026-11-02
- EIP-1155 · Multi Token Standard, 2026-11-02
- metapro · Token ERC-1155 vs ERC-721, 2026-11-02
- GitHub · EPF_Bootcamp notes on ERC-721 vs ERC-1155, 2026-11-02
