Nov 1, 2026 · 3 mins read
How to read a route table without fooling yourself
The biggest output number is a good start and a poor finish. Fee, cost against the current price and your minimum tell you the rest.
Every row in the table answers one question: if this amount went through this route at this block, what comes out? All rows are read at the same block, so they can be compared with each other. They cannot be compared with a screenshot from a minute ago.
Expected output
This is what the venue's own quoter returned. It already includes the pool fee. If the route has a token that taxes transfers, the quote may include that too, or may not: it depends on the venue and the direction.
Cost against current price
The site prices your amount at each pool's price right now, with no fee and no movement, and compares it with the quote. The gap is price impact plus fees. A large gap on a small trade tells you the pool is thin.
Minimum received
This is your slippage setting applied to the expected output, and it is what the transaction enforces. If the pool moves past it, the swap reverts and you lose only gas. Set it wider and you accept worse fills; set it too tight and the swap fails more often.
A hook on the route
A Uniswap v4 pool may carry a hook, which runs code during your swap. The table flags it. The quoter simulated the hook as it behaves at this block, and that is all anyone can say about it from here.