Article Memecoins
Why $ARMORED trades against ORE: pump.fun pairs and swap routes, explained
Most pump.fun coins are priced in SOL. A few use another token, and $ARMORED uses ORE, the capped Solana token handed out by a mining game. Here is what a pair token is, how your swap gets there and what it changes for you.
In short
- A pump.fun coin is priced in its pair token: SOL, USDC or, for custom pairs, another token.
- $ARMORED's pair is ORE, so buying with USDC or SOL routes through ORE first.
- Its dollar value moves with both the $ARMORED price in ORE and ORE's own price.
- Its holder rewards are paid in ORE, a token capped at 3,000,000.
Words you'll meet
- Pair token
- The token a coin is priced and traded in, such as SOL, USDC or ORE.
- Custom pair
- pump.fun's name for a coin paired with a token other than SOL or USDC.
- Route
- The path a swap takes through other tokens to reach the one you want.
- Hop
- One step of a route, such as USDC to ORE.
More words, explained plainly: the StonkBuilder Learn glossary ↗
What a pair token is
Every pump.fun coin trades against one other token, its pair. You pay with the pair token when you buy, and receive it when you sell. SOL is the default, and USDC has been an option since May 2026.[1] A coin can also be created with another supported token, which pump.fun's docs call a custom pair.[2]
pump.fun's Holder Rewards list shows coins paired with tokens such as PUMP and wrapped bitcoin.[3] $ARMORED's account on Solana shows its pair is ORE.[4]
Why ORE?
ORE is a Solana token with a hard cap of 3,000,000, handed out through a mining game, and its site calls it a store of value.[5] Pairing with ORE means $ARMORED's holder rewards arrive in ORE, a token people already hold for its own reasons. The page calls it the $ORE flywheel. Our plain guide to ORE explains the mining game.
How your swap gets there
You rarely hold ORE before you buy. That's fine: Jupiter, Solana's swap router, finds a path through ORE for you, and your wallet still signs one transaction.[6]
- From USDC: USDC to ORE, then ORE to $ARMORED on pump.fun.
- From SOL: when we checked, Jupiter routed SOL to ORE through a Meteora pool, then ORE to $ARMORED on pump.fun.
- From ORE: straight to pump.fun, one hop.
Each hop has its own fee and its own price impact. The pump.fun hop pays 3% to $ARMORED holders and 0.95% to pump.fun.[4][1]
Two prices, not one
On pump.fun, $ARMORED's price is set in ORE. Its value in dollars is that price times ORE's dollar price. So two things move it.
| If… | $ARMORED in ORE | Value in dollars |
|---|---|---|
| People buy $ARMORED | Goes up | Goes up |
| People sell $ARMORED | Goes down | Goes down |
| ORE rises, nothing else changes | Same | Goes up |
| ORE falls, nothing else changes | Same | Goes down |
Graduation, in ORE
$ARMORED's bonding curve fills up in ORE instead of SOL. It was still on its curve when we checked on 2 October 2026. When the last curve coin sells, it will move to a PumpSwap pool paired with ORE, like any pump.fun coin.[7]
Questions people ask
Can pump.fun coins trade against tokens other than SOL?
Yes. USDC has been an option since May 2026, and pump.fun's docs describe custom pairs with other supported tokens. $ARMORED is paired with ORE.
Do I need ORE to buy $ARMORED?
No. Jupiter routes USDC or SOL through ORE for you in one transaction.
Why is my $ARMORED worth less when ORE falls?
Its price on pump.fun is set in ORE. If ORE's dollar price falls, $ARMORED's dollar value falls with it, even if nobody trades $ARMORED.
What is ORE?
A Solana token with a hard cap of 3,000,000, handed out through a mining game. Our ORE guide explains it.
Go deeper in our project communities
Sources
- pump.fun: Fees ↗pump.fun/docs/fees
- pump.fun public docs: Coin creation and quote tokens ↗github.com/pump-fun/pump-public-docs/blob/main/docs/instructions/COIN_CREATION.md
- pump.fun: Holder rewards ↗pump.fun/holder-rewards
- Solscan: $ARMORED's pump.fun bonding-curve account (holder rewards, 3%, ORE pair) ↗solscan.io/account/HC3F6FwngZiP1qqSbFncrAAa8MxJYgYgLsE34mN8AdvU
- ORE: What is ORE? ↗ore.com/learn/what-is-ore
- Jupiter docs: Ultra Mode ↗docs.jup.ag/user-docs/trade/spot/ultra-mode
- pump.fun public docs: The Pump program (bonding curve and graduation) ↗github.com/pump-fun/pump-public-docs/blob/main/docs/PUMP_PROGRAM_README.md
Checked on 2 Oct 2026. Projects change their fees and features; the linked pages are the source of truth.
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