Propagation Delay Calculator
Calculate signal travel time from distance and medium type. Includes transmission delay, RTT, and bandwidth-delay product.
Inputs
Results
Propagation Delay
0.334 ms
Total One-Way Delay
0.346 ms
Round-Trip Time
0.691 ms
How to Use This Calculator
- Enter the link distance and select the transmission medium (free space, fiber, coax, or microwave).
- Enter data rate (Mbps) and packet size (bytes) if transmission delay is also needed.
- Review propagation delay in ms and us and transmission delay in us.
- Use total one-way delay for latency-sensitive applications like VoIP, trading, and video conferencing.
How the result changes with Distance
| Distance | Propagation Delay | Total One-Way Delay | Round-Trip Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10,000 | 33.356 ms | 33.368 ms | 66.737 ms |
| 35,000 | 116.747 ms | 116.759 ms | 233.519 ms |
| 65,000 | 216.817 ms | 216.829 ms | 433.657 ms |
| 90,000 | 300.208 ms | 300.22 ms | 600.439 ms |
What each input means
- Distance
- Distance between source and destination in kilometers
- Transmission Medium
- 1=Free Space/Air, 2=Coaxial Cable, 3=Fiber Optic, 4=Cat6 Copper
- Data Rate
- Link data rate in megabits per second
- Packet Size
- Packet size in bytes (Ethernet MTU = 1500 bytes)
How this is calculated
Formula
Delay = Distance / (c × Velocity Factor)Worked example, using the default values
- Identify Input Parameters4 parametersDistance = 100, Transmission Medium = 1, Data Rate = 1000, Packet Size = 1500 = 4 input(s) provided
- Calculate Propagation DelayPropagation Delay0.334 = 0.334
- Calculate Total One-Way DelayTotal One-Way Delay0.346 = 0.346
- Calculate Round-Trip TimeRound-Trip Time0.691 = 0.691
- Calculate Propagation DelayPropagation Delay333.56 = 333.56
- Calculate Transmission DelayTransmission Delay12 = 12
Engine last updated . Checked against 3 independently-derived tests — how we verify calculators.
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