WirelessBrewTools

Main Navigation

  • Home
  • Calculators & Tools
  • Technical Articles
  • Cheatsheets

Tool Categories

  • 5G NR
    • 5G NR & 4G LTE Frequency Bands
    • 5G NR & LTE Measurement Gap
    • 5G NR ARFCN Calculator
    • 5G NR GSCN to Frequency Calculator
    • 5G NR PRACH Configuration Calculator
    • 5G NR RRC Timers
    • 5G NR RSRP Measurements
    • 5G NR Throughput Calculator
    • 5QI/QoS Reference
    • Beam Failure Recovery Sandbox
    • BWP Calculator
    • Cell Selection Criterion
    • MAC CE Parser
    • MCS Table Reference
    • Measurement Events Simulator
    • Paging & Wake-Up Calculator
    • Resource Grid Explorer
    • RSRP Mapper
    • SCS & Numerology
    • SLIV/RIV/FDRA Calculator
    • SSB Configuration
    • TBS Calculator
    • Timing Advance Calculator
  • 4G LTE
    • 4G LTE EARFCN Calculator
    • LTE CQI Calculator
    • LTE PRACH Configuration Calculator
    • LTE RRC Timers
    • LTE Throughput Calculator
    • TDD Configuration
  • RF Tools
    • Antenna Downtilt Calculator
    • Antenna Gain Calculator
    • Cable Loss Calculator
    • Cell Range Calculator
    • EIRP Calculator
    • Fresnel Zone Calculator
    • Idle Mode Reselection
    • Link Budget Calculator
    • Path Loss Calculator
    • PCI Calculator
    • PIM Calculator
    • RSRP/RSRQ/SINR Calculator
  • Common RF
    • dB Calculator
    • dBm to Watt Converter
    • Free Space Path Loss Calculator
    • Thermal Noise Calculator
    • VSWR Calculator
  • Reference Tools
    • 3GPP Specs Reference
    • 3GPP Timeline
    • IMSI/IMEI Analyzer
    • Technology Comparison
    • UE Category Reference
  • Beta Releases
    • 3GPP NTN Satellite Planner
    • CORESET/PDCCH Calculator
Contact UsSettings
WirelessBrew
HomeCalculatorsCheatsheetsTechnical Articles
Tool Categories
5G NR
5G NR & 4G LTE Frequency Bands5G NR & LTE Measurement Gap5G NR ARFCN Calculator5G NR GSCN to Frequency Calculator5G NR PRACH Configuration Calculator5G NR RRC Timers5G NR RSRP Measurements5G NR Throughput Calculator5QI/QoS ReferenceBeam Failure Recovery SandboxBWP CalculatorCell Selection CriterionMAC CE ParserMCS Table ReferenceMeasurement Events SimulatorPaging & Wake-Up CalculatorResource Grid ExplorerRSRP MapperSCS & NumerologySLIV/RIV/FDRA CalculatorSSB ConfigurationTBS CalculatorTiming Advance Calculator
4G LTE
4G LTE EARFCN CalculatorLTE CQI CalculatorLTE PRACH Configuration CalculatorLTE RRC TimersLTE Throughput CalculatorTDD Configuration
RF Tools
Antenna Downtilt CalculatorAntenna Gain CalculatorCable Loss CalculatorCell Range CalculatorEIRP CalculatorFresnel Zone CalculatorIdle Mode ReselectionLink Budget CalculatorPath Loss CalculatorPCI CalculatorPIM CalculatorRSRP/RSRQ/SINR Calculator
Common RF
dB CalculatordBm to Watt ConverterFree Space Path Loss CalculatorThermal Noise CalculatorVSWR Calculator
Reference Tools
3GPP Specs Reference3GPP TimelineIMSI/IMEI AnalyzerTechnology ComparisonUE Category Reference
Beta Releases
3GPP NTN Satellite PlannerCORESET/PDCCH Calculator
Preferences
Share & Export
HomeTools5G NR
5G NR
modulation

MCS Table & Calculator

Analyze 3GPP Modulation and Coding Schemes for 5G NR and LTE. Includes eMBB, URLLC, and Low spectral efficiency tables.

Configuration

Mode Selection

3GPP Reference Table

5G NR MCS Table 1 (TS 38.214 Table 5.1.3.1-1 - eMBB)

29 entries
IndexModulationQAMRate × 1024Efficiency
0
QPSK41200.2344
1
QPSK41570.3066
2
QPSK41930.3770
3
QPSK42510.4902
4
QPSK43080.6016
5
QPSK43790.7402
6
QPSK44490.8770
7
QPSK45261.0273
8
QPSK46021.1758
9
QPSK46791.3262
10
16QAM163401.3281
11
16QAM163781.4766
12
16QAM164341.6953
13
16QAM164901.9141
14
16QAM165532.1602
15
16QAM166162.4063
16
16QAM166582.5703
17
64QAM644382.5664
18
64QAM644662.7305
19
64QAM645173.0293
20
64QAM645673.3223
21
64QAM646163.6094
22
64QAM646663.9023
23
64QAM647194.2129
24
64QAM647724.5234
25
64QAM648224.8164
26
64QAM648735.1152
27
64QAM649105.3320
28
256QAM2569487.4063

Analysis Console

Ready for Analysis

Select an MCS from the table or use quick lookup

Technical fundamentals

What is MCS?

The Modulation and Coding Scheme (MCS) index determines the modulation order and coding rate used for data transmission. Higher MCS values provide greater spectral efficiency but require better channel conditions (higher SINR).

Modulation types

QPSK: 2 bits
16QAM: 4 bits
64QAM: 6 bits
256QAM: 8 bits
1024QAM: 10 bits

Operational insights

Link Adaptation

The network dynamically adjusts MCS based on channel quality (CQI reports). Optimal conditions (High SINR) allow for higher order modulations like 256QAM, while poor conditions fallback to resilient QPSK.

3GPP Standard Tables

  • Table 1: Default eMBB
  • Table 2: Low Spectral Efficiency
  • Table 3: URLLC High Reliability
  • Table 4: Rel-18 1024QAM

Related Technical Articles & Tools

post5g nr

Beam Failure Detection and Recovery Procedure in 5G NR

post5g nr

Measurement Report: Event A4 in 5G NR

post5g nr

T319 RRC Timer in 5G NR

post5g nr

Conditional Handover (CHO) in 5G NR Release 16

post5g nr

SMTC in 5G NR: Measurement Timing Configuration Guide