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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

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