📡 Network Throughput Calculator
Calculate real-world throughput, transfer times, and bandwidth utilization using IEEE standards & protocol overhead data
| Standard | Line Speed | Effective Throughput (TCP) | IEEE Spec | Medium | Max Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fast Ethernet | 100 Mbps | ~94 Mbps | 802.3u | Cat5e / Fiber | 100 m / 2 km |
| Gigabit Ethernet | 1000 Mbps | ~940 Mbps | 802.3ab | Cat5e+ / Fiber | 100 m / 70 km |
| 2.5GbE | 2500 Mbps | ~2350 Mbps | 802.3bz | Cat5e / Cat6 | 100 m |
| 5GbE | 5000 Mbps | ~4700 Mbps | 802.3bz | Cat6 / Cat6A | 100 m |
| 10 Gigabit | 10000 Mbps | ~9400 Mbps | 802.3an | Cat6A / Fiber | 55–100 m |
| 25 Gigabit | 25000 Mbps | ~23500 Mbps | 802.3cc | SFP28 / Fiber | 70 m (DAC) |
| 40 Gigabit | 40000 Mbps | ~37600 Mbps | 802.3ba | QSFP+ / Fiber | 150 m |
| 100 Gigabit | 100000 Mbps | ~94000 Mbps | 802.3bs | QSFP28 / Fiber | 100 m – 40 km |
| Wi-Fi 5 (AC) | 867 Mbps | ~450 Mbps | 802.11ac | 5 GHz RF | ~35 m indoor |
| Wi-Fi 6 (AX) | 2400 Mbps | ~1200 Mbps | 802.11ax | 2.4/5 GHz RF | ~30 m indoor |
| Wi-Fi 6E | 4800 Mbps | ~2400 Mbps | 802.11ax | 6 GHz RF | ~25 m indoor |
| File Size | 100 Mbps (Fast Eth) | 1 Gbps (Gigabit) | 10 Gbps | 40 Gbps |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 100 MB | ~8.5 sec | ~0.85 sec | ~0.09 sec | ~0.02 sec |
| 1 GB | ~85 sec | ~8.5 sec | ~0.85 sec | ~0.21 sec |
| 10 GB | ~14.2 min | ~1.4 min | ~8.5 sec | ~2.1 sec |
| 100 GB | ~2.4 hrs | ~14.2 min | ~1.4 min | ~21 sec |
| 1 TB | ~23.6 hrs | ~2.4 hrs | ~14.2 min | ~3.5 min |
| 10 TB | ~9.8 days | ~23.6 hrs | ~2.4 hrs | ~35 min |
| Scenario | Link Speed | Effective Throughput | Streams | Transfer (10 GB) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home NAS (Gigabit) | 1 Gbps | ~940 Mbps | 1 | ~1.4 min |
| Home NAS (2.5GbE) | 2.5 Gbps | ~2350 Mbps | 1 | ~35 sec |
| Proxmox 3-Node (10G) | 10 Gbps | ~9400 Mbps | 3 | ~8.5 sec |
| iSCSI SAN (10G) | 10 Gbps | ~9024 Mbps | 1 | ~8.9 sec |
| VPN Tunnel (1G) | 1 Gbps | ~752 Mbps | 1 | ~1.75 min |
| Wi-Fi 6 AP (10 clients) | 2400 Mbps | ~120 Mbps/client | 10 | ~6.7 min/client |
| Data Center (100G) | 100 Gbps | ~94 Gbps | 1 | ~0.85 sec |
Network Throughput points to the speed by which messages successfully reach the target through channels. Look at it as the real data flow through nets, for instance Ethernet, wireless or other systems. The information can run through physical or virtual connections, or pass through nodes along the path.
Here is something that commonly confuses users. Network Throughput and bandwidth do not match. Bandwidth shows the biggest ability of a net to handle data, while Network Throughput describes what genuinely happens in practice.
What is Network Throughput?
A connection maybe has bandwidth of 100 Mbps however the actual Network Throughput could be much more low, said around 1 Mbps. That causes serious problems.
The speed plays a lead role during rating of net activity. The time that a packet requires to go from sender to receiver decides how many pieces of data successfully arrive in a certain period. Network Throughput depends on net speed, bandwidth and delay.
Delay is the duration that must pass for the first bit to reach the target. Network Throughput then shows how quiclky the rest of the parts follow. Both elements matter, but they have different downsides.
Bandwidth is usually measured in bits each second, even so current nets fit more, commonly in millions or even billions of bits each second. Network Throughput always stays under bandwidth, because that is only theory, not the practical movement of data. Nets commonly hit obstacles that waste the activity, hence Network Throughput usually differs from the maximum.
Network Throughput is measured in bits each second. It can also appear as data packets each second. During testing of Network Throughput, one advises to take an average to well describe the hole output.
One can measure Network Throughput at various levels, for instance different layers of OSI.
Electrical noise can destroy everything. Bandwidth and connection speed seem good, but Network Throughput drops badly, because data sends and later fails. In the end each believes that the net is too slow.
A connection only runs at its slowest part. Network Throughput never passes the speed of the weakest link in the chain. When data is pushed past the bandwidth limit, the extra part drops or disappears.
That worsens Network Throughput, because the wasted bits need to resend.
Testing Network Throughput is fairly easy. Programs like iperf and iperf3 are commonly used. One computer works as a server, the second sends data.
Launching iperf3 between a wired and wireless device, one gets a reliable rating of real Network Throughput. There are also calculators for TCP Network Throughput, that consider delay, packet loss and window size to estimate the maximum activity.
A sample explains things better. If Network Throughput is 64 KB each second, copying a 1 MB file would last around 15.6 seconds. That shows a big gap compared to simple numbers from bandwidth.
Here is also an important spot. With around 100 MB each second in practice, that almost fills a gigabit net, when one considerseverything else that the net must carry.
