5G NR-ARFCN Calculator
Convert between NR Absolute Radio-Frequency Channel Number (NR-ARFCN) and frequency in MHz for every 5G NR band — FR1 sub-6 GHz and FR2 mmWave — using the exact global frequency raster defined in 3GPP TS 38.104 §5.4.2.
Valid range: 0 – 3,279,165
Common ARFCN references
| Reference | ARFCN | Frequency (MHz) |
|---|---|---|
| n78 center | 636666 | 3500.000 |
| n77 center | 650000 | 3750.000 |
| n258 low (FR2) | 2016667 | 24250.080 |
| n1 DL low | 422000 | 2110.000 |
| n41 DL low | 499200 | 2496.000 |
Supported NR bands (TS 38.104)
| Band | FR | DL range (MHz) | ARFCN range | Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| n1 | FR1 | 2110–2170 | 422,000–434,000 | 2100 MHz IMT |
| n3 | FR1 | 1805–1880 | 361,000–376,000 | 1800 MHz DCS |
| n5 | FR1 | 869–894 | 173,800–178,800 | 850 MHz |
| n7 | FR1 | 2620–2690 | 524,000–538,000 | 2600 MHz IMT-E |
| n8 | FR1 | 925–960 | 185,000–192,000 | 900 MHz E-GSM |
| n28 | FR1 | 758–803 | 151,600–160,600 | 700 MHz APT |
| n38 | FR1 | 2570–2620 | 514,000–524,000 | 2600 MHz TDD |
| n41 | FR1 | 2496–2690 | 499,200–537,999 | 2500 MHz BRS/CBRS (TDD) |
| n66 | FR1 | 2110–2200 | 422,000–440,000 | AWS-3 |
| n77 | FR1 | 3300–4200 | 620,000–680,000 | C-band extended (TDD) |
| n78 | FR1 | 3300–3800 | 620,000–653,333 | C-band (TDD) |
| n79 | FR1 | 4400–5000 | 693,334–733,333 | 4.5 GHz (TDD) |
| n257 | FR2 | 26500–29500 | 2,054,166–2,104,165 | 28 GHz mmWave |
| n258 | FR2 | 24250–27500 | 2,016,667–2,070,832 | 26 GHz mmWave |
| n260 | FR2 | 37000–40000 | 2,229,166–2,279,165 | 39 GHz mmWave |
| n261 | FR2 | 27500–28350 | 2,070,833–2,084,999 | 28 GHz US mmWave |
About the NR-ARFCN
The NR Absolute Radio-Frequency Channel Number (NR-ARFCN) is the integer index 3GPP uses to address every carrier frequency on the 5G New Radio global frequency raster. Instead of carrying MHz values around in signalling, the gNB and the UE exchange a single integer — and both sides compute the corresponding RF centre using the same deterministic formula from 3GPP TS 38.104.
The global raster is piecewise: below 3 GHz the step Δf_global is 5 kHz, between 3 GHz and 24.25 GHz it is 15 kHz, and above 24.25 GHz in the FR2 mmWave range it is 60 kHz. The reference formula is F_REF = F_REF-Offs + Δf_global × (N_REF − N_REF-Offs). Our calculator applies the exact offsets (0, 600000, 2016667) and raster steps to give you a value accurate to the raster grid.
Who uses this calculator?
RF planning engineers use NR-ARFCN math when laying out sector frequencies and neighbour relations in MOCN and non-MOCN deployments. Field engineers look it up during commissioning to validate that a cell is broadcasting on the correct carrier. Drive testers and RF optimisers map scanner captures from frequency to ARFCN and back while troubleshooting PCI collisions, missing neighbours and handover failures. Protocol testers — anyone working with RRCReconfiguration, MeasObjectNR or SIB1 freqBandIndicatorNR — will see ARFCNs in every log and need to translate them on the fly.
Related concepts
- LTE EARFCN Converter — the 4G equivalent from TS 36.101.
- 5G Numerology Planner — subcarrier spacing & slot timing.
- Wavelength ↔ Frequency — useful for antenna element sizing.
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