RF Toolbox

Stripline Calculator

Stripline is a flat conductor sandwiched symmetrically between two ground planes. It is a fully shielded TEM medium — no dispersion, no radiation, lower loss than microstrip. Common in multilayer PCBs for RF routing and controlled-impedance backplanes.

Equations & Parameters ▸
\(Z_0 = \dfrac{60}{\sqrt{\varepsilon_r}}\ln\!\left(\dfrac{4b}{0.67\pi w_{\rm eff}(0.8+t/w)}\right)\)
wTrace width (mm).
bTotal substrate height (mm) — distance between the two ground planes.
tTrace thickness (mm).
εᵣDielectric constant of the filling material. FR4 ≈ 4.4.
Z₀Characteristic impedance. The trace is centred between the planes.
vₚPhase velocity = c/√εᵣ. Stripline is fully embedded so vₚ has no air correction.
Physical constants used
cSpeed of light = 2.998×10⁸ m/s
µ₀Permeability of free space = 4π×10⁻⁷ H/m ≈ 1.2566×10⁻⁶ H/m
ε₀Permittivity of free space = 8.854×10⁻¹² F/m
Inputs
mm
mm
total gap between ground planes
mm
1 oz Cu = 0.035 mm
FR4≈4.4, Rogers4003≈3.55
Results

Electrical

Characteristic impedance, Z₀
Phase velocity, vₚ
Capacitance/length
Inductance/length
Diagram