Encapsulation Overhead Calculator
Stack VLAN tags, GRE, VXLAN and IPsec to see total per-packet overhead, goodput and remaining MTU.
Inputs
Total Overhead per Packet
54bytes
Share of the Frame
5.12%
Payload Goodput
9,487.67Mbps
MTU Left from 1500 B
1,446bytes
Encapsulation Stack
802.1Q x1 + VXLAN 50 bytes
Step by step
Values used
Inner packet size = 1,000 bytes; 802.1Q tags (QinQ = 2) = 1 tags; Add GRE (24 B) = No; Add VXLAN (50 B) = Yes; IPsec protection = None; Link rate = 10,000 Mbps
Encapsulation Overhead
total overhead = 4 × VLAN tags + 24 (GRE) + 50 (VXLAN) + IPsec ESP bytes; goodput = link rate × payload ÷ (payload + overhead).
Total Overhead per Packet
= 54 bytes
Share of the Frame
= 5.12
Payload Goodput
= 9,487.67 Mbps
MTU Left from 1500 B
= 1,446 bytes
Encapsulation Stack
= 802.1Q x1 + VXLAN 50 bytes
How it works
Overheads stack additively because each layer wraps the one below, so a VXLAN frame inside an IPsec tunnel with a service tag pays for all three headers. Goodput is the payload's share of the resulting frame at line rate. Stacked encapsulation is how a 10G link quietly delivers 8.9G of useful data, and it is what determines whether jumbo frames are mandatory in the underlay.
Formula
Encapsulation Overhead
total overhead = 4 × VLAN tags + 24 (GRE) + 50 (VXLAN) + IPsec ESP bytes; goodput = link rate × payload ÷ (payload + overhead).
- VLAN tag
- 4 bytes each — two for QinQ service provider tagging
- ESP bytes
- 56 for AES-GCM, up to 73 with AES-CBC and a SHA integrity check
Frequently Asked Questions
How is Encapsulation Overhead calculated?
total overhead = 4 × VLAN tags + 24 (GRE) + 50 (VXLAN) + IPsec ESP bytes; goodput = link rate × payload ÷ (payload + overhead). Overheads stack additively because each layer wraps the one below, so a VXLAN frame inside an IPsec tunnel with a service tag pays for all three headers. Goodput is the payload's share of the resulting frame at line rate.
Why does Encapsulation Overhead matter?
Stacked encapsulation is how a 10G link quietly delivers 8.9G of useful data, and it is what determines whether jumbo frames are mandatory in the underlay.
What values do I need to enter?
This calculator takes 6 inputs: Inner packet size, 802.1Q tags (QinQ = 2), Add GRE (24 B), Add VXLAN (50 B), IPsec protection, Link rate. The pre-filled defaults are a realistic starting point — replace them with figures from your own environment for a result you can act on.