Calculate skin depth (δ) for copper, aluminum, silver, and gold at any RF frequency. Shows how RF current concentrates on the conductor surface and its impact on resistance.
Interactive Skin Depth Calculator
Skin Depth Calculator
Skin Depth δ
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Surface Resistance Rs
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Minimum conductor thickness
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Skin Depth Reference Table (Copper)
Frequency
Skin Depth δ
Rs (mΩ/sq)
3δ (min thickness)
100 MHz
6.61 µm
2.61
19.8 µm
900 MHz
2.20 µm
7.82
6.60 µm
2.4 GHz
1.35 µm
12.8
4.06 µm
5 GHz
0.94 µm
18.4
2.82 µm
28 GHz
0.40 µm
43.5
1.20 µm
77 GHz
0.24 µm
72.1
0.72 µm
Design Implications
Standard 1 oz copper PCB trace (35 µm) is always >> 3δ → full conductance at all cellular frequencies
Gold plating: must be >3δ for good conductance: 3 µm minimum at 2.4 GHz
PCB surface roughness Ra ≈ 1–3 µm: comparable to δ at 10 GHz → significant conductor loss increase
RF View: Skin depth is computed in RF View's Utilities tab for copper and other conductors at any frequency. Use skin depth results to specify minimum plating thickness for connectors and PCB vias. Free on Android.