TCP Packets Retransmission Size Larger than 1460

Filter: (tcp.analysis.retransmission || tcp.analysis.out_of_order) and tcp.len > 1460

Statistic of retransmitted packets which tcp.len > 1460.

For Ethernet, the standard MTU is 1500 bytes (this is the payload size inside the Ethernet frame, not including headers).

Packet Size with MTU 1500

Ethernet Header: 14 bytes

IP Header: 20 bytes (IPv4, without options)

TCP Header: 20 bytes (without options)

Data (payload): Up to 1460 bytes (1500 − 20 − 20)

Common MTU Sizes

Technology / Protocol Typical MTU (bytes) Notes

Ethernet (standard) 1500 Most common MTU on LANs.

Ethernet (with VLAN tag, 802.1Q) 1500 (payload) / 1522 (frame size) VLAN tag adds 4 bytes but doesn’t change MTU.

Jumbo Frames 9000 (sometimes 9216) Used in data centers, storage (iSCSI, NFS). Must be supported end-to-end.

PPPoE 1492 8-byte PPPoE header reduces MTU.

GRE Tunnel ~1476 GRE adds 24 bytes overhead.

IPSec VPN (ESP in tunnel mode) ~1400–1430 Depends on encryption/auth overhead.

DSL (PPPoE/ATM) 1492 or lower (e.g., 1454) Encapsulation overhead reduces MTU.

Wi-Fi (802.11) 1500 Same as Ethernet by default.

Loopback (localhost) 65535 Typically max possible size.

IPv6 minimum link MTU 1280 Required by standard, though most use 1500.

Please compare "TCP Packets Retransmission" and "TCP Packets Retransmission Size Larger than 1460" report.

Please verify path MTU between two endpoints if most of transmitted packets are with size larger than 1460.

How to verify path MTU:

Linux / macOS

Use ping with DF flag (-M do) and gradually increase size:

ping -M do -s 1472 <destination>

-M do → don’t fragment