IEEE frequency bands

The Institute for Electrical and Electronic Engineers (IEEE) has defined as standard IEEE Standard 521-1984, a system of IEEE frequency bands for electromagnetic frequencies used for radio and radar. There is no question that the names of the bands are confusing, and the history is obscure.

The terminology is used widely for radar, especially in civilian systems. The EU-NATO-US frequency bands for a nomenclature that works well in fine-grained radar band discussion, especially in electronic warfare.

The IEEE system is widely used, but lacks some fine granularity needed for discussing detailed radar examples, and only starts at 1 GHz; the designations below for the lower frequencies come from ITU frequency bands. The ITU designations are more useful when discussing radio.

Frequency range	IEEE band
300KHz-3 MHz	MF
3-30 MHz	HF
30-300 MHz	VHF
300 MHz -3 GHz*	UHF
1-2 GHz	L band
2-4 GHz	S band
4-8 GHz	C band
8-12 GHz	X band
12-18 GHz	Ku band
18-26 GHz	K band
27-40 GHz	Ka band
40-75 GHz	V band
75 to 110 GHz	W band

Millimeter wave frequencies begin at 18 GHz, with the K band and extend into the W band. Submillimeter wave start at the upper part of the W band, above 100 GHz; they blur into the longer infrared light frequencies.