Slew Rate Bandwidth Calculator
An amplifier's slew rate limits how fast its output can swing, which caps the highest frequency at which it can reproduce a full-amplitude sine wave. Enter the slew rate and the peak output voltage to find the full-power bandwidth. The calculator also shows the slew rate that would be required to reach a target frequency at that amplitude, so you can check a part against your signal.
Slew rate and bandwidth formula
Full-power bandwidth f = SR / (2 * pi * Vpeak)
Slew rate needed = 2 * pi * f * Vpeak
where SR = slew rate (V/s), Vpeak = peak output (V)
These come from the maximum rate of change of a sine wave, which is 2 pi f Vpeak at the zero crossing.
Worked example
An op-amp with a slew rate of 10 V per microsecond (10,000,000 V/s) drives a 10 V peak output. Full-power bandwidth = 10,000,000 / (2 pi * 10) = 10,000,000 / 62.832 = 159,154.94 Hz, about 159 kHz. To reach 100,000 Hz at 10 V peak you would need 2 pi * 100,000 * 10 = 6,283,185.31 V/s, which this part exceeds.
Slew rate bandwidth: frequently asked questions
What is full-power bandwidth?
Full-power bandwidth is the highest frequency at which an amplifier can output a full-amplitude sine wave without slew-rate distortion: f = SR / (2 pi Vpeak), where SR is the slew rate and Vpeak is the peak output voltage.
What is slew rate?
Slew rate is the maximum rate at which an amplifier output voltage can change, usually quoted in volts per microsecond. A sine wave of amplitude Vpeak and frequency f needs a slew rate of at least 2 pi f Vpeak to be reproduced without distortion.
What units does this calculator use?
Enter the slew rate in volts per second and the peak output voltage in volts. For datasheet values in volts per microsecond, multiply by 1,000,000 to get volts per second. The frequency result is in hertz.
Why does higher amplitude lower the bandwidth?
A larger peak voltage means the output has further to travel each cycle, so at a fixed slew rate it can only do so up to a lower frequency. Full-power bandwidth therefore falls as the required output swing rises.
Sources
- NIST: SI units (volt, second, hertz).
- The full-power bandwidth relation follows from the maximum slope of a sine wave, a standard signal result.
Reviewed by the CalculatorHub team, edited by James Graham, 19 June 2026. See our methodology.