Fragment offset is counted in what unit?

• A. Bytes
• B. 8-byte units
• C. Bits
• D. Words

Answer: (B)

In IPv4 fragmentation, the fragment offset field specifies where a fragment’s data starts within the original datagram, and it is counted in 8-byte units. This means the value tells how many 8-byte blocks precede the fragment’s data. The design fits with the 13-bit offset field, allowing positions up to 8192 blocks, which equals 8192 × 8 bytes = 65,536 bytes of payload. Because most fragment payloads must be a multiple of 8 bytes, offsets align neatly to these eight-byte blocks, making reconstruction straightforward even if fragments arrive out of order. The last fragment can be shorter, and its position is still defined by multiplying the offset by 8 to locate its start within the original data.