A method for static rate flow control includes receiving a sequence of data packets for transmission over a network, including at least first and second packets having a common destination address on the network, the first and second packets having respective first and second lengths, and transmitting the first packet to the destination address. Responsive to transmitting the first packet, an entry is placed in a flow control table, and a timeout period is set for the entry responsive to the first length. The second packet is transmitted only after the timeout period has expired.