A 1-D finite electromagnetic bandgap (EBG) periodic structure is studied. In the structure, EBG behaviour arises from a unit cell comprised of a metallic patch sandwiched between microstrip line and ground plane. Reactive loading offered by patch size determines the bandgap position. A detailed parametric study of various physical structure parameters is presented as a basis to develop a interrelation between physical parameters of the structure and cutoff frequencies. Closed-form synthesis equations are then formulated using curve fitting techniques. Subsequently, a step-by-step design methodology is presented to get a close first pass approximation of structure dimensions for a given specification. This design method reduces the effort required for a designer to perform extensive electromagnetic simulations at early stages of the design. The proposed synthesis method is tested for a variety of commercially available substrates and different frequency ranges for validation. Comparison with electromagnetic (EM) simulations and measurement show that the proposed synthesis method provides first pass approximation of the physical structure dimensions with 94% accuracy. INDEX TERMS Bandstop filter, electromagnetic bandgap, filter design, microstrip line, periodic structure.