Aspects are provided which allow for a base station to transmit code blocks according to a frequency first per layer (FFPL) mapping, and for a UE to decode received code blocks according to the FFPL mapping. The base station maps a plurality of code blocks to multiple layers, where each of the code blocks is mapped to a plurality of resource elements initially by frequency and subsequently by time on only a single layer of the multiple layers. The base station then transmits data including the code blocks to a UE. Afterwards, the UE receives the data including the mapped code blocks in multiple layers from the base station, and the UE decodes the code blocks based on the mapping. Thus, improvements in link efficiency, reliability, and reduced power consumption compared to frequency first (FF) mapping approaches may be achieved.