Video File Size Calculator — Estimate Storage by Bitrate
Enter the video duration, video bitrate (Mbps) and audio bitrate (kbps) to estimate the resulting file size in MB or GB, see the video-to-audio storage split, and find out how many clips fit on a memory card.
min
s
Mbps
kbps
Based on bitrate × duration — actual size varies slightly by container overhead
194.7 MB
totalVideo
96.3%
Audio
3.7%
- 1
Duration (seconds)
5 × 60 + 0 = 300 - 2
Audio bitrate (Mbps)
192 ÷ 1000 = 0.192 - 3
Total bitrate
5 + 0.192 Mbps = 5.192 - 4
File size (MB)
5.192 × 300 ÷ 8 = 194.7
How does this calculator work?
Video file size (MB) = (video bitrate Mbps + audio bitrate kbps/1000) × duration seconds / 8. A 5-minute clip at 5 Mbps video + 192 kbps audio totals about 190 MB. Higher bitrate = better quality but more storage. Enter your camera's bitrate spec for an accurate estimate.
Formula
How this is calculated
Video file size is determined almost entirely by the total bitrate — the number of bits per second the encoder produces. The formula is straightforward: file size (MB) = (total bitrate in Mbps) × (duration in seconds) / 8, because 1 byte = 8 bits and 1 MB = 1 bit × 8 / (1 000 000). Audio bitrates are typically expressed in kbps (kilobits/s) and divided by 1 000 to convert to Mbps before adding to the video bitrate.
Typical video bitrates depend heavily on resolution, codec and quality setting. Streaming 1080p H.264 might use 2–8 Mbps; a Sony FX3 shooting 4K 10-bit XAVC-S uses 200 Mbps; Apple ProRes 4444 at 4K can reach 1 000 Mbps. Audio is a small fraction of total size: a stereo 192 kbps AAC track adds 0.192 Mbps or about 1.44 MB per minute — negligible against a 40 Mbps video stream but visible at low video bitrates.
Container overhead (MP4, MOV, MKV headers and metadata) is typically 0.1–1% of file size and is not modelled here. The estimate is therefore accurate to within 1–2% for most practical purposes. For uncompressed or RAW frame sizes, use the companion Video Frame Size Calculator.
Frequently asked questions
YouTube recommends 8 Mbps for 1080p 30fps H.264. DSLR and mirrorless cameras recording H.264 typically produce 24–100 Mbps. High-quality cinema codecs like ProRes 422 at 1080p produce about 147 Mbps. Higher bitrate gives better quality but larger files; streaming services compress to 2–8 Mbps for delivery.
It depends heavily on the bitrate. A streaming 4K H.265 file at 15 Mbps = 6.75 GB/hour. A mirrorless camera at 100 Mbps = 45 GB/hour. Cinema ProRes 4444 at 1 000 Mbps = 450 GB/hour. Enter your camera's bitrate spec into the calculator for the exact estimate.
The formula uses average bitrate. Variable bitrate (VBR) encoders allocate more bits to complex scenes and fewer to simple ones — the reported bitrate is an average. Container headers, metadata, chapter markers and codec overhead also add a small fixed amount (usually under 1%). For VBR content the estimate is accurate to within 5%.
Also known as
TG we-Calculate Editorial Team. (2026). Video File Size Calculator — Estimate Storage by Bitrate [Online calculator]. TG we-Calculate. https://we-calculate.com/calculator/video-size-calculator
TG we-Calculate Editorial Team. "Video File Size Calculator — Estimate Storage by Bitrate." TG we-Calculate. 2026. https://we-calculate.com/calculator/video-size-calculator.
TG we-Calculate Editorial Team, "Video File Size Calculator — Estimate Storage by Bitrate," TG we-Calculate, 2026. [Online]. Available: https://we-calculate.com/calculator/video-size-calculator
@misc{wecalculate_video_size_calculator, title = {Video File Size Calculator — Estimate Storage by Bitrate}, author = {{TG we-Calculate Editorial Team}}, howpublished = {\url{https://we-calculate.com/calculator/video-size-calculator}}, year = {2026}, note = {TG we-Calculate} }
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