Audio File Size Calculator
A 3 minute CD quality stereo track takes about 31.75 MB as an uncompressed file.
Quick answer: Multiply sample rate, bit depth, channels and seconds, then divide by 8. For example, 44,100 Hz, 16-bit, 2 ch, 180 s is 31.752 MB, 48,000 Hz, 24-bit, 2 ch, 60 s is 17.28 MB and 44,100 Hz, 16-bit, 1 ch, 300 s is 26.46 MB.
The audio file size formula
File size in bytes equals sample rate times bit depth times channels times seconds, divided by 8.
Divide by 1,000,000 for MB, or by 1,048,576 for MiB.
Take 44,100 Hz, 16-bit, 2 ch, 180 s. 44,100 × 16 × 2 × 180 ÷ 8 gives 31.752 MB.
Take 48,000 Hz, 24-bit, 2 ch, 60 s. 48,000 × 24 × 2 × 60 ÷ 8 gives 17.28 MB.
Uncompressed audio is just a multiplication
Uncompressed audio stores every sample, so the bit rate is the sample rate times the bit depth times the channels (The Audio Archive: Audio bit rate and file size).
Multiply the bit rate by the time in seconds and divide by 8 to turn bits into bytes.
How to convert audio file size step by step
- Read the sample rate, the bit depth, the number of channels and the length in seconds.
- Multiply the four numbers together.
- Divide by 8 to get bytes.
- Divide by 1,000,000 for MB, or by 1,048,576 for MiB.
Example 1: 44,100 Hz, 16-bit, 2 ch, 180 s
- Start with 44,100 Hz, 16-bit, 2 ch, 180 s.
- 44,100 × 16 × 2 × 180 ÷ 8 = 31.752.
- The file size is 31.752 MB.
44,100 Hz, 16-bit, 2 ch, 180 s = 31.752 MB
Example 2: 48,000 Hz, 24-bit, 2 ch, 60 s
- Start with 48,000 Hz, 24-bit, 2 ch, 60 s.
- 48,000 × 24 × 2 × 60 ÷ 8 = 17.28.
- The file size is 17.28 MB.
48,000 Hz, 24-bit, 2 ch, 60 s = 17.28 MB
Example 3: 44,100 Hz, 16-bit, 1 ch, 300 s
- Start with 44,100 Hz, 16-bit, 1 ch, 300 s.
- 44,100 × 16 × 1 × 300 ÷ 8 = 26.46.
- The file size is 26.46 MB.
44,100 Hz, 16-bit, 1 ch, 300 s = 26.46 MB
The three examples below use common sizes.
Each one shows the sum in full.
audio file size conversion table
| Format and length | File size (MB) | File size (MiB) |
|---|---|---|
| 44,100 Hz, 16-bit, 2 ch, 60 s | 10.584 MB | 10.094 MiB |
| 44,100 Hz, 16-bit, 2 ch, 180 s | 31.752 MB | 30.281 MiB |
| 44,100 Hz, 16-bit, 2 ch, 240 s | 42.336 MB | 40.375 MiB |
| 44,100 Hz, 16-bit, 1 ch, 300 s | 26.46 MB | 25.234 MiB |
| 48,000 Hz, 16-bit, 2 ch, 3,600 s | 691.2 MB | 659.18 MiB |
| 48,000 Hz, 16-bit, 2 ch, 180 s | 34.56 MB | 32.959 MiB |
| 48,000 Hz, 24-bit, 2 ch, 60 s | 17.28 MB | 16.479 MiB |
| 48,000 Hz, 24-bit, 1 ch, 600 s | 86.4 MB | 82.397 MiB |
| 96,000 Hz, 24-bit, 2 ch, 60 s | 34.56 MB | 32.959 MiB |
| 96,000 Hz, 24-bit, 2 ch, 120 s | 69.12 MB | 65.918 MiB |
| 22,050 Hz, 8-bit, 1 ch, 30 s | 0.6615 MB | 0.6309 MiB |
| 44,100 Hz, 24-bit, 2 ch, 240 s | 63.504 MB | 60.562 MiB |
The highlighted row is the default of the calculator. The last column gives MiB.
A quick mental shortcut for audio file size
CD quality stereo takes about 10.58 MB per minute. So 3 minutes is about 31.75 MB.
Double the length and the size doubles. Go from stereo to mono and the size halves.
CD quality
An audio CD uses 44.1 kHz, 16-bit and two channels (Replicat: CD Red Book standard). That gives 1,411.2 kbps, which is about 10.584 MB per minute.
A full 74 minute disc of audio is 74 times 60 seconds, which is 4,440 seconds, so about 783.2 MB of audio.
Worked examples
One hour at 48,000 Hz, 16-bit and stereo is about 691.2 MB. One minute at 48,000 Hz, 24-bit and stereo is about 17.28 MB.
Five minutes at 44,100 Hz, 16-bit and mono is about 26.46 MB.
MB and MiB
An MB is 1,000,000 bytes and a MiB is 1,048,576 bytes, so the MiB figure is about 4.6 percent smaller.
A 31.752 MB file is about 30.28 MiB. Computers often show sizes in MiB.
Compressed files
This page is for uncompressed audio such as WAV. Formats such as MP3 or AAC use compression, so they are much smaller.
Use the data rate of the compressed file to estimate its size instead.
Quick conversion answers
| Conversion | Result |
|---|---|
| 44,100 Hz, 16-bit, 2 ch, 180 s | 31.752 MB |
| 48,000 Hz, 24-bit, 2 ch, 60 s | 17.28 MB |
| 44,100 Hz, 16-bit, 1 ch, 300 s | 26.46 MB |
| 96,000 Hz, 24-bit, 2 ch, 120 s | 69.12 MB |
Where this conversion is used
Musicians and editors plan disk space for recordings.
Students link sample rate and bit depth to size.
Common mistakes to avoid
- Forgetting the divide by 8. The answer would be in bits, not bytes.
- Mixing MB and MiB. They differ by about 4.6 percent.
- Counting one channel. Stereo has two.
- Using this for MP3 or AAC. Compressed files are smaller.
Related converters
More formats and lengths
8,000 Hz, 16-bit, 1 ch, 60 s is 0.96 MB. 22,050 Hz, 16-bit, 1 ch, 120 s is 5.292 MB. 32,000 Hz, 16-bit, 2 ch, 90 s is 11.52 MB.
44,100 Hz, 16-bit, 2 ch, 30 s is 5.292 MB. 44,100 Hz, 16-bit, 2 ch, 600 s is 105.8 MB. 48,000 Hz, 16-bit, 1 ch, 120 s is 11.52 MB.
48,000 Hz, 24-bit, 2 ch, 300 s is 86.4 MB. 88,200 Hz, 24-bit, 2 ch, 60 s is 31.75 MB. 96,000 Hz, 16-bit, 2 ch, 200 s is 76.8 MB.
Doubling the first number
16,000 Hz, 16-bit, 1 ch, 60 s is 1.92 MB. 44,100 Hz, 16-bit, 1 ch, 120 s is 10.58 MB. 64,000 Hz, 16-bit, 2 ch, 90 s is 23.04 MB.
88,200 Hz, 16-bit, 2 ch, 30 s is 10.58 MB. 88,200 Hz, 16-bit, 2 ch, 600 s is 211.7 MB. 96,000 Hz, 16-bit, 1 ch, 120 s is 23.04 MB.
96,000 Hz, 24-bit, 2 ch, 300 s is 172.8 MB. 176,400 Hz, 24-bit, 2 ch, 60 s is 63.5 MB. 192,000 Hz, 16-bit, 2 ch, 200 s is 153.6 MB.
Frequently asked questions
How do I calculate audio file size?
Multiply rate, bits, channels and seconds, divide by 8, then by 1,000,000 for MB.
How big is 3 minutes of CD quality audio?
About 31.75 MB.
How big is 1 hour at 48 kHz, 16-bit stereo?
About 691.2 MB.
What is the difference between MB and MiB?
A MiB is 1,048,576 bytes and an MB is 1,000,000 bytes.
Does this work for MP3?
No. It is for uncompressed audio.
What changes if I use mono?
The size halves.
Sources
- The Audio Archive: Audio bit rate and file size (theaudioarchive.com)
- Replicat: CD Red Book standard (replicat.com.au)
