Video Bitrate Calculator
Find the video bitrate that fits a target file size. Enter a duration, choose decimal or binary size units, and reserve bitrate for audio.
Calculate your bitrate budget
Why use our video bitrate calculator?
- Calculates both the total bitrate budget and the bitrate left for video
- Supports decimal MB and GB plus binary MiB and GiB file-size units
- Reserves an optional audio bitrate instead of treating the whole budget as video
- Includes practical presets for short clips, demos, and longer recordings
- Flags impossible targets when audio alone consumes the available bitrate
- Runs instantly and privately in your browser with no file upload
Frequently asked questions
How do you calculate a target video bitrate?
First convert the target file size to bits, divide by duration in seconds, and divide by 1,000 to get total kilobits per second. Then subtract the planned audio bitrate: video kbps = (file bytes × 8 ÷ seconds ÷ 1,000) − audio kbps.
What is the difference between MB and MiB?
A decimal megabyte (MB) is 1,000,000 bytes. A binary mebibyte (MiB) is 1,048,576 bytes. Likewise, GB uses powers of 1,000 while GiB uses powers of 1,024. This calculator makes the selected byte basis visible so file-size targets are unambiguous.
Why subtract audio bitrate from the total?
A video file normally contains both video and audio streams. Both must fit inside the same target size, so the audio stream consumes part of the total bitrate budget. If your export has no audio, turn off the audio reservation.
Will the exported file match the target size exactly?
Not necessarily. The calculation is a mathematical bitrate budget. Containers add overhead, and variable-bitrate encoders can finish above or below their target. Leave some headroom when a platform enforces a strict maximum file size.
What does an impossible bitrate target mean?
It means the selected audio bitrate is equal to or greater than the total bitrate available for the whole file, leaving no positive bitrate for video. Increase the target size, shorten the duration, lower the audio bitrate, or remove audio.
Is a higher video bitrate always better?
A higher bitrate gives an encoder more data to represent each second, but quality also depends on codec, resolution, frame rate, content, and encoder settings. Modern codecs can deliver similar visual quality at different bitrates, so treat this result as a size budget rather than a universal quality recommendation.
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