Audio File Size Estimator
Calculate audio file size for uncompressed PCM (WAV/AIFF) from sample rate, bit depth and channels, or for compressed audio from bitrate.
Your inputs
Results
File size
31.752 MB
- Bitrate
- 1,411.2 kbps
- Per hour
- 0.635 GB
✓Exact calculation — rounded only for display
Notes for this result
- File headers add a few dozen bytes; otherwise PCM size is exact.
What this calculator does
Uncompressed audio size is exact from its format; compressed size depends on bitrate.
Formula and method
PCM bitrate = sample rate × bit depth × channels; size = bitrate × seconds ÷ 8
Worked example
Calculated by this tool with its default inputs:
Inputs
- Format: Uncompressed PCM (WAV/AIFF)
- Sample rate: 44.1 kHz
- Bit depth: 16-bit
- Channels: 2
- Duration: 3 minutes
Results
- File size: 31.752 MB
- Bitrate: 1,411.2 kbps
- Per hour: 0.635 GB
How to read the results
CD audio (44.1 kHz, 16-bit, stereo) is 1411.2 kbps, about 10 MB per minute.
Assumptions and limitations
- File headers add a negligible amount.
Questions
Why is MP3 so much smaller?
Lossy compression discards information that is hard to hear.
Methodology and verification
- Result type
- Exact mathematical calculation (rounded only for display)
- Formula version
- 1.0
- Automated verification
- 3 reference and validation test cases, checked against independently computed values. The site cannot be built if any of them fail.
- Editorial review
- Awaiting human editorial review. The explanation was drafted with AI assistance; the formula and examples are verified by the automated tests above.
Privacy
Everything you enter is calculated in this browser and is not sent to Numerith or anyone else. Inputs are added to a share link only if you choose to include them. Privacy policy