Audio File Size Calculator



Audio File Size Calculator by Colin Crawley
Settings - Uncompressed (WAV, AIFF etc.)
Settings - Compressed (MP3, AAC etc.)
Uncompressed (WAV, AIFF etc.) 1411.2 kbps


Compressed (MP3, AAC etc.) 0 kbps





If you find this useful and/or have any comments or suggestions then do let me know via the comment section below (please read our website rules before posting).


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66 thoughts on “Audio File Size Calculator”

  1. Thanks for creating this, it’s a really useful resource that I come back to regularly. Is there any chance that you could add 256 kHz as a sample rate? This is quite common for ultrasonic instrumentation.



    can you help?


  4. Hi Colin,

    1. Hello KJ,





      I hope that helps.



      1. Hi Greg,
        Codec: WAV
        Channels: 1 (Mono)
        Sample Rate: 8000 Hz
        Bit Depth: 16
        Bitrate: 128 kbps
        File size (decimal): 71.1 MB (71,103,822 bytes)





        1. Hello Krish,

          Two things to note though:




    1. Hello Seamus,





  8. Hi Colin, no matter how I try I don’t get the same result as the calculator. Do you mind showing me the maths working out please?




    1. Hello Kim,


    2. hi



      1. Hi Kim,


      1. Hello collin how do i calculate this
        Video file has the following specifications


    1. Colin,

      I have a library of about 7000 CDS. Now that lossless streaming is a reality, I’d like to finally rip all of my CDs via my MacBook Pro to FLAC, store them on an external hard drive (and a backup) and upload them to the cloud for listening. I’m trying to determine what size hard drive to purchase. Is there a rough way to calculate this to determine how many TB I’m going to need?



      1. Hello Barry, FLAC file compression is lossless and programme-dependent so there’s no easy way to calculate exactly how much space you’ll save, especially with such a large library. For example, classical, jazz and acoustic music will, in general, compress down to much smaller files than loud genres such as heavy metal or EDM. Personally, I would go for a disk drive big enough to hold the ripped CDs uncompressed (in your case, at least a 4.5TB drive). That way, you can be sure you’ll have room to store everything and also likely have space to add to your collection in future.

        1. Dear Colin,

          Thanks very much for your swift response. Obviously, you can tell by my question that I’m a novice when it comes to these things, so I appreciate your understanding and helpful answer. So, just to confirm, you’re saying if I ripped all 7000 of my CDs (it is an eclectic mix of genres) uncompressed, it should generally be about 4.5 TB more or less? So, a 5tb hard drive should do the trick? Is there any benefit to keeping the files in an uncompressed format from a listening experience perspective or does lossless literally mean no quality will be losses if I convert it to FLAC? Is FLAC the lossless format you’d recommend? Lastly, do you have a recommendation for brand of hard drive and music software for this type of endeavor? I’ve asked you more questions than any character in Monty Python’s Holy Grail, and promise no more will be forthcoming. If any of my questions are outside your purview or comfort zone, that’s okay too. I just figure you seem an expert and very kind, so why not ask?

          Thanks again,


          1. Hello again Barry, No problem at all. Let me answer each of your questions in turn:


            A1. That’s right. I used a (very) conservative estimate of 1 hour per CD. In my calculator (above, on this page), if you enter 7000 hours, and leave the other settings at their default (Sample rate: 44.1 KHz, Bit depth: 16 and Channels: 2), you’ll see that the uncompressed result is 4.44528 TB (we need the decimal output for this purpose). That’s likely the maximum amount of space you would need to store the uncompressed (wav or aiff) files.

            Q2. “So, a 5tb hard drive should do the trick?”
            A2. Yes.


            A3. No. FLAC really is lossless, so there’s no quality loss at all – the original uncompressed files can even be restored by a conversion process if required; that’s not usually necessary though, since most computer audio software can read FLAC files directly and play them back in real time. They sound exactly the same as the originals. For more info, see

            Q4. “Is FLAC the lossless format you’d recommend?”
            A4. For your stated purpose, yes, absolutely.

            Q5. “Lastly, do you have a recommendation for brand of hard drive and music software for this type of endeavor?”
            A5. Re. Hard disk drives: I’m not going to recommend any particular make/model because they change often and I don’t keep up to date with them – you’ll find lots of reviews on the internet though. The one thing I would say is stick to a well-known and reputable brand. Re. Software: When I archived my own CD collection some years ago, I used the free, EAC software on Windows for ripping and it does a fabulous job. As far as I know this is the only software which allows a faithful reconstruction of the original CD (all gaps the same etc.). In reality, it’s probably overkill though, as I’ve never actually needed to do that. If you don’t care about reconstructing the original CD then most media players are able to rip tracks from CDs easily – several can convert straight to FLAC files, too. As far as playback is concerned, most media players can play back FLAC files directly. If you’re on Windows I’d recommend Foobar2000. On Linux, I prefer either Clementine (which also runs on Mac and Windows) or Rhythmbox. VLC player also does a good job and runs on Windows, Mac and Linux.

            I hope that helps.

          2. Dear Colin,

            Thank you so much. You have been incredibly helpful. I am so grateful for your knowledge and generosity. Refreshing in this day and age.

            Best wishes,