Audio Sample Rate File Size Calculator (44.1k / 48k / 96k / 192k)
Calculate uncompressed PCM/WAV audio file size and data rate across 44.1, 48, 96, and 192 kHz sample rates from duration, bit depth, and channels. Runs in your browser.
Uncompressed (PCM/WAV) file size = sample rate × bit depth × channels × seconds ÷ 8. Doubling the sample rate doubles the size; the same applies to bit depth and channel count. 44.1 kHz is the CD standard, 48 kHz is standard for video/film, and 96/192 kHz are high-resolution rates. Lossy formats (MP3, AAC) and lossless compression (FLAC) are much smaller and don’t scale this simply. Everything runs in your browser.
About this tool
Digital audio is captured by sampling the sound wave many thousands of times per second; the sample rate is how many samples per second (in hertz), and together with the bit depth (bits per sample) and the number of channels it determines exactly how much data uncompressed audio occupies. This calculator computes that size across the four most common sample rates — 44.1 kHz (the CD standard), 48 kHz (the standard for video and film production), and the high-resolution rates 96 kHz and 192 kHz — so you can see the storage and bandwidth trade-off of working at higher fidelity. The formula for linear PCM (the format inside WAV and AIFF files) is straightforward: file size in bytes = sample rate × bit depth × channels × duration in seconds ÷ 8 (dividing by 8 converts bits to bytes). Every factor scales the size linearly, so moving from 44.1 kHz to 96 kHz roughly doubles the file, going from 16-bit to 24-bit adds 50%, and stereo is twice the size of mono. The tool also reports the data rate (bytes per second) at each rate, which matters for streaming, disk throughput in a DAW, and real-time recording. A few practical notes the tool makes clear: this is the size of uncompressed audio only. Lossy codecs like MP3 and AAC discard data to shrink files dramatically (and their size depends on the chosen bitrate, not this formula), while lossless compressors like FLAC typically cut size 40–60% without altering the audio, so they don't follow this linear scaling. Higher sample rates capture frequencies beyond human hearing and give more headroom for editing, but for final delivery 44.1/48 kHz at 16/24-bit is standard. Everything runs in your browser; nothing is uploaded.
How to use it
- Enter the audio duration in minutes and seconds.
- Choose the bit depth (16, 24, or 32-bit).
- Choose the channel count (mono, stereo, or 5.1).
- Compare the uncompressed file size and data rate at 44.1, 48, 96, and 192 kHz.
Frequently asked questions
- How is uncompressed audio file size calculated?
- Size in bytes = sample rate × bit depth × channels × seconds ÷ 8. For example, one minute of CD-quality audio (44,100 Hz, 16-bit, stereo) is 44,100 × 16 × 2 × 60 ÷ 8 ≈ 10.1 MiB.
- Does a higher sample rate mean a bigger file?
- Yes, linearly. Doubling the sample rate (44.1→96 kHz roughly doubles it; →192 kHz roughly quadruples it) doubles or quadruples the uncompressed size. Bit depth and channel count scale it the same way.
- What sample rate should I use?
- 44.1 kHz is the CD/music-release standard; 48 kHz is standard for video and film. 96/192 kHz are high-resolution rates used in production for editing headroom, but they are usually downsampled for final delivery.
- Why is my MP3 so much smaller than this?
- MP3 and AAC are lossy codecs that discard inaudible data, and their size depends on the chosen bitrate, not this PCM formula. This calculator shows uncompressed (WAV/PCM) size; compressed formats are far smaller.
- Does FLAC follow this formula?
- No. FLAC is lossless compression that typically reduces size by 40–60% with no quality loss, and the exact ratio depends on the audio content. This formula gives the uncompressed baseline FLAC compresses from.
- Is anything uploaded?
- No. Only the values you enter are used; all calculation runs in your browser.