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YouTube bitrate calculator: the right bitrate for uploads and live streams
Pick a resolution and frame rate to get YouTube's recommended bitrate for uploads or live streams, and work out a video's file size or length from its bitrate.
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This YouTube bitrate calculator gives you the bitrate YouTube itself recommends. Pick a resolution and frame rate: for uploads you get the video bitrate from YouTube's upload encoding settings (360p to 8K, SDR and HDR, standard and high frame rates) plus the audio bitrate and the file size it makes; for live streams you get YouTube's minimum and recommended encoder bitrate for H.264 or AV1 / H.265. The file size tab answers the everyday questions: how big a video will be at a given bitrate and length, how long a video fits in a file size, and what bitrate fits a length into a size. All numbers come from YouTube Help, checked on 26 October 2026.
What bitrate should I use for YouTube?
For uploads, YouTube Help recommends these video bitrates for SDR (standard dynamic range) and HDR videos:
| Resolution | SDR, 24 to 30 fps | SDR, 48 to 60 fps | HDR, 24 to 30 fps | HDR, 48 to 60 fps |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 8K | 80-160 Mbps | 120-240 Mbps | 100-200 Mbps | 150-300 Mbps |
| 2160p | 35-45 Mbps | 53-68 Mbps | 44-56 Mbps | 66-85 Mbps |
| 1440p | 16 Mbps | 24 Mbps | 20 Mbps | 30 Mbps |
| 1080p | 8 Mbps | 12 Mbps | 10 Mbps | 15 Mbps |
| 720p | 5 Mbps | 7.5 Mbps | 6.5 Mbps | 9.5 Mbps |
| 480p | 2.5 Mbps | 4 Mbps | Not supported | Not supported |
| 360p | 1 Mbps | 1.5 Mbps | Not supported | Not supported |
For audio, YouTube recommends 128 kbps for mono, 384 kbps for stereo and 512 kbps for 5.1. YouTube also says there is no bitrate limit for uploads: these are recommendations for reference, and YouTube re-encodes every upload anyway.
YouTube's recommended SDR upload bitrates (YouTube Help, checked 26 Oct 2026). Ranges are drawn at their top value. 8K (80 to 240 Mbps) is in the table below.
How does the bitrate calculator work?
The upload and live tabs look up your choice in YouTube's tables. File size is bitrate times length: bits per second times seconds, divided by 8 for bytes. Video and audio bitrates are added. Sizes are in decimal units by default (1 MB = 1,000,000 bytes), as video editors and drive makers use; switch to MiB and GiB under More options to match what Windows shows.
Worked example: a 1080p video at 60 fps in SDR. YouTube recommends 12 Mbps for the video and 384 kbps for stereo audio, 12.384 Mbps in total. One hour is 12.384 million bits x 3,600 seconds / 8 = 5,572,800,000 bytes, about 5.57 GB; ten minutes is about 929 MB.
How to use the bitrate calculator
Step 1: Choose what you are doing
Upload for a video file you will upload, Live stream for encoder settings in OBS or similar, File size to work out sizes and lengths.
Step 2: Pick the resolution and frame rate
Choose your export resolution and frame rate, and SDR or HDR for uploads, or H.264 or AV1 / H.265 for live streams.
Step 3: Read the bitrate
The first line is YouTube's recommendation; the tiles show the audio bitrate and how big the file gets.
Step 4: Set it in your editor or encoder
Type the bitrate into your export settings or your streaming software, then copy a share link if you want to keep the settings.
Best bitrate for YouTube 1080p
8 Mbps at 24, 25 or 30 fps and 12 Mbps at 48, 50 or 60 fps for SDR; 10 and 15 Mbps for HDR. For a 1080p live stream with H.264, YouTube recommends 14 Mbps at 30 fps and 17 Mbps at 60 fps.
Best bitrate for YouTube 4K
35 to 45 Mbps at 24 to 30 fps and 53 to 68 Mbps at 48 to 60 fps for SDR; 44 to 56 and 66 to 85 Mbps for HDR. YouTube notes that to view new 4K uploads in 4K you need a browser or device that supports VP9. For 4K live streams with H.264, YouTube recommends 42 Mbps at 30 fps and 50 Mbps at 60 fps.
YouTube live stream bitrate
For live streams YouTube gives a minimum and a recommended bitrate per resolution, frame rate and codec. AV1 and H.265 need less bitrate than H.264 for the same picture:
| Resolution | Minimum, AV1 and H.265 | Recommended, AV1 and H.265 | Minimum, H.264 | Recommended, H.264 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2160p at 60 fps | 10 Mbps | 35 Mbps | 14 Mbps | 50 Mbps |
| 2160p at 30 fps | 8 Mbps | 30 Mbps | 11 Mbps | 42 Mbps |
| 1440p at 60 fps | 6 Mbps | 24 Mbps | 8 Mbps | 34 Mbps |
| 1440p at 30 fps | 5 Mbps | 15 Mbps | 7 Mbps | 21 Mbps |
| 1080p at 60 fps | 4 Mbps | 12 Mbps | 6 Mbps | 17 Mbps |
| 1080p at 30 fps | 4 Mbps | 10 Mbps | 5 Mbps | 14 Mbps |
| 720p at 60 fps | 2 Mbps | 6 Mbps | 3 Mbps | 8 Mbps |
| 720p at 30 fps | 2 Mbps | 6 Mbps | 3 Mbps | 8 Mbps |
| 480p at 30 fps | 0.3 Mbps | 3 Mbps | 0.4 Mbps | 4 Mbps |
| 360p at 30 fps | 0.3 Mbps | 3 Mbps | 0.4 Mbps | 4 Mbps |
The rest of YouTube's live encoder settings: constant bitrate (CBR), a keyframe every 2 seconds (never more than 4), up to 60 fps, AAC or MP3 audio at 128 kbps for stereo or 384 kbps for 5.1 (44.1 kHz for stereo, 48 kHz for 5.1), and HDR only with H.265. AV1 is not supported for HDR, and 4K streams cannot use the low latency option.
What bitrate should I use in OBS for YouTube?
Use the live stream tab: pick your output resolution and frame rate and the encoder's codec, and set the recommended number as the bitrate in OBS's output settings with rate control set to CBR and a keyframe interval of 2 seconds. Your upload speed must stay above the total bitrate (video plus audio) for the whole stream; if it does not, choose a lower resolution rather than a bitrate below YouTube's minimum.
How big is a 1 hour YouTube video?
At YouTube's recommended upload bitrates with stereo audio, about 2.4 GB at 720p30 (5.384 Mbps), 3.8 GB at 1080p30 (8.384 Mbps), 5.6 GB at 1080p60 and 16 to 20 GB at 4K30. A file exported at a lower bitrate is smaller; the File size tab works it out for any bitrate.
Other upload settings YouTube recommends
- Container MP4 with the moov atom at the front (fast start) and no edit lists.
- Video codec H.264, progressive scan, High Profile, 2 consecutive B frames, closed GOP of half the frame rate, CABAC, variable bitrate, 4:2:0 chroma subsampling.
- Upload at the frame rate you recorded at; deinterlace interlaced footage (1080i60 to 1080p30).
- Audio AAC-LC, Opus or Eclipsa Audio at 48 kHz, stereo or stereo + 5.1.
- Colour space BT.709 for SDR.
How accurate is this calculator?
The bitrates are YouTube's own published numbers, copied from YouTube Help on 26 October 2026; YouTube can change them. File sizes are exact for a constant bitrate. Real files differ a little: variable bitrate exports move around the target, and containers add a small overhead. The live tab says what to set in your encoder; whether your connection can carry it is something only a speed test shows.
Sources
- YouTube recommended upload encoding settings, YouTube Help, checked 26 Oct 2026.
- Choose live encoder settings, bitrates, and resolutions, YouTube Help, checked 26 Oct 2026.
Why we built this bitrate calculator
Many bitrate pages copy YouTube's table from years ago, mix upload and live numbers, or give a single "best" bitrate with no source. Nitin Raja, who builds PlaylistTime, tested a lot of these pages before building this one: after testing out a lot of websites, he found what people need and what they do not, and built around that. People need YouTube's current numbers for their exact resolution and frame rate, upload and live kept apart, and the file size that comes with them.
What this calculator does
- Looks up YouTube's recommended upload bitrate by resolution, frame rate and SDR or HDR, and the live stream minimum and recommended bitrate by resolution, frame rate and codec.
- Adds the audio bitrate YouTube recommends and works out file sizes per 10 minutes and per hour.
- Converts between bitrate, length and file size in either direction.
- What it does not do: it does not read your video file, test your connection or know what YouTube will serve after re-encoding. Nothing is stored; the share link holds your choices.
Related: check a finished vertical video with the Shorts checker, and the video's length at any speed with the watch time calculator.
Why it is different
| This calculator | A typical bitrate calculator | |
|---|---|---|
| Numbers | YouTube Help, linked and dated | Often an old table or a generic formula |
| Upload and live | Kept apart, each with YouTube's own table | Mixed or only one |
| Codecs | H.264 and AV1 / H.265 for live | H.264 only |
| File size | Size, length or bitrate, MB or MiB | Size only |
Built by Nitin Raja. Last updated 26 October 2026.
Questions
What is the best bitrate for YouTube 1080p?
YouTube recommends 8 Mbps at 24 to 30 fps and 12 Mbps at 48 to 60 fps for SDR uploads, and 10 and 15 Mbps for HDR.
What bitrate should I stream at on YouTube?
For 1080p with H.264, YouTube recommends 14 Mbps at 30 fps and 17 Mbps at 60 fps, with a minimum of 5 and 6 Mbps. AV1 and H.265 need less: 10 and 12 Mbps.
Is there a maximum upload bitrate on YouTube?
No. YouTube says no bitrate limit is required for uploads; its numbers are recommendations for reference.
What audio bitrate does YouTube recommend?
For uploads 128 kbps mono, 384 kbps stereo and 512 kbps 5.1. For live streams 128 kbps stereo and 384 kbps 5.1.
How do I calculate video file size from bitrate?
Multiply the total bitrate in bits per second by the length in seconds and divide by 8. At 12.384 Mbps, one hour is about 5.57 GB.
Does a higher bitrate make my YouTube video look better?
YouTube re-encodes every upload, so what viewers see depends on YouTube's own encode. Uploading at or above its recommendation gives that encode a clean source; going far above it mostly makes a bigger file that takes longer to upload.
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