Audio Bitrate Calculator
What "CD Quality" Actually Means in Numbers
Every uncompressed digital audio stream has a data rate that follows directly from three numbers: how many times per second it's sampled, how many bits each sample uses, and how many channels are recorded. Multiply those together and you get the bitrate — the same figure that determines file size, storage needs, and streaming bandwidth for uncompressed formats like WAV and AIFF.
The Formula
The result comes out in bits per second; dividing by 1,000 gives kbps, and by 1,000,000 gives Mbps.
Standard Format Bitrates
| Format | Sample rate | Bit depth | Channels | Bitrate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CD audio | 44,100 Hz | 16-bit | Stereo (2) | 1,411.2 kbps |
| Telephone-grade | 8,000 Hz | 8-bit | Mono (1) | 64 kbps |
| Studio 24-bit/48kHz | 48,000 Hz | 24-bit | Stereo (2) | 2,304 kbps |
| Hi-res 24-bit/96kHz | 96,000 Hz | 24-bit | Stereo (2) | 4,608 kbps |
The 1,411.2 kbps CD-audio figure is the reference point most audio engineers know by heart — every other uncompressed bitrate scales from it.
Where This Gets Used
- Storage planning — estimating how many minutes of uncompressed audio fit on a drive or memory card before recording a session.
- Format comparison — understanding why a 24-bit/96kHz master is over three times the size of a CD-quality file.
- Streaming and transfer bandwidth — confirming a network connection can sustain an uncompressed multichannel feed in real time.
How to Use This Calculator
- Enter the sample rate in Hz (for example, 44100).
- Enter the bit depth in bits (for example, 16).
- Select the channel count — mono, stereo, 5.1, or 7.1 surround.
- Select Calculate to see the bitrate in kbps and Mbps.
Related Calculations
Estimate the resulting file size directly with the Audio File Size Calculator, or compare against a compressed format's bitrate using the same tool.