Video Bitrate Calculator
Find the optimal video bitrate for YouTube uploads, Twitch and Facebook live streams — by resolution (240p to 8K), frame rate (24–120 fps) and codec (H.264, H.265, AV1). Also check what quality a given bitrate buys you, and whether your upload speed can carry a stream. 100% client-side.
YouTube upload bitrate chart (recommended encoding settings)
Official YouTube Help recommended upload bitrates, H.264 baseline. Standard = 24/25/30 fps, high frame rate = 48/50/60 fps. HDR uploads run higher (e.g. 1080p HDR 10/15 Mbps, 4K HDR 44–56/66–85 Mbps).
| Resolution | Standard fps | High frame rate |
|---|
Source: YouTube Help, “Recommended upload encoding settings” (SDR table).
YouTube live streaming bitrate ranges
Official YouTube live encoder ranges, H.264. Feed a bitrate inside the window; higher is sharper, lower is safer on shaky connections.
| Resolution | Standard fps | High frame rate |
|---|
Source: YouTube Help, “Choose live encoder settings, bitrates, and resolutions”.
Twitch & Facebook live presets
| Platform | Format | Video bitrate |
|---|---|---|
| Twitch | 720p 30fps | 3,000 kbps |
| Twitch | 720p 60fps | 4,500 kbps |
| Twitch | 1080p 30fps | 4,500 kbps |
| Twitch | 1080p 60fps | 6,000 kbps |
| Facebook Live | 720p 30fps | 3,000–4,000 kbps |
| Facebook Live | 1080p 30fps | 4,000 kbps max |
Sources: Twitch support “Broadcasting guidelines” (non-partner cap 6,000 kbps video; partners up to ~8,000); Meta live video specs (4,000 kbps max, 2-second keyframe interval, AAC 128–160 kbps).
Twitch tip for OBS: 1080p60 at 6,000 kbps CBR is the sweet spot for most streamers; if it looks soft, 720p60 at 4,500 kbps usually looks cleaner than 1080p starved of bits.
H.264 vs H.265 vs AV1: codec efficiency
The calculator scales the H.264 baseline by codec efficiency: H.265 ×0.6 (about 40% fewer bits) and AV1 ×0.5 (about half the bits) for similar visual quality.
| Format | H.264 | H.265 | AV1 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1080p60 upload | 12 Mbps | 7.2 Mbps | 6 Mbps |
| 4K60 upload | 53–68 Mbps | 31.8–40.8 Mbps | 26.5–34 Mbps |
| 1 hour of 4K60 | 27.31 GB | 16.42 GB | 13.70 GB |
Efficiency factors are engineering rules of thumb, not platform-published numbers. The trade-off is compatibility: H.264 plays on everything; H.265 and AV1 need modern devices. Twitch ingest is H.264-focused, so keep H.264 for Twitch live.
CBR vs VBR for streaming
CBR (constant bitrate) holds the bitrate steady. Use it for live streaming — Twitch and YouTube Live expect a predictable stream, and CBR prevents quality warnings and dropped frames when a scene suddenly gets complex.
VBR (variable bitrate), ideally 2-pass, spends bits on complex scenes and saves them on simple ones. Use it for file uploads to YouTube: better quality per megabyte and smaller files.
For live, also set the keyframe interval to 2 seconds — it satisfies Twitch, YouTube and Facebook at once.
Worked examples
- 1080p60 YouTube upload, H.264: 12 Mbps video + 160 kbps audio = 12.16 Mbps total → 5.47 GB per hour (91.2 MB/min). Recommended upload headroom: 18.24 Mbps.
- Twitch 1080p60 live: 6,000 kbps video + 160 kbps audio = 6.16 Mbps total → 2.77 GB per hour. Needs 9.24 Mbps upload (50% headroom); 8.01 Mbps absolute minimum.
- 4K30 YouTube upload, H.264: 35–45 Mbps video (midpoint 40) + 192 kbps audio = 40.19 Mbps total → 18.09 GB per hour (301.42 MB/min).
- Codec switch, 4K60 upload: H.264 60.69 Mbps (27.31 GB/h) vs AV1 30.44 Mbps (13.70 GB/h) — AV1 saves 13.61 GB per hour of footage.
- Upload cap: a 2 GB cap fits 1,968.5 seconds (32 min 49 s) of 1080p30 footage at 8.128 Mbps total.
All figures computed by the calculator engine above from the guideline tables.
What this calculator does not do
This tool recommends streaming bitrates: resolution and frame rate in, optimal bitrate out, grounded in YouTube, Twitch and Facebook guidelines. It is not a file-size estimator: for pure bitrate × duration → file size arithmetic, use our Video Size Calc.
Video bitrate FAQ
What bitrate should I use for 1080p 60fps streaming?
For live streaming, Twitch recommends 6,000 kbps of video for 1080p60, which is also its cap for non-partner channels, while YouTube Live publishes a 4.5–9 Mbps window for the same format. Add 160 kbps of AAC audio and the Twitch total is 6.16 Mbps. Plan about 9.24 Mbps of upload for 50 percent headroom (8.01 Mbps is the absolute minimum). Choose Live as the purpose in the calculator above to get the live ranges for every resolution.
What is the best bitrate for 4K YouTube uploads?
YouTube recommends 35–45 Mbps for 4K at 24–30 fps and 53–68 Mbps for 4K at 48–60 fps in H.264, plus 192 kbps of audio. The 4K30 midpoint is 40 Mbps of video plus 0.19 Mbps of audio, 40.19 Mbps total, which is 18.09 GB per hour. Encoding the same 4K60 upload in AV1 drops the total from 60.69 Mbps to 30.44 Mbps, or 27.31 GB versus 13.70 GB per hour.
CBR vs VBR: which should I use for live streaming?
Use CBR (constant bitrate) for live streaming. Twitch and YouTube Live expect a steady stream, and CBR avoids quality warnings and dropped frames when a scene suddenly gets complex. Use VBR (variable bitrate), ideally 2-pass, for file uploads: it spends bits on complex scenes and saves them on simple ones, so you get better quality per megabyte. For live, also set the keyframe interval to 2 seconds, which every major platform accepts.
How much upload speed do I need to stream 1080p60 on Twitch?
A Twitch 1080p60 stream is 6,000 kbps of video plus 160 kbps of audio, 6.16 Mbps total. Multiply by 1.5 for 50 percent headroom and you get 9.24 Mbps of recommended upload. The absolute minimum is 6.16 × 1.3 = 8.01 Mbps. If your upload sits below 8 Mbps, drop to 720p60 at 4,500 kbps instead of fighting dropped frames at 1080p.
H.264 vs H.265 vs AV1: how much bitrate do you actually save?
As a rule of thumb, H.265 needs about 60 percent of the H.264 bitrate and AV1 about 50 percent for similar visual quality. For a 4K60 YouTube upload that means 53–68 Mbps in H.264 (midpoint 60.5), 31.8–40.8 Mbps in H.265 (midpoint 36.3), or 26.5–34 Mbps in AV1 (midpoint 30.25). Per hour of footage that is 27.31 GB versus 16.42 GB versus 13.70 GB. The trade-off is compatibility: H.264 plays everywhere, while H.265 and AV1 do not.
How do I calculate video file size from bitrate?
File size in GB equals bitrate in Mbps times seconds divided by 8 divided by 1000. A 1080p60 YouTube upload at 12.16 Mbps total is 12.16 × 3600 ÷ 8 ÷ 1000 = 5.47 GB per hour, or 91.2 MB per minute. In reverse, a 2 GB upload cap fits 1,968.5 seconds (32 min 49 s) of 1080p30 footage at 8.128 Mbps. This tool recommends bitrates; for pure bitrate-to-size arithmetic use our Video Size Calc at /tools/video-size-calc/.
What bitrate does Facebook Live need for 1080p?
Facebook recommends a 4,000 kbps maximum bitrate for live video. Stream 1080p at 30 fps with up to 4,000 kbps of video plus 128 kbps of audio (4.13 Mbps total) and a keyframe interval of exactly 2 seconds. If your connection is tight, 720p30 at 3,000–4,000 kbps is the safer default, since Facebook compresses aggressively and 1080p gains little there.
Is 6,000 kbps enough for 1080p?
It depends on the codec and on whether you stream or upload. For live streaming on Twitch, 6,000 kbps is exactly the recommended 1080p60 H.264 setting. For uploads in H.264, 6,000 kbps only covers up to 720p comfortably, because YouTube wants 8 Mbps for a 1080p30 upload. Switch that same 6,000 kbps to AV1 and it satisfies both 1080p30 and 1080p60 uploads. Try the Inverse tab above with your own number.
Free tool by NRTechStudio