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About binary units
The Download Time Calculator calculates file sizes and bandwidth based on a 1024 system, not the commercial 1000 system. Thus, an incremental SI designation denotes a 1024-fold increase in unit value.

Therefore:

  • A bit is a single binary value, 0 or 1.
  • A nybble is four bits.
  • A byte is two nybbles or eight bits.
  • A kilobyte (KB) is 1024 bits.
  • A megabyte (MB) is 1024 kilobytes.
  • A gigabyte (GB) is 1024 megabytes.
  • A terabyte (TB) is 1024 gigabytes.
    As such, a megabyte is (1024)2 bits, or 1048576 bits.

    Bandwidth speed is generally expressed in bits per second, abbreviated by bps. A kilobit per second is Kbps, and a megabit per second is Mbps. A lowercase 'b' denotes bits while an uppercase 'B' denotes bytes.

    To add to the confusion, file sizes are generally expressed in bytes. Thus, to convert from bits to bytes, divide by eight.

    For more information, consult Bits, Bytes, Nybbles.

    Return to the Download Time Calculator.