Audio File Size Calculator — WAV, PCM & FLAC
Calculate the exact uncompressed WAV file size from sample rate, bit depth, channels, and duration, plus a typical FLAC size range.
WAV / PCM (exact)
31.75 MB
FLAC (typical range)
~12.70-19.05 MB
Data rate
1,411 kbps
WAV/PCM is uncompressed, so its size is exact and depends only on sample rate, bit depth, channels, and duration — no audio content affects it. FLAC is lossless but its compression ratio depends on the actual audio content (silence and simple tones compress more; dense, noisy material compresses less), so its size is shown as a typical range (roughly 40-60% of the WAV size) rather than a precise figure.
About this tool
How to use it
- Pick a sample rate (44.1 kHz for CD quality, 48 kHz for video, or a higher hi-res rate).
- Pick a bit depth (16-bit is standard; 24-bit or 32-bit for higher-resolution recording and editing).
- Pick mono or stereo, and enter the duration as minutes:seconds.
- Press Calculate File Size, or just keep typing — the results update live.
Why it matters
Uncompressed audio (WAV, AIFF, raw PCM) file size is completely predictable from just four numbers — sample rate, bit depth, channel count, and duration — with no dependence on the actual sound. Knowing this in advance helps plan storage for a recording session, a sample library, or an archive before you've captured a single second of audio.
When to use it
Useful when planning storage space for a recording or podcast session, when deciding whether a higher sample rate or bit depth is practical given available disk space, or when checking whether an audio file's reported size matches its stated format.
Good to know
WAV/PCM's file size is exact and predictable, since it's raw, uncompressed audio data — this calculator computes it directly with no approximation. FLAC is lossless (no audio quality is lost) but compresses to a size that depends on the actual audio content: sparse or simple material (silence, a single sustained tone) compresses more, while dense or noisy material compresses less — so its size is shown as a typical range (roughly 40-60% of the WAV size) rather than a single precise number, since a specific FLAC file's real size can only be known by actually encoding it.
Common questions
Why is WAV file size exact but FLAC only a range?
WAV (and other PCM formats) store audio completely uncompressed, so their file size is a direct, fixed function of sample rate, bit depth, channels, and duration — nothing about the sound itself matters. FLAC is a lossless *compressed* format, and how much it compresses depends on the actual audio content, which this calculator has no way to know in advance.
What sample rate and bit depth should I use?
44.1 kHz / 16-bit (CD quality) is the long-standing standard for finished music distribution. 48 kHz is the standard for video/film audio. Higher rates (96 kHz, 192 kHz) and bit depths (24-bit, 32-bit) are mainly useful during recording and editing, where extra headroom helps, but rarely necessary for final listening.
Why does stereo take up twice the space of mono?
Stereo audio stores two independent channels (left and right) instead of one, so at the same sample rate and bit depth, a stereo file is exactly double the size of the equivalent mono file.
What is the 'data rate' figure?
It's the bitrate of the uncompressed audio in kilobits per second — for example, standard CD-quality audio (44.1 kHz, 16-bit, stereo) has a data rate of 1,411 kbps, a figure sometimes quoted as the baseline 'lossless' bitrate that compressed formats are measured against.