Streaming bitrate calculator

Set a video bitrate budget by reserving part of your upload capacity, then subtracting audio and overhead.

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Measured upload speed (Mbps)

Share reserved for stream (%)

More inputs and assumptions

Audio bitrate (kbps)

Other stream overhead (Mbps)

Answer

…

Set a video bitrate budget by reserving part of your upload capacity, then subtracting audio and overhead.

More results

Precision and calculation record

Decimal places in numeric results and text downloads

Rounding changes displayed numbers, not the calculation. Text, fractions, matrices and CSV schedules keep their own formatting. Automatic keeps up to 12 significant digits, with money shown to cents where applicable.

Saved scenario

Save the current answer, then change an input to compare. This clears when you leave.

Formula and assumptions

The reserve percentage is your choice, not a platform recommendation. Bitrate = upload × selected share − audio − overhead. Encoder, platform and network constraints still apply.

Automatic precision shows numbers to 12 significant digits. Thousands separators such as 1,000 are accepted; use a dot for decimals.

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Updated 2026-09-26

Using Streaming bitrate calculator

Set a video bitrate budget by reserving part of your upload capacity, then subtracting audio and overhead.

The reserve percentage is your choice, not a platform recommendation. Bitrate = upload × selected share − audio − overhead. Encoder, platform and network constraints still apply.

Next: Bandwidth calculator

A worked example

Example inputs: measured upload speed (mbps) = 20, share reserved for stream (%) = 60, audio bitrate (kbps) = 160, other stream overhead (mbps) = 0.84. Video bitrate budget (Mbps) = 11.

Before you use the result

The reserve percentage is your choice, not a platform recommendation. Bitrate = upload × selected share − audio − overhead. Encoder, platform and network constraints still apply.

Example results for measured upload speed (mbps)

These examples use Share reserved for stream (%): 60; Audio bitrate (kbps): 160; Other stream overhead (Mbps): 0.84. They are reference calculations, not recommended settings.

Measured upload speed (Mbps)	Video bitrate budget (Mbps)
10	5
20	11
40	23

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