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Stream Bitrate Calculator

Find the optimal streaming bitrate for your resolution, check if your upload speed supports it, and estimate local recording storage.

Recommended bitrate for this resolution/FPS combination.
Your ISP upload speed. Use 80% of max to stay stable.
Leave 20-30% headroom for other network traffic.

Results

Recommended Bitrate6,000 Kbps
Your Max Safe Bitrate40,000 Kbps
Can Stream at Quality (1=Yes, 0=Upgrade needed)1
Local Recording Size2,636.72 GB/hr

📖What is it?

Streaming bitrate determines the quality and data size of your video stream. Higher bitrate = better visual quality but more bandwidth consumed. The recommended bitrates follow Twitch and YouTube Live guidelines. Your upload speed must comfortably exceed the stream bitrate with overhead left over for other traffic.

🎯How to use

Select your target resolution and FPS, enter your internet upload speed from a speed test (speedtest.net), and set an overhead percentage (20% is a safe default). The calculator tells you if your connection can handle the stream quality and how much local disk space a recording would use per hour.

💡Example scenario

1080p60 needs 6,000 Kbps. With 50 Mbps upload and 20% overhead: max safe bitrate = 40,000 Kbps — easily enough. Local recording at 6,000 Kbps = approximately 2.6 GB per hour.

🏆Pro tip

Twitch caps bitrate at 6,000 Kbps for most streamers (8,000 Kbps for Partners in some regions). YouTube Live supports up to 51,000 Kbps. For OBS, use the x264 or NVENC encoder at 6,000 Kbps for 1080p60. Always run a network speed test immediately before streaming — ISP speeds vary by time of day.