Reviewed, sourced guidance
CCTV storage calculator from configured bitrate
Direct answer
Multiply each group’s entered megabits per second by 0.45, recorded hours per day and retention days, then divide by 1,000 for decimal terabytes. Add groups for different streams or schedules. This is a video-data estimate, not a drive recommendation.
This calculator does not translate resolution into a bitrate. Enter the configured average stream value, then state the schedule and retention days you need to model.
Estimate video data from configured stream rates
Enter the measured average bitrate and recording schedule. Values stay in this page; nothing is sent or saved.
Need to locate the rate first? Find the configured bitrate.
Estimated video data, not a recorder recommendation
| Group | Cameras | Bitrate | Days | Video TB |
|---|
Method and limitations
Model version: 2026-09-24-v1
- One Mbps recorded for one hour is 0.45 decimal GB. Group data is multiplied by entered cameras, hours and retention days.
- Configured average bitrate is required; resolution and codec are not converted into an assumed bitrate.
- Results exclude overhead, audio, extra streams, filesystem use, redundancy and recorder compatibility.
- The optional margin is your own input, not a recommended allowance or free-space calculation.
Key takeaways
- Use a bitrate from the actual camera or recorder configuration.
- Separate groups when rate, hours or retention differ.
- The result uses decimal GB and TB.
- Check overhead and usable capacity against the actual recorder specification.
Use values from the configured stream
Enter a separate group where cameras use different average bitrates, recording schedules or retention periods.
If the system uses variable bitrate or motion recording, use a representative measured average and recorded hours from the actual system. The tool does not estimate activity from a scene description.
Sources for this section: Western Digital, surveillance storage estimator and limitations (observed 2026-09-25; manufacturer tool)Axis Communications, Bitrate control for IP video (white paper, March 2023; observed 2026-09-27)
Model variable-bitrate sensitivity without predicting it
Illustration only: one camera averaging 4 Mbps for 24 hours a day over 30 days produces 1.296 decimal TB in this model. If the representative average were 6 Mbps, the result would be 1.944 decimal TB. The change shows how the input affects the formula; it is not a forecast of scene activity or a recommended storage margin.
Axis describes variable-bitrate storage needs as potentially unpredictable because scene motion and events can raise stream size. Use several measured or explicitly hypothetical averages to test sensitivity, then confirm the exact camera and recorder behaviour.
Sources for this section: Axis Communications, Bitrate control for IP video (white paper, March 2023; observed 2026-09-27)
Work back from a chosen capacity
Illustration only: one camera averaging 2 Mbps and recording continuously for 24 hours per day would use about 21.6 decimal GB per day in this model (2 × 24 × 0.45). A nominal 1,000 GB capacity divided by 21.6 GB per day gives about 46 days before reserved space, filesystem/RAID overhead or other recorder data. This is not a retention guarantee: confirm the actual average bitrate and codec, extra streams or audio, recording/event schedule, and the recorder’s usable capacity.
Sources for this section: Seagate UK, video storage calculator for surveillance (observed 2026-09-25; manufacturer tool)Western Digital, surveillance storage estimator and limitations (observed 2026-09-25; manufacturer tool)
Treat output as a first-pass video-data estimate
The result estimates encoded video bytes from the values entered. It does not include every recorder function, extra stream, audio track, filesystem allocation, reserved space or product-specific limit.
Compare the estimate with the recorder manufacturer’s usable-capacity and incoming-throughput specifications before buying or changing equipment.
Sources for this section: Seagate UK, video storage calculator for surveillance (observed 2026-09-25; manufacturer tool)Western Digital, surveillance storage estimator and limitations (observed 2026-09-25; manufacturer tool)
Next steps
- Check each stream’s configured average bitrate in the actual device or recorder.
- Verify capacity, bay size and incoming throughput against the exact recorder model.