What bitrate should I use for a 1080p YouTube upload?

For 1080p SDR at 30 fps the recommendation is around 8 Mbps, rising to about 12 Mbps at 60 fps. Uploading far above that does not improve the final result, because YouTube re-encodes to its own target bitrate regardless.

Does a higher bitrate always mean better quality?

Not past a certain point. Raising bitrate helps until the picture stops losing detail; above that the extra data is invisible and gets discarded in the platform's re-encode anyway. What remains is a bigger file and a longer upload.

Should I use constant or variable bitrate?

For uploads, two-pass variable bitrate generally gives better quality at the same file size, because it allocates more data to complex scenes. Constant bitrate matters more for live streaming, where a steady data rate is required.

YouTube Tools

Video Bitrate Calculator

Pick a resolution and frame rate to see the recommended upload bitrate, with the audio bitrate to match.

Resolution Frame rate Colour range Audio channels

Video bitrate —

Audio bitrate —

Approx. size per minute —

What this is

A video bitrate calculator shows how much data per second to use when exporting a video for upload. Bitrate decides how much information each second retains: too low produces blocky artefacts in fast motion, too high only inflates the file with no visible gain, because the platform re-encodes your video anyway. The figures shown follow YouTube's published upload recommendations, which are set so the re-encode still comes out clean.

How it works

A higher frame rate needs more bitrate because there are more images to store each second. That is why the 60 fps recommendation runs roughly one and a half times the 30 fps figure at the same resolution — not double, because consecutive frames are very similar and compress against each other.

A bitrate far above the recommendation does not make the uploaded video look better, because the platform re-encodes to its own target regardless. All that changes is upload and processing time. Sitting slightly above the recommendation is a reasonable safety margin; sitting several times above it is not.

HDR needs more bitrate than SDR at the same resolution, because each pixel carries a wider range of colour and brightness. If your footage was not shot in HDR, choosing HDR here only inflates the file for nothing.

How to use it

Pick your resolution Choose the resolution you are exporting at, from 480p up to 4K.
Pick frame rate and range Standard or high frame rate, and SDR or HDR to match your footage.
Use the figure when you export Enter the video and audio bitrates into your editor's export settings.

Common questions

What bitrate should I use for a 1080p YouTube upload?: For 1080p SDR at 30 fps the recommendation is around 8 Mbps, rising to about 12 Mbps at 60 fps. Uploading far above that does not improve the final result, because YouTube re-encodes to its own target bitrate regardless.
Does a higher bitrate always mean better quality?: Not past a certain point. Raising bitrate helps until the picture stops losing detail; above that the extra data is invisible and gets discarded in the platform's re-encode anyway. What remains is a bigger file and a longer upload.
Should I use constant or variable bitrate?: For uploads, two-pass variable bitrate generally gives better quality at the same file size, because it allocates more data to complex scenes. Constant bitrate matters more for live streaming, where a steady data rate is required.

Notes

Figures follow YouTube's published upload recommendations, which can change.
EnSaveNet is not affiliated with YouTube.