Bits to Bytes Converter

Bits to Bytes

Convert bits (b) to bytes (B). Both measure digital storage, and the conversion comes up in computing, storage, internet work.

The Formula

`` bytes = bits × 0.125 bits = bytes × 8 `

One bit is 0.125 bytes, and one byte is 8 bits.

Conversion Table

Bits	Bytes
1 b	0.125 B
2 b	0.25 B
5 b	0.625 B
10 b	1.25 B
25 b	3.125 B
50 b	6.25 B
100 b	12.5 B
500 b	62.5 B
1,000 b	125 B

The Other Direction

Bytes	Bits
1 B	8 b
2 B	16 b
5 B	40 b
10 B	80 b
25 B	200 b
50 B	400 b
100 B	800 b
500 B	4,000 b
1,000 B	8,000 b

What Each Unit Is

Bits (b) — a single binary digit — the smallest unit of information. Named by John Tukey in 1946, from "binary digit".

Bytes (B) — 8 bits. Coined at IBM in 1956 for the group of bits encoding one character.

A Sense of Scale

• Network speeds are quoted in bits per second
• A byte is 8 bits
• One ASCII character is 1 byte
• A UTF-8 emoji is often 4 bytes

Precision

The factor 0.125 is exact by international agreement, not a rounded approximation. Any imprecision in a result comes from your input, not the conversion.

In Code

`javascript const bitToByte = (value) => value * 0.125; ``

Where This Conversion Comes Up

• Computing
• Storage
• Internet
• Media
• Backups

How Many Decimals Do You Need?

Rounding the factor costs accuracy, and how much depends on the factor. Converting 137 b with the factor truncated at each decimal place:

Decimals kept	Factor	137 b becomes	Error
0	0	0	100.0000%
1	0.1	13.7	20.0000%
2	0.13	17.81	4.0000%
3	0.125	17.125	—
4	0.125	17.125	—

A rule that holds for any conversion: round once, at the end. Rounding the factor and then multiplying compounds the error through every subsequent calculation, while carrying full precision and rounding the final answer does not.

The right number of significant figures is set by your input, not by the converter. If you measured bits to three significant figures, the answer in bytes is only good to three — writing more digits claims precision the measurement never had.

Other Conversions From Bits

The same value in every other unit this converter supports for data:

From	To	Unit
1 b	0.001 Kb	Kilobits
1 b	1.2500e-4 KB	Kilobytes
1 b	1.0000e-6 Mb	Megabits
1 b	1.2500e-7 MB	Megabytes
1 b	1.2500e-10 GB	Gigabytes
1 b	1.2500e-13 TB	Terabytes

Chaining conversions works — bits to metres to feet gives the same answer as bits to feet — but each step rounds, so a chain of three conversions carries three roundings. Convert directly where a direct factor exists.