Bits to Kilobits Converter

Bits to Kilobits

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

The Formula

`` kilobits = bits × 0.001 bits = kilobits × 1000 `

One bit is 0.001 kilobits, and one kilobit is 1,000 bits.

Conversion Table

Bits	Kilobits
1 b	0.001 Kb
2 b	0.002 Kb
5 b	0.005 Kb
10 b	0.01 Kb
25 b	0.025 Kb
50 b	0.05 Kb
100 b	0.1 Kb
500 b	0.5 Kb
1,000 b	1 Kb

The Other Direction

Kilobits	Bits
1 Kb	1,000 b
2 Kb	2,000 b
5 Kb	5,000 b
10 Kb	10,000 b
25 Kb	25,000 b
50 Kb	50,000 b
100 Kb	100,000 b
500 Kb	500,000 b
1,000 Kb	1,000,000 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".

Kilobits (Kb) — 1,000 bits in decimal (SI) usage. The telecoms convention, where powers of ten have always been used.

A Sense of Scale

• Network speeds are quoted in bits per second
• A byte is 8 bits
• Dial-up peaked at 56 kbit/s
• Audio bitrates are in kbit/s

Precision

The factor 0.001 is rounded. For engineering work carry more digits than the table above, and round only at the end — rounding at each step compounds.

In Code

`javascript const bitToKilobit = (value) => value * 0.001; ``

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	0	100.0000%
2	0	0	100.0000%
3	0.001	0.137	—
4	0.001	0.137	—

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 kilobits 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	0.125 B	Bytes
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.