Quick answer
Data transferred = speed × time ÷ 8. A 100 Mbit/s link running for 60 minutes moves 45 GB (45,000 MB), which is 41.91 GiB.
Enter a speed, its unit, a duration and its unit. The calculator returns the data moved in decimal and binary units.
Related tools: Download Time Calculator: Time to download a file at a given speed. Media File Size Calculator: File size of an audio or video stream from its bitrate and duration. Bandwidth Calculator: Bandwidth needed to move a file in a given time.
How to use the Data Transfer Calculator
- Enter speed (above 0).
- Choose speed unit: kbit/s, Mbit/s, Gbit/s, MB/s and GB/s.
- Enter duration (above 0).
- Choose time unit: Seconds, Minutes and Hours.
- Press Calculate to see the result, and use Reset to start again.
| Input | What to enter | Allowed values |
|---|---|---|
| Speed | A number | > 0 |
| Speed unit | Choose one: kbit/s; Mbit/s; Gbit/s; MB/s; GB/s | Starts at Mbit/s |
| Duration | A number | > 0 |
| Time unit | Choose one: Seconds; Minutes; Hours | Starts at Minutes |
Formula and method
Formula
data = speed × time ÷ 8
IEEE-754 double precision; shown to the decimals indicated.
Results use decimal gigabytes (1 GB = 10⁹ bytes) with the binary GiB figure alongside.
Worked examples
These examples are verified: each one is an automated test case that the live calculator must reproduce exactly.
Example 1
Inputs: Speed = 100; Speed unit = Mbit/s; Duration = 60; Time unit = Minutes.
| Result | Value |
|---|---|
| Data transferred | 45 GB |
| In gigabytes (binary, GiB) | 41.9095 |
| In megabytes | 45,000 |
Example 2
Inputs: Speed = 1; Speed unit = Gbit/s; Duration = 2; Time unit = Hours.
| Result | Value |
|---|---|
| Data transferred | 900 GB |
| In gigabytes (binary, GiB) | 838.1903 |
| In megabytes | 900,000 |
Example 3
Inputs: Speed = 25; Speed unit = MB/s; Duration = 90; Time unit = Seconds.
| Result | Value |
|---|---|
| Data transferred | 2.25 GB |
| In gigabytes (binary, GiB) | 2.0955 |
| In megabytes | 2,250 |
The first line is the headline result (data transferred). Below it the data Transfer Calculator lists in gigabytes (binary, GiB) and in megabytes, which describe the same case from other angles. IEEE-754 double precision; shown to the decimals indicated.
The arithmetic
100 Mbit/s × 3,600 s = 360,000 Mbit, and dividing by 8 gives 45,000 MB. Bits become bytes by dividing by 8.
Ideal conditions
The result assumes the full line rate for the whole time. Protocol overhead, congestion and server limits usually cut real transfers by 10 to 20%. Decimal GB and binary GiB differ by about 7%.
How the result changes with speed
Holding every other input at the first worked example, this table changes only speed. It shows how sensitive the answer is to that one value; each row was produced by running this calculator.
| Speed | Data transferred | In gigabytes (binary, GiB) | In megabytes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 50 | 22.5 GB | 20.9548 | 22,500 |
| 100 | 45 GB | 41.9095 | 45,000 |
| 200 | 90 GB | 83.819 | 90,000 |
| 400 | 180 GB | 167.6381 | 180,000 |
What happens with invalid input
These messages are produced by the calculator itself, so you know what to fix.
- Speed: entering "0" shows "Speed must be greater than 0." beside that field and no result.
- Duration: entering "0" shows "Duration must be greater than 0." beside that field and no result.
Choosing between the Data Transfer Calculator and similar calculators
Each row shows what a related calculator on this site asks for and what it returns, so you can pick the one that matches your question.
| Calculator | You enter | It returns |
|---|---|---|
| [Download Time Calculator](/technology/download-time-calculator/) | file size, size unit and connection speed | Time |
| [Media File Size Calculator](/technology/file-size-calculator/) | bitrate, bitrate unit and hours | File size |
| [Bandwidth Calculator](/technology/bandwidth-calculator/) | data size, size unit and time allowed | Bandwidth required |
| [Bitrate Calculator](/technology/bitrate-calculator/) | file size, size unit and duration | Average bitrate |
| [Data Transfer Rate Converter](/converters/data-transfer-rate-converter/) | value, from and to | Megabit per second (Mbps) → Megabyte per second (MB/s) |
Background: networking and display
Network speeds are quoted in bits per second and file sizes in bytes, and a byte is 8 bits, so a 100 Mbps link moves at most 12.5 megabytes per second; real throughput is usually below the advertised rate. Pixel density is the diagonal in pixels divided by the diagonal in inches: a 1920×1080 display of 24 inches is about 92 pixels per inch, and a 3840×2160 display of 27 inches about 163.
Assumptions and limitations
- Assumes full line rate
If a required value is empty, not a number, or outside its allowed range, the form marks that field with a message and shows no result instead of a misleading number. The automated checks deliberately try invalid entries for speed and duration to confirm this.
Frequently asked questions
How much data does 1 Gbit/s move in an hour?
Exactly 450 GB at the full line rate.
Why do GB and GiB differ?
A GiB is 1,073,741,824 bytes against 1,000,000,000 for a GB.
Does it include overhead?
No, only the ideal line rate.
What does the Data Transfer Calculator calculate?
Amount of data moved at a speed over a time. It returns Data transferred, In gigabytes (binary, GiB) and In megabytes.
What formula does the Data Transfer Calculator use?
data = speed × time ÷ 8. Results use decimal gigabytes (1 GB = 10⁹ bytes) with the binary GiB figure alongside.
What do I need to enter in the data Transfer Calculator?
You enter Speed, Speed unit, Duration and Time unit.
How is the result rounded or limited?
IEEE-754 double precision; shown to the decimals indicated. Assumes full line rate.
What does the “Speed unit” option change?
It sets how the data Transfer is worked out. The choices are kbit/s, Mbit/s, Gbit/s, MB/s and GB/s.
What is an example of a data Transfer result?
With speed 100, speed unit Mbit/s, duration 60 and time unit Minutes, the data transferred is 45 GB.
Related calculators
- Download Time Calculator — Time to download a file at a given speed.
- Media File Size Calculator — File size of an audio or video stream from its bitrate and duration.
- Bandwidth Calculator — Bandwidth needed to move a file in a given time.
- Bitrate Calculator — Average bitrate of a file from its size and duration.
- Data Transfer Rate Converter — Convert bps, Mbps, Gbps and bytes per second.
- Upload Time Calculator — Time to upload a file at a given speed.
- IP Subnet Calculator — IPv4 network, broadcast, mask and host range from an address and CIDR prefix.
- Latency to Distance Calculator — Approximate one-way distance from round-trip latency.
Sources
- SI prefixes (kB = 1,000 B) and IEC prefixes (KiB = 1,024 B); 8 bits per byte
Content last reviewed 2026-11-04. Formulas and worked examples are checked by automated tests against independently computed values.