Unit systems: decimal and binary bytes
Why KB and KiB are different, and how to keep storage and network calculations consistent.
Continue with Byte / KB / MB / GB Converter, Number Base Converter · Reference
Decimal and binary prefixes
Decimal prefixes use powers of 1000: 1 kB is 1000 bytes and 1 MB is 1,000,000 bytes. Binary prefixes use powers of 1024: 1 KiB is 1024 bytes and 1 MiB is 1,048,576 bytes.
Keep the label with the number
A bare value such as 10 MB is ambiguous if the surrounding system does not define its convention. Preserve the unit in API fields, documentation, and UI labels so a conversion can be checked later.
References
Related tools
- Byte / KB / MB / GB ConverterConvert between bytes, KB, MB, GB, and TB — both SI and IEC.
- Number Base ConverterConvert integers between bases 2 and 64, including binary, decimal, hexadecimal, and custom bases.