kibibyte (binary) (KiB)
1 kibibyte (binary) = 1,024 bytes
What is kibibyte (binary)?
A kibibyte is a binary data unit equal to 1,024 bytes. It is the IEC-standard unit that precisely distinguishes binary-based kilobyte measurements from the decimal kilobyte used in storage marketing.
Notes: Binary prefix
Real-world uses
Kibibytes are used in operating system kernels, Linux system tools, and technical documentation where binary precision matters. Memory allocations, filesystem block sizes, and network buffer sizes are specified in kibibytes to avoid decimal ambiguity. The Linux kernel, GNU tools, and JEDEC standards all use binary prefixes.
History
The kibibyte was defined by the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) in 1998 as part of IEC 80000-13 to resolve the longstanding ambiguity between decimal and binary multiples of bytes. The prefix "kibi-" derives from "kilo binary" (2^10 = 1,024).
Common mistakes
Confusing KiB (kibibyte, 1,024 bytes) with kB (kilobyte, 1,000 bytes). The difference is 2.4%, small but significant at scale. Many users and some software still use "kB" to mean 1,024 bytes despite the IEC 1998 standardisation of "KiB".
When is this conversion used?
Converting kibibyte (binary) to byte is useful in the data domain when comparing values across different measurement standards or applying formulas that require a specific unit.
How to convert kibibyte (binary) to byte
To convert kibibyte (binary) to byte, multiply the value by 1,024.
Conversion formula (from base unit)
x * 1024.0
Measurement standards
The International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC 80000-13) defines binary prefixes: 1 KiB = 1,024 bytes, 1 MiB = 1,048,576 bytes. The SI decimal prefixes (kB = 1,000 bytes, MB = 1,000,000 bytes) apply to data units as they do to all SI quantities.
Did you know?
By 2025, the global datasphere is estimated to reach 181 zettabytes — roughly 181 trillion gigabytes. If stored on standard Blu-ray discs, the stack would reach from Earth to Mars and back over 20 times.
| kibibytes (binary) | bytes |
|---|---|
| 0.1 | 102.4 |
| 0.5 | 512 |
| 1 | 1,024 |
| 2 | 2,048 |
| 5 | 5,120 |
| 10 | 10,240 |
| 25 | 25,600 |
| 50 | 51,200 |
| 100 | 102,400 |
| 250 | 256,000 |
| 500 | 512,000 |
| 1,000 | 1,024,000 |
Common values
| kibibytes (binary) | bytes | |
|---|---|---|
| A text email | 4.8828125 kibibytes (binary) | 5,000 bytes |
| An MP3 song (4 min) | 3,906.25 kibibytes (binary) | 4,000,000 bytes |
| A smartphone photo | 4,882.8125 kibibytes (binary) | 5,000,000 bytes |
| An HD movie | 4,882,812.5 kibibytes (binary) | 5.000000e+09 bytes |
| A full hard drive | 976,562,500 kibibytes (binary) | 1.000000e+12 bytes |
Full kibibyte (binary) conversion table
| Unit | Value | Factor |
|---|---|---|
| byte | 1 KiB = 1,024 B | × 1,024 |
| kilobyte (decimal) | 1 KiB = 1.024 kB | × 1.024 |
| megabyte (decimal) | 1 KiB = 0.001024 MB | × 0.001024 |
| gigabyte (decimal) | 1 KiB = 0.00000102 GB | × 0.00000102 |
| terabyte (decimal) | 1 KiB = 1.024000e-09 TB | × 1.024000e-09 |
| bit | 1 KiB = 8,192 b | × 8,192 |
| mebibyte (binary) | 1 KiB = 0.00097656 MiB | × 0.00097656 |
| gibibyte (binary) | 1 KiB = 9.536743e-07 GiB | × 9.536743e-07 |
| tebibyte (binary) | 1 KiB = 9.313226e-10 TiB | × 9.313226e-10 |