kbps

Units & Measurements abbreviation · Data Unit

kbps
Stands forKilobits per second
CategoriesUnits & Measurements

kbps stands for Kilobits per second, a data unit abbreviation.

One thousand bits per second, the scale of audio bitrates, dial-up modems and low-bandwidth IoT links. MP3 music typically ranges from 128 to 320 kbps, and Spotify's highest standard quality setting streams at 320 kbps.

Example: Export the podcast as a 128 kbps mono MP3 to keep the file small.

Usage notes

Also written kb/s, Kbps or kbit/s. The 56 kbps V.90 modem standard of 1998 was the fastest common dial-up speed. Bitrate times duration gives file size: 128 kbps for 60 seconds is 7,680 kilobits, or 960 kilobytes.

More data unit abbreviations

  • FPS – Frames per second
  • GB – Gigabyte
  • Gbps – Gigabits per second
  • GiB – Gibibyte
  • GT/s – Gigatransfers per second
  • KB – Kilobyte
  • KiB – Kibibyte
  • lpi – Lines per inch
  • MB – Megabyte
  • MB/s – Megabytes per second
  • Mbps – Megabits per second
  • MiB – Mebibyte

See all 36 data unit abbreviations →

Edited by the AbbreviationList.com team. Spotted an error or a missing meaning? Contact us.