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Kibibyte (KiB) - Unit Information & Conversion

Symbol:KiB
Plural:kibibytes
Category:Data Storage

What is a Kibibyte?

Definition

A kibibyte (KiB) is a unit of digital information storage equal to 210 bytes, which is exactly 1,024 bytes. It uses the binary prefix 'kibi-' established by the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) in 1998. The kibibyte was created to provide an unambiguous measurement for byte multiples based on powers of 2, distinguishing it from the kilobyte (KB), which is based on the decimal prefix 'kilo-' (103 or 1,000 bytes).

History

The prefix 'kibi-' (representing 210) was defined by the IEC in 1998 alongside other binary prefixes (mebi-, gibi-, tebi-, etc.). Before this standard, the SI prefix 'kilo-' (k) was ambiguously used to represent both 1000 (as per its SI definition) and 1024 in computing contexts. This led to confusion, especially when comparing storage capacities advertised by manufacturers (often using decimal prefixes) and those reported by operating systems (often using binary interpretations). The introduction of the kibibyte (KiB) aimed to resolve this ambiguity by providing a specific term for 1,024 bytes.

Common Uses

Kibibytes are used in contexts where precision based on powers of 2 is necessary:

  • Measuring Random Access Memory (RAM) capacity, which is typically manufactured in powers-of-2 sizes.
  • Reporting file sizes and disk space usage by some operating systems (like Microsoft Windows) and file systems.
  • Software development and technical documentation where exact binary multiples are crucial for calculations or specifications.
  • Network file transfer protocols where block sizes might be defined in binary terms.
  • Ensuring accuracy when comparing storage defined using binary prefixes (KiB, MiB, GiB) versus decimal prefixes (KB, MB, GB).

Unit FAQs

How many bytes are in a kibibyte (KiB)?

There are exactly 210 bytes in 1 kibibyte (KiB). This equals 1,024 bytes.

How many bits are in a kibibyte (KiB)?

Assuming the standard of 8 bits per byte, 1 kibibyte (KiB) contains 1,024 bytes * 8 bits/byte = 8,192 bits.

What is the difference between a kibibyte (KiB) and a kilobyte (KB)?

A kibibyte (KiB) represents 210 bytes (1,024 bytes), using the IEC binary prefix 'kibi-'. A kilobyte (KB) represents 103 bytes (1,000 bytes), using the SI decimal prefix 'kilo-'. A kibibyte is 2.4% larger than a kilobyte (1 KiB = 1.024 KB). Historically, KB was often used informally to mean 1024 bytes, which the KiB unit now clarifies.

How many kibibytes (KiB) are in a mebibyte (MiB)?

There are 1,024 kibibytes (KiB) in 1 mebibyte (MiB). This follows the binary prefix system where each subsequent prefix is 1024 times the previous one (1 MiB = 1024 KiB).

Why use kibibyte (KiB) instead of kilobyte (KB)?

Using kibibyte (KiB) provides clarity and removes ambiguity. When you see KiB, you know it specifically means 1,024 bytes. Kilobyte (KB) should mean 1,000 bytes according to SI standards, but its historical misuse for 1,024 bytes created confusion. KiB ensures precision, especially in technical fields like computing and data storage.

Kibibyte Conversion Formulas

To Bit:

1 KiB = 8192 b
Example: 5 kibibytes = 40960 bits

To Byte:

1 KiB = 1024 B
Example: 5 kibibytes = 5120 bytes

To Kilobit:

1 KiB = 8.192 kb
Example: 5 kibibytes = 40.96 kilobits

To Kilobyte:

1 KiB = 1.024 KB
Example: 5 kibibytes = 5.12 kilobytes

To Megabit:

1 KiB = 0.008192 Mb
Example: 5 kibibytes = 0.04096 megabits

To Megabyte:

1 KiB = 0.001024 MB
Example: 5 kibibytes = 0.00512 megabytes

To Gigabit:

1 KiB = 0.000008 Gb
Example: 5 kibibytes = 0.000041 gigabits

To Gigabyte:

1 KiB = 0.000001 GB
Example: 5 kibibytes = 0.000005 gigabytes

To Terabit:

1 KiB = 8.1920e-9 Tb
Example: 5 kibibytes = 4.0960e-8 terabits

To Terabyte:

1 KiB = 1.0240e-9 TB
Example: 5 kibibytes = 5.1200e-9 terabytes

To Petabit:

1 KiB = 8.1920e-12 Pb
Example: 5 kibibytes = 4.0960e-11 petabits

To Petabyte:

1 KiB = 1.0240e-12 PB
Example: 5 kibibytes = 5.1200e-12 petabytes

To Exabit:

1 KiB = 8.1920e-15 Eb
Example: 5 kibibytes = 4.0960e-14 exabits

To Exabyte:

1 KiB = 1.0240e-15 EB
Example: 5 kibibytes = 5.1200e-15 exabytes

To Kibibit:

1 KiB = 8 Kib
Example: 5 kibibytes = 40 kibibits

To Mebibit:

1 KiB = 0.007813 Mib
Example: 5 kibibytes = 0.039063 mebibits

To Mebibyte:

1 KiB = 0.000977 MiB
Example: 5 kibibytes = 0.004883 mebibytes

To Gibibit:

1 KiB = 0.000008 Gib
Example: 5 kibibytes = 0.000038 gibibits

To Gibibyte:

1 KiB = 9.5367e-7 GiB
Example: 5 kibibytes = 0.000005 gibibytes

To Tebibit:

1 KiB = 7.4506e-9 Tib
Example: 5 kibibytes = 3.7253e-8 tebibits

To Tebibyte:

1 KiB = 9.3132e-10 TiB
Example: 5 kibibytes = 4.6566e-9 tebibytes

To Pebibit:

1 KiB = 7.2760e-12 Pib
Example: 5 kibibytes = 3.6380e-11 pebibits

To Pebibyte:

1 KiB = 9.0949e-13 PiB
Example: 5 kibibytes = 4.5475e-12 pebibytes

To Exbibit:

1 KiB = 7.1054e-15 Eib
Example: 5 kibibytes = 3.5527e-14 exbibits

To Exbibyte:

1 KiB = 8.8818e-16 EiB
Example: 5 kibibytes = 4.4409e-15 exbibytes

Convert Kibibyte

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Kibibyte Quick Info

KiB
Symbol:KiB
Category:Data Storage
System:Various
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