Is 1 GB equal to 1,000 MB or 1,024 MB? The answer depends on whether you're using decimal (SI) or binary (IEC) units. This distinction matters when calculating storage capacity, bandwidth limits, and file transfer times — getting it wrong means your estimates are off by up to 7%.
What Is Byte Converter?
Byte conversion translates between data size units — bytes, KB, MB, GB, TB — in both decimal (powers of 1000) and binary (powers of 1024) systems. Our Byte Converter handles both systems and shows the exact difference.
How to Use Byte Converter on DevToolHub
- Open the Byte Converter tool on DevToolHub — no signup required.
- Paste or enter your input data in the left panel.
- See the result instantly in the output panel.
- Copy the result or download it as a file.
Decimal vs Binary Units
The difference that confuses everyone:
// Decimal (SI) — used by storage manufacturers, network speeds
1 KB = 1,000 bytes
1 MB = 1,000,000 bytes
1 GB = 1,000,000,000 bytes
// Binary (IEC) — used by operating systems, RAM
1 KiB = 1,024 bytes
1 MiB = 1,048,576 bytes
1 GiB = 1,073,741,824 bytes
// Why your "256 GB" SSD shows 238 GB in your OS:
256,000,000,000 bytes ÷ 1,073,741,824 = 238.4 GiBPro Tips
- Storage manufacturers use decimal (1 GB = 1 billion bytes) — OS uses binary (1 GiB = 1.07 billion bytes)
- Network bandwidth is always decimal: 100 Mbps = 100,000,000 bits per second
- Divide bits by 8 to get bytes: 100 Mbps = 12.5 MB/s theoretical maximum
- RAM is always binary: 8 GB RAM = 8 × 1,073,741,824 = 8,589,934,592 bytes exactly
When You Need This
- Calculating actual storage capacity vs marketed capacity
- Estimating file transfer times based on bandwidth
- Sizing database tables and storage requirements
- Converting API rate limits between different unit representations
Free Tools Mentioned in This Article