4K video can use roughly 27 decimal GB per hour for a compressed camera mode, 70–764 GB per hour across common 4K ProRes variants, or about 973 GB per hour for the cited ARRIRAW mode. The correct number depends on which 4K resolution, codec, frame rate, bit depth, and recording mode you select.
Calculate it from the published bitrate:
GB per hour = bitrate in Mb/s × 3,600 ÷ 8 ÷ 1,000
That simplifies to GB/hour ≈ Mb/s × 0.45. This uses decimal units: 1 GB is 1,000,000,000 bytes and 1 TB is 1,000 GB.
A 4K storage reference table
“4K” needs a pixel definition. ITU-R BT.2020 defines UHD as 3840×2160. Apple's professional ProRes table uses 4096×2160. The following rows preserve each vendor's named resolution, mode, and approximate or target bitrate.
| 4K format | Published bitrate assumption | Per minute | Per hour | |---|---:|---:|---:| | Canon R5 4K IPB Light, 29.97p | Canon approximately 60 Mb/s | approximately 0.45 GB | approximately 27 GB | | ProRes 422 Proxy, 4096×2160/24p | Apple target 155 Mb/s | approximately 1.16 GB | 70 GB | | ProRes 422 LT, 4096×2160/24p | Apple target 350 Mb/s | approximately 2.63 GB | 157 GB | | ProRes 422, 4096×2160/24p | Apple target 503 Mb/s | approximately 3.77 GB | 226 GB | | ProRes 422 HQ, 4096×2160/24p | Apple target 754 Mb/s | approximately 5.66 GB | 339 GB | | ProRes 4444 XQ, 4096×2160/24p | Apple target 1,697 Mb/s | approximately 12.73 GB | 764 GB | | ARRIRAW Open Gate 3.4K/24p | ARRI 11.26 MB per frame | approximately 16.2 GB | 972.5 GB |
The bitrate-derived values are theoretical planning conversions from vendor targets, not measured disk consumption. Practical files can vary with variable bitrate, scene complexity, containers, audio, metadata, and firmware. ARRIRAW's row is ARRI's published per-frame and hourly calculation rather than a bitrate conversion.
Frame rate can more than double the answer
At the same 4096×2160 resolution, Apple lists ProRes 422 HQ at 754 Mb/s and 339 GB/hour for 24p, but 1,886 Mb/s and 848 GB/hour for 60p. If a project records interviews at 24p and action at 60p, calculate each block separately. Do not multiply the entire schedule by one blended guess unless you document that assumption.
Camera modes can be smaller than editorial mezzanine formats. Canon's chart lists approximately 120 Mb/s for a 4K IPB mode around 24–30p, or about 54 GB/hour by bitrate arithmetic. Long-GOP compression reduces storage but may change decode performance and post requirements. Choose the format from image, editorial, VFX, and delivery needs—not only drive capacity.
Turn recording time into a capacity plan
Suppose one camera records four hours of ProRes 422 HQ at 4096×2160/24p:
- camera original:
4 × 339 GB = 1,356 GB; - second protected copy: another 1,356 GB;
- editorial proxy at ProRes 422 Proxy:
4 × 70 GB = 280 GB; - explicit subtotal: 2,992 GB, or about 3.0 decimal TB.
That is an illustrative two-copy-plus-proxy policy, not an industry rule. Your production may require more copies, a different proxy format, or separate preservation storage. Add audio, reports, LUTs, sidecars, project files, and free-space headroom. Never plan to fill a card, drive, or volume to its nominal limit.
Operating systems may display binary GiB or TiB while drive and bitrate calculations use decimal GB or TB. One decimal TB is about 931 GiB, so an apparent capacity difference does not mean data disappeared.
Storage and transfer are separate budgets
A 1.356 TB original set at 500 Mbps takes about 6 h 45 m for one leg in the current calculator model. Upload plus a recipient download at the same rate take 13 h 30 m. The model uses decimal TB and a 12% planning allowance; endpoint contention, storage speed, and interruptions can extend observed time.
Reduce working size deliberately
Use proxies to let editorial begin with lightweight media, then relink originals for finishing. Adobe's ingest workflow supports creating and attaching proxies while preserving source media. Lossless raw encoding may also reduce capacity in supported workflows: ARRI states HDE produces files around 60% of original ARRIRAW size. Constant-quality formats need measured test footage because they do not have one fixed bitrate.
For the underlying multipliers, see why raw video grows. Compare the next resolution in the 8K storage guide, then use the remote transfer guide and delivery-night checklist for the handoff.
Where TeraAirlift fits
TeraAirlift is a Windows-first desktop operations console for moving large files and folders. Size review, queue visibility, progress, ETA, history, diagnostics, recipient controls, and SHA-256 verification help operators manage the package they actually selected. They do not make the estimate an archive policy or guarantee throughput. See the post-production file-transfer workflow.
