Data conversion starts with the bit
CalcOS converts every supported data-storage unit through bits. A byte contains exactly eight bits. Decimal prefixes use powers of 1,000, while IEC binary prefixes use powers of 1,024.
Symbols are case-sensitive: B means byte, while bit identifies a bit. CalcOS uses full, explicit unit names in selectors so MB, Mbit, MiB, and Mibit cannot collapse into one another.
Decimal versus binary storage units
| Unit | Exact byte value | Prefix system |
|---|---|---|
| kilobyte (kB) | 1,000 B | decimal, 10³ |
| kibibyte (KiB) | 1,024 B | binary, 2¹⁰ |
| megabyte (MB) | 1,000,000 B | decimal, 10⁶ |
| mebibyte (MiB) | 1,048,576 B | binary, 2²⁰ |
| gigabyte (GB) | 1,000,000,000 B | decimal, 10⁹ |
| gibibyte (GiB) | 1,073,741,824 B | binary, 2³⁰ |
Bits and bytes are not interchangeable
One byte is eight bits. Network speeds are commonly expressed in bits per second, while file sizes are commonly expressed in bytes. This package converts storage quantities only; rates such as Mbit/s belong in the separate Data Transfer Converter.
Why CalcOS does not treat “KB” as 1,024 bytes
SI prefixes such as kilo, mega, and giga denote powers of ten. Binary powers use the IEC names kibi, mebi, and gibi with symbols Ki, Mi, and Gi. CalcOS therefore treats kB as 1,000 bytes and KiB as 1,024 bytes, without a hidden device or operating-system convention.
Authoritative references: IEC 80000-13:2025, NIST binary-prefix reference, and NIST Guide to the SI, Chapter 4.