Home › Calculators › Song Length Calculator
Song Length Calculator
Find out how long a song or section lasts from its tempo, time signature and number of bars, or work backwards from a target length like 3:30 to the bars you need. You can also paste a song structure to get a timeline with the start time of every section.
Last updated:
Calculate
Tempo & meter
BPM
Length
minutes:seconds, or just seconds
Enter your values to see the result.
Advertisement
Advertisement
How to use the Song Length Calculator
- Choose a mode: bars to duration, duration to bars, or a full song structure.
- Enter the tempo and time signature, and say what note the BPM counts (your DAW almost always counts quarter notes).
- Enter the bars, a target length like 3:30, or one section per line such as "Verse 16".
- Read the duration or the bars needed, plus bar and beat length.
- Download the table to plan an arrangement or compare tempos.
Song length formulas
- Bar length (s) = quarter notes per bar × 60 ÷ quarter-note BPM; quarter notes per bar = beats × 4 ÷ beat unit
- Duration = bars × bar length
- Bars = duration ÷ bar length
- Tempo to fit N bars into T seconds = quarter notes per bar × N × 60 ÷ T
Example: 96 bars of 4/4 at 120 BPM. Each bar is 4 × 60 ÷ 120 = 2 s, so the song lasts 96 × 2 = 192 s = 3:12.
Bar length at common tempos (4/4)
| BPM | 1 bar | 8 bars | 16 bars | 32 bars |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 70 | 3.43 s | 27.4 s | 0:54.9 | 1:49.7 |
| 90 | 2.67 s | 21.3 s | 0:42.7 | 1:25.3 |
| 100 | 2.40 s | 19.2 s | 0:38.4 | 1:16.8 |
| 120 | 2.00 s | 16.0 s | 0:32.0 | 1:04.0 |
| 128 | 1.875 s | 15.0 s | 0:30.0 | 1:00.0 |
| 140 | 1.71 s | 13.7 s | 0:27.4 | 0:54.9 |
| 174 | 1.38 s | 11.0 s | 0:22.1 | 0:44.1 |
Frequently asked questions
How do I calculate song length from BPM and bars?
Duration in seconds = bars × beats per bar × 60 ÷ BPM (when the BPM counts the same note as the beat). 96 bars of 4/4 at 120 BPM is 96 × 4 × 60 ÷ 120 = 192 seconds, or 3:12.
How long is one bar?
In 4/4, one bar lasts 240 ÷ BPM seconds: 2 seconds at 120 BPM and 1.875 seconds at 128 BPM. In 3/4 it is 180 ÷ BPM seconds.
How many bars are in a 3-minute song?
Bars = seconds × BPM ÷ (beats per bar × 60). At 120 BPM in 4/4, 180 seconds is 180 × 120 ÷ 240 = 90 bars. Use the Duration → bars mode for any tempo.
How is BPM counted in 6/8?
It depends. DAWs usually measure tempo in quarter notes, while musicians often count 6/8 in two dotted-quarter beats per bar. Choose the matching option under "BPM counts" so the bar length comes out right.
How do I make a song exactly a certain length?
Use Duration → bars. It shows the exact (fractional) number of bars, the nearest whole bars and phrase lengths, and the tempo that makes a whole number of bars fit the target exactly.
How long is 16 bars?
At 4/4 time, 16 bars are 64 beats: 32 seconds at 120 BPM, 30 seconds at 128 BPM and about 42.7 seconds at 90 BPM.
Are all the tools on FreeToolCabin tested for quality and accuracy?
Yes! Every tool on our site undergoes automated Q/A testing in real browser environments to ensure high precision, correct output, and zero errors. If you happen to spot a bug or have a suggestion, please contact us at [email protected] and our team will review it right away.
Related tools
BPM to MS CalculatorNote lengths in milliseconds and Hz for any tempo: straight, dotted and triplet delay times.Online MetronomeKeep time with BPM control and tap tempo.Guitar Fret Position CalculatorDistance from the nut and between frets for any scale length (12-TET), with CSV export.Time Duration CalculatorHours, minutes and seconds between two times, overnight too.Camelot WheelInteractive Camelot wheel: click a key to see harmonic mixes, convert keys to Camelot and Open Key.Lyric Video MakerMake a lyric video: add a song and background, tap to sync lines or import LRC, export 16:9 or 9:16.Random Song GeneratorPick a random popular song by decade and genre, then play it on your favorite music service.Age CalculatorFind your exact age and next birthday countdown.Teaching ClockInteractive analog clock with draggable hands, time in words and a telling-time quiz.Credit Utilization CalculatorCalculate per-card and overall credit utilization and how much to pay to reach 30% or 10%.Carbon Footprint CalculatorEstimate your yearly CO2e from driving, flights, electricity, gas and diet in tonnes.Online CalculatorFree basic and scientific calculator with keyboard support, memory keys and a history tape.Screen Time CalculatorSee your daily screen time per year and over your lifetime, and what else you could do.Book Reading Time CalculatorHow long a book takes to read from its pages or words and your reading speed.Pages per Day CalculatorHow many pages to read each day to finish a book by your date, with a reading schedule.Fabric Yardage CalculatorHow many yards or meters of fabric to buy for your pieces, width, seams and pattern repeat.Print Size CalculatorPrint size from pixels and DPI, max print size by megapixels, and pixels needed for any print.Candle Wax CalculatorWax and fragrance oil weights for a batch of candles from jar volume or size, plus a wick hint.Knitting Gauge CalculatorTurn a swatch into gauge, stitches to cast on for any width and a resized pattern count.Mouse Sensitivity Calculatorcm/360, inches/360 and eDPI from DPI and sensitivity, and convert sens between games.Prorated Rent CalculatorProrated rent for a move-in or move-out date, by days in month, 365-day year or 30-day month.Rent Increase CalculatorNew rent and % increase, check against a rent cap, and project rent over the coming years.Time Lapse CalculatorShots, clip length and storage for a time lapse, or the interval you need for a target clip.Feet and Inches CalculatorAdd, subtract, multiply and divide feet-inch-fraction lengths with tape-measure results.Group Expense SplitterTrack shared group expenses in any currency and see who owes whom with the fewest payments.Tablecloth Size CalculatorFind the tablecloth size for any round, rectangle, square or oval table and drop length.Bead CalculatorHow many beads and spacers you need for a bracelet or necklace, with pattern repeats.Blanket Size CalculatorBlanket dimensions by type, stitches to cast on or chain from your gauge, and a yarn estimate.Bleach Dilution CalculatorHow much bleach per gallon or quart of water for a sanitizing or disinfecting ppm or ratio.Cross Stitch Fabric CalculatorFinished cross stitch design size and fabric cut size from stitch count and Aida count.Pipe Slope CalculatorDrain pipe drop from slope and length, or slope from drop, with DWV minimum checks.Fabric Shrinkage CalculatorFind fabric shrinkage % from a test wash or fiber type and how much extra fabric to buy.Food Storage Time GuideHow long food keeps in the fridge, freezer and pantry, with use-by dates and leftover tips.Granny Square Blanket CalculatorHow many granny squares a blanket needs (rows × columns), with joins, border and yarn.Half Square Triangle CalculatorCut square size, number of squares and fabric yardage for HSTs: 2, 4 or 8 at a time.Halfway Point CalculatorFind the halfway point between two or more addresses on a map, with the nearest city and distances.Herbicide Mix CalculatorProduct per tank, tank fills and total herbicide from the label rate, tank size and area.Knitting Increase and Decrease CalculatorEvenly spaced increase or decrease instructions like K5, M1 for flat or round knitting.Yarn Substitution CalculatorHow many skeins of a different yarn to buy for a pattern, with a weight compatibility check.Laundry Symbols DecoderLook up any care label symbol (wash, bleach, dry, iron, dry clean) and get plain-English tips.Macrame Cord Length CalculatorHow long to cut each macrame cord, folded or unfolded, and how much cord in total.Paracord CalculatorHow much paracord a bracelet needs for your wrist and knot, plus the right buckle size.Picture Frame Mat CalculatorFind the mat opening and border widths for any frame, with bottom weighting and a cut diagram.Quilt Backing CalculatorBacking yardage, panels to cut and seam direction for 42 in or 108 in wide fabric.Quilt Binding CalculatorTotal binding length, number of strips to cut and fabric yardage for any quilt size.Range Hood CFM CalculatorRecommended range hood CFM from stove type, BTUs, width, mounting and duct run.Walking Time CalculatorHow long it takes to walk a distance or number of steps, or how far you walk in a given time.