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Free Timecode Calculator: frames, seconds, drop-frame and frame rates

Convert a timecode to frames, seconds or a YouTube time stamp and back, add and subtract timecodes, add up a list of durations, move a timecode to another frame rate and see how far non-drop timecode drifts from the clock. It handles 29.97 and 59.94 drop-frame (HH:MM:SS;FF) and can read the frame rate of your video file. Everything runs in your browser.

Updated · Built by Kevin Tabares, long-form YouTube editor at Umbrella Creators.

Timecode calculator

Not sure of the rate?

Convert (type in any field)

Add or subtract

Add up a list of durations

Change the frame rate

Timecode vs real time

Frame rateLasts in real timeDifferenceThe same clock time reads

Nothing is uploaded. The calculator is arithmetic in this page. If you read a video, your browser only looks at the file's header, right here in this tab.

How to use it

  1. Pick the frame rate of your timeline (at 29.97 and 59.94, choose drop-frame if your editor shows semicolons). If your timeline starts at 01:00:00:00, type that as the start: the frames, seconds and YouTube fields then count from the start of the video.
  2. Type in any of the four fields: a timecode, a frame count, seconds or a YouTube time stamp (1:02:03, 62:03, 1h2m3s or a link with t=). The other three update as you type. You can also type a timecode like on a keypad: 1000000 is 01:00:00:00.
  3. Add or subtract two timecodes, paste a list of durations to get the total, move a timecode to another frame rate, or type a length to see how much real time it lasts at each rate. Every result has a Copy button.

How drop-frame timecode works

Timecode counts frames: 30 frame numbers per timecode second at 29.97, 60 at 59.94. Because the real rate is a little slower than 30 (30000/1001 frames per second), counting 30 per second runs behind the clock. Drop-frame skips frame numbers to catch up. These jumps are what the calculator does:

What one hour of timecode means at each frame rate, computed with the same formulas as the calculator:

Frame rateFrames in 01:00:00:00Real time of 01:00:00:00DifferenceAfter one real hour the timecode reads
23.976 fps86,4001:00:03.6003.6 s behind the clock00:59:56:09
24 fps86,4001:00:00.000none01:00:00:00
25 fps90,0001:00:00.000none01:00:00:00
29.97 fps (non-drop)108,0001:00:03.6003.6 s behind the clock00:59:56:12
29.97 fps drop-frame107,8920:59:59.9963.6 ms ahead of the clock01:00:00;00
30 fps108,0001:00:00.000none01:00:00:00
47.952 fps172,8001:00:03.6003.6 s behind the clock00:59:56:19
48 fps172,8001:00:00.000none01:00:00:00
50 fps180,0001:00:00.000none01:00:00:00
59.94 fps (non-drop)216,0001:00:03.6003.6 s behind the clock00:59:56:24
59.94 fps drop-frame215,7840:59:59.9963.6 ms ahead of the clock01:00:00;00
60 fps216,0001:00:00.000none01:00:00:00

So a marker at 01:00:00:00 on a 29.97 non-drop timeline that starts at 00:00:00:00 is at 1:00:03.6 in the exported video. With drop-frame it is 3.6 milliseconds before the hour, about a tenth of a frame.

Sources

FAQ

What is drop-frame timecode?
At 29.97 fps a timecode that counts 30 frames per second slowly falls behind the clock. Drop-frame timecode fixes that by skipping frame numbers, never frames of picture: at 29.97 the numbers 00 and 01 are skipped at the start of every minute except minutes 00, 10, 20, 30, 40 and 50, so 00:00:59;29 is followed by 00:01:00;02. At 59.94 the numbers 00 to 03 are skipped on the same minutes. It is usually written with a semicolon before the frames (00:01:00;02). The rule grows with the rate (FFmpeg and GStreamer skip eight numbers at 119.88) and 23.976 has no drop-frame, so of the twelve rates in this calculator only 29.97 and 59.94 have a drop-frame option.
How much does non-drop timecode drift from real time?
At 29.97, 59.94, 23.976 and 47.952 without drop-frame, 01:00:00:00 of timecode lasts 1:00:03.600 of real time: the timecode is 3.6 seconds behind the clock after one hour (108 frames at 29.97). Drop-frame at 29.97 or 59.94 is not perfect either: 01:00:00;00 lasts 3.6 milliseconds less than an hour, about 86 milliseconds per day. At 24, 25, 30, 48, 50 and 60 timecode and clock match exactly. The table in the calculator shows it for any length you type.
How do I turn a timeline timecode into a YouTube time stamp?
Pick your timeline's frame rate, type the timeline start if it is not 00:00:00:00 (for example 01:00:00:00) and type the timecode. The YouTube field shows the whole second at which that frame, or one just before it, is on screen, so a chapter never starts after your marker. For chapters, YouTube asks for a first time stamp of 00:00, at least three time stamps in ascending order and chapters of at least 10 seconds. For a full chapter list from your markers, use my markers to YouTube chapters tool.
What happens when I change the frame rate of a timecode?
You choose what has to stay the same. Same moment in real time keeps a point of the video where it is (markers, captions, a new timeline at another rate): the result is the frame at the new rate whose start is closest to that moment, and the note says how far off it is. Same frame count keeps every frame (conforming 23.976 footage to 24, or a speed change): the timecode stays as a count of frames and the real time changes, so the note says how much faster or slower it plays.
How do I know which frame rate to pick?
Use the frame rate of your timeline or sequence, not of a single clip. If you are not sure, open the exported video with Read the frame rate: the tool reads it from the file's header (MP4, MOV, M4V, MKV or WEBM) and, if the file has a QuickTime timecode track, its start and whether it is drop-frame. Without a timecode track, an MP4 does not say whether its timeline used drop-frame, so at 29.97 and 59.94 check your editor's timecode display: a semicolon before the frames usually means drop-frame. If the file has a variable frame rate, the tool tells you.
Does it upload my video? What are the limits?
No. The calculator is plain arithmetic in this page and works offline once loaded. Reading a file only reads its header in your browser: for a 60-minute MP4 that is a few megabytes, never more than 64 MB, and nothing leaves your device. Limits: timecodes up to 99 hours, the twelve frame rates in the list, and constant frame rate (for a variable frame rate file it sets the rate whose frame grid the frames follow, if there is one, and marks it as an estimate). It only reads a QuickTime timecode track, not timecode kept in other metadata.

Who made this

I'm Kevin Tabares. I've edited long-form YouTube videos since 2015 (1,277 videos and 152.2M+ views tracked on YT Jobs) for channels like Rex & Alexa, Puff and Mud. I move between timecode, frame counts and YouTube time stamps all the time: chapter lists, notes from a client at a time in the video, exports at another frame rate. I built this so the drop-frame and 29.97 math is done right in one place, without opening an editor. If you want an editor for your channel, get in touch.

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