How to use the timecode calculator
- Pick the frame rate of your timeline at the top of the calculator. The same timecode means a different number of frames at every rate, so this choice comes first.
- Type a timecode. Separators are optional: digits fill from the right, so 1000 reads as 00:00:10:00 and 1000000 as 01:00:00:00. A colon, semicolon, period or comma all work between fields.
- Press Enter or Add a line for the next value, and switch any line between plus and minus with the button on its left.
- Read the result with its frame count and its length in real clock time. Copy timecode puts it on your clipboard.
The other two tabs answer the next most common questions. Timecode ⇄ frames turns a label into a frame count and a running time in seconds, or back. Change frame rate shows where a timecode lands at another rate, both at the same clock time and with the same frames played faster or slower.
How timecode works
Timecode is a label on every frame, written as hours, minutes, seconds and frames: HH:MM:SS:FF. The frames field counts from 00 up to one less than the rate: 00 to 24 at 25 fps, 00 to 29 at 29.97 fps. It labels frames rather than measuring time, which is why timecode math needs a frame rate. One second of timecode, 00:00:01:00, is 25 frames at 25 fps and 60 frames at 59.94 fps.
Counted rate and real rate
The rates 23.976, 29.97 and 59.94 are counted as if they were 24, 30 and 60 frames per second, but they really play 1000/1001 slower. So an hour of 29.97 non-drop labels takes 3,603.6 seconds on the clock, 3.6 seconds longer than an hour. The calculator shows both the frame count and the real time, so that difference is always in view.
The 24-hour limit
Timecode stamped into a file or a tape starts again at zero after 23:59:59 and its last frame. Durations do not, so the calculator keeps counting past 24 hours instead of wrapping.
Drop-frame timecode, explained
Drop-frame timecode keeps 29.97 and 59.94 labels in step with the clock by skipping some frame numbers. At 29.97 fps the numbers 00 and 01 are skipped at the start of every minute, except minutes 00, 10, 20, 30, 40 and 50. So the count runs from 00:00:59;29 straight to 00:01:00;02. At 59.94 fps four numbers, 00 to 03, are skipped on the same schedule.
That removes 108 labels from each hour at 29.97 fps: two a minute, in 54 of the 60 minutes. One labelled hour is then 107,892 frames, which plays in 3,599.996 seconds, within 4 milliseconds of a real hour.
No picture is removed. Only the numbering skips; every frame of video and every sample of sound is still there.
Drop-frame is usually written with a semicolon before the frames, 01:00:00;00, and non-drop with colons only. The calculator writes it that way, and tells you when you type a label that drop-frame skips, such as 00:01:00;00.
Which one to use
Broadcasters in 29.97 and 59.94 regions usually ask for drop-frame, so a programme's timecode length matches its running time. Many post-production teams work in non-drop because every minute has the same number of frames. When a delivery spec names one, it decides.
Frame rate reference
| Rate | Real fps | Counted per second | Skipped labels | Frames per labelled hour |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 23.976 | 23.976024 | 24 | None | 86,400 |
| 24 | 24 | 24 | None | 86,400 |
| 25 | 25 | 25 | None | 90,000 |
| 29.97 DF | 29.970030 | 30 | 2 a minute | 107,892 |
| 29.97 NDF | 29.970030 | 30 | None | 108,000 |
| 30 | 30 | 30 | None | 108,000 |
| 48 | 48 | 48 | None | 172,800 |
| 50 | 50 | 50 | None | 180,000 |
| 59.94 DF | 59.940060 | 60 | 4 a minute | 215,784 |
| 59.94 NDF | 59.940060 | 60 | None | 216,000 |
| 60 | 60 | 60 | None | 216,000 |
The three fractional rates are exactly 24000/1001, 30000/1001 and 60000/1001 frames per second.
Where you meet them: 23.976 for film-style video and most streaming deliveries; 24 for cinema; 25 and 50 for television in Europe, Australia and much of Asia and Africa; 29.97 and 59.94 for television in North America and Japan; 30 and 60 for phones, screen recordings and the web; 48 for high-frame-rate cinema.
Changing the frame rate
Moving timecode to another rate can mean two different things, so the calculator gives both answers.
Same moment in real time
Use this to find the same point in a version made at another rate, such as matching a 25 fps edit to a 23.976 master. The calculator works out the clock time of your timecode and finds the frame at that time on the new rate, rounded to the nearest frame.
Same frames at the new speed
A conform keeps every frame and plays them at the new rate, so the running time changes. Playing 23.976 material at 25 fps, the classic PAL speed-up, runs it 4.27% faster. A film of 01:30:00:00 at 23.976, which lasts 1 h 30 min 5.4 s, becomes 01:26:24:00 at 25 fps. Its sound has to be sped up the same amount, usually with a pitch correction.
Worked examples
Length of a shot at 25 fps
Out point 01:07:43:20 minus in point 01:02:10:05 is 00:05:33:15: 8,340 frames, or 5 min 33.6 s. If your software counts the out point as part of the shot, add one frame.
Total of three clips at 23.976
00:00:12:08 plus 00:00:07:15 plus 00:00:21:00 is 00:00:40:23: 983 frames, which play in 40.999 seconds.
One hour of 29.97 drop-frame
01:00:00;00 is frame 107,892. The same label in non-drop is frame 108,000, and it plays 3.6 seconds later.
More timecode tools
Each one opens the calculator on the right tool, with a guide to that one job.
- Frames to timecode converter, and timecode back to frames, at any rate.
- Timecode duration calculator for the length between an in point and an out point.
- Drop-frame timecode calculator for 29.97 and 59.94, with every skipped label explained.
- Frame rate converter for moving timecode between 23.976, 24, 25, 29.97 and more.
Subtitle tools
- Subtitle sync to shift SRT or VTT captions that are early or late.
- Subtitle frame rate converter for subtitles that slowly drift, such as 23.976 against 25 fps.
- SRT to VTT converter, in both directions.
- AI subtitle cleaner for captions from Whisper and other speech-to-text tools.
- Subtitle translator to translate SRT and VTT files into 30 languages with free AI.
Questions
What is the difference between drop-frame and non-drop-frame timecode?
Both count 30 labels per second at 29.97 fps (60 at 59.94). Non-drop-frame numbers every frame in order, so its labels fall 3.6 seconds per hour behind the clock. Drop-frame skips a few frame numbers each minute so the labels keep pace with real time.
Does drop-frame timecode remove frames from my video?
No. Only frame numbers are skipped. Every frame of picture and sound is still there; the count simply jumps over a few labels.
Why is there no drop-frame option for 23.976?
SMPTE defines drop-frame counting only for 29.97 and 59.94 fps. Timecode at 23.976 is always non-drop, so its labels run 3.6 seconds per hour behind the clock.
How many frames are in one hour of timecode?
86,400 at 23.976 and 24 fps; 90,000 at 25; 107,892 at 29.97 drop-frame; 108,000 at 29.97 non-drop and 30; 172,800 at 48; 180,000 at 50; 215,784 at 59.94 drop-frame; 216,000 at 59.94 non-drop and 60.
How do I type timecode faster?
Leave out the separators. Digits fill from the right, as in most editing software: 1000 is 00:00:10:00 and 1000000 is 01:00:00:00. A colon, semicolon, period or comma also works between fields.
Is anything I type uploaded?
No. The calculator runs in your browser and sends nothing you type anywhere. Only your chosen frame rate is remembered, on your own device.
Which frame rate should I choose?
The rate of the timeline you are editing, shown in your sequence or project settings. When clips and timeline differ, do edit math at the timeline's rate.
About this calculator
The counting follows SMPTE ST 12, the standard behind timecode in editing, broadcast and cameras. Automated tests convert every frame from zero to beyond ten hours at each drop-frame rate and back, and check the result matches.
It is made by MyShortClip. Questions or a mistake to report: info@myshortclip.com.