Key takeaways
- A timecode of 00:01:30:12 at 30 fps is 2,712 and 90.400 s.
- The last field counts frames, so its range depends on the frame rate: 0 to 29 at 30 fps.
Reading a timecode
A timecode shows hours, minutes, seconds and frames. Convert it to a total number of frames by multiplying the whole seconds by the frame rate and adding the frames.
The frame field must stay below the frame rate: at 30 fps it runs from 0 to 29. Editors that use drop-frame timecode skip some numbers to stay in step with 29.97 fps; this calculator does not.
Scenarios
| Timecode | Timecode as seconds | Timecode as frames | Frame duration |
|---|---|---|---|
| 00:00:10:00 at 24 fps | 10.000 s | 240 | 41.67 ms |
| 00:01:30:12 at 30 fps | 90.400 s | 2,712 | 33.33 ms |
| 00:10:00:00 at 25 fps | 600.000 s | 15,000 | 40.00 ms |
| 01:00:00:00 at 60 fps | 3600.000 s | 216,000 | 16.67 ms |
Frames in common durations
| Frame rate | 10 seconds | 1 minute | 10 minutes | 1 hour |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 24 fps | 240 | 1440 | 14400 | 86400 |
| 25 fps | 250 | 1500 | 15000 | 90000 |
| 30 fps | 300 | 1800 | 18000 | 108000 |
| 50 fps | 500 | 3000 | 30000 | 180000 |
| 60 fps | 600 | 3600 | 36000 | 216000 |
These are exact for whole frame rates; 23.976 and 29.97 fps differ slightly.