BPM reference table
The numbers DJs and producers keep recalculating, in one table: beat length, bar length, phrase lengths, beat frequency and the related half- and double-time tempos for the tempos that come up most.
Updated
How to read the table
Each row is one tempo. The beat column is 60,000 divided by the BPM in milliseconds and doubles as a quarter-note delay time. The bar column assumes 4/4 time, so it is four beats. The 16- and 32-bar columns are the two most common phrase lengths in club music. Hz is the beat frequency, BPM divided by 60, for LFOs and effects that want a rate instead of a note value.
The last column lists the half-time and double-time tempos. A BPM detector may report either of them for the same track, so if a result looks wrong by a factor of two, check this column before re-measuring.
Reference values from 60 to 200 BPM
| BPM | 1 beat | 1 bar (4/4) | 16 bars | 32 bars | Beat frequency | Half / double |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 60 | 1000 ms | 4 s | 1:04.0 | 2:08.0 | 1 Hz | 30 / 120 |
| 65 | 923.08 ms | 3.692 s | 59.08 s | 1:58.2 | 1.083 Hz | 32.5 / 130 |
| 70 | 857.14 ms | 3.429 s | 54.86 s | 1:49.7 | 1.167 Hz | 35 / 140 |
| 75 | 800 ms | 3.2 s | 51.2 s | 1:42.4 | 1.25 Hz | 37.5 / 150 |
| 80 | 750 ms | 3 s | 48 s | 1:36.0 | 1.333 Hz | 40 / 160 |
| 85 | 705.88 ms | 2.824 s | 45.18 s | 1:30.4 | 1.417 Hz | 42.5 / 170 |
| 90 | 666.67 ms | 2.667 s | 42.67 s | 1:25.3 | 1.5 Hz | 45 / 180 |
| 95 | 631.58 ms | 2.526 s | 40.42 s | 1:20.8 | 1.583 Hz | 47.5 / 190 |
| 100 | 600 ms | 2.4 s | 38.4 s | 1:16.8 | 1.667 Hz | 50 / 200 |
| 105 | 571.43 ms | 2.286 s | 36.57 s | 1:13.1 | 1.75 Hz | 52.5 / 210 |
| 110 | 545.45 ms | 2.182 s | 34.91 s | 1:09.8 | 1.833 Hz | 55 / 220 |
| 115 | 521.74 ms | 2.087 s | 33.39 s | 1:06.8 | 1.917 Hz | 57.5 / 230 |
| 118 | 508.47 ms | 2.034 s | 32.54 s | 1:05.1 | 1.967 Hz | 59 / 236 |
| 120 | 500 ms | 2 s | 32 s | 1:04.0 | 2 Hz | 60 / 240 |
| 122 | 491.8 ms | 1.967 s | 31.48 s | 1:03.0 | 2.033 Hz | 61 / 244 |
| 124 | 483.87 ms | 1.935 s | 30.97 s | 1:01.9 | 2.067 Hz | 62 / 248 |
| 125 | 480 ms | 1.92 s | 30.72 s | 1:01.4 | 2.083 Hz | 62.5 / 250 |
| 126 | 476.19 ms | 1.905 s | 30.48 s | 1:01.0 | 2.1 Hz | 63 / 252 |
| 128 | 468.75 ms | 1.875 s | 30 s | 1:00.0 | 2.133 Hz | 64 / 256 |
| 130 | 461.54 ms | 1.846 s | 29.54 s | 59.08 s | 2.167 Hz | 65 / 260 |
| 132 | 454.55 ms | 1.818 s | 29.09 s | 58.18 s | 2.2 Hz | 66 / 264 |
| 135 | 444.44 ms | 1.778 s | 28.44 s | 56.89 s | 2.25 Hz | 67.5 / 270 |
| 138 | 434.78 ms | 1.739 s | 27.83 s | 55.65 s | 2.3 Hz | 69 / 276 |
| 140 | 428.57 ms | 1.714 s | 27.43 s | 54.86 s | 2.333 Hz | 70 / 280 |
| 145 | 413.79 ms | 1.655 s | 26.48 s | 52.97 s | 2.417 Hz | 72.5 / 290 |
| 150 | 400 ms | 1.6 s | 25.6 s | 51.2 s | 2.5 Hz | 75 / 300 |
| 155 | 387.1 ms | 1.548 s | 24.77 s | 49.55 s | 2.583 Hz | 77.5 / 310 |
| 160 | 375 ms | 1.5 s | 24 s | 48 s | 2.667 Hz | 80 / 320 |
| 165 | 363.64 ms | 1.455 s | 23.27 s | 46.55 s | 2.75 Hz | 82.5 / 330 |
| 170 | 352.94 ms | 1.412 s | 22.59 s | 45.18 s | 2.833 Hz | 85 / 340 |
| 172 | 348.84 ms | 1.395 s | 22.33 s | 44.65 s | 2.867 Hz | 86 / 344 |
| 174 | 344.83 ms | 1.379 s | 22.07 s | 44.14 s | 2.9 Hz | 87 / 348 |
| 175 | 342.86 ms | 1.371 s | 21.94 s | 43.89 s | 2.917 Hz | 87.5 / 350 |
| 180 | 333.33 ms | 1.333 s | 21.33 s | 42.67 s | 3 Hz | 90 / 360 |
| 185 | 324.32 ms | 1.297 s | 20.76 s | 41.51 s | 3.083 Hz | 92.5 / 370 |
| 190 | 315.79 ms | 1.263 s | 20.21 s | 40.42 s | 3.167 Hz | 95 / 380 |
| 200 | 300 ms | 1.2 s | 19.2 s | 38.4 s | 3.333 Hz | 100 / 400 |
Patterns worth remembering
- 120 BPM is the round one: 500 ms per beat, 2 s per bar, 32 s per 16 bars.
- 128 BPM gives exactly 30 s for 16 bars and 60 s for 32 bars, which makes set timing easy in house and techno.
- 150 BPM is 400 ms per beat and 1.6 s per bar; 32 bars are 51.2 s.
- 174 BPM drum and bass runs at 345 ms per beat; its half-time, 87 BPM, is what many detectors report.
- Doubling the tempo halves every duration and doubles every frequency.
Calculators for values that are not in the table
Frequently asked questions
- How many milliseconds is one beat at 128 BPM?
- 468.75 ms. Divide 60,000 by 128. An eighth note is 234.38 ms and a sixteenth is 117.19 ms.
- How long is a 4/4 bar at 140 BPM?
- About 1.714 seconds. One beat at 140 BPM is 428.57 ms and a bar is four beats. 16 bars last 27.43 seconds.
- Why does the table stop at 200 BPM?
- Tempos above 200 BPM are usually counted at half-time: 220 BPM is the same grid as 110 BPM. Use the half-time row, or the calculators, for faster values.