Cine film · 30-second lookup
How long is my cine film?
Find your film format below, look up your reel diameter, and you'll see roughly how many minutes of footage it holds. Numbers are approximate — actual length varies with exact frame rate and how full the reel is wound.
Standard 8 (Regular 8 / 8mm)
16 fpsSilent 8mm at 16 fps. 80 frames per foot, so roughly 5 seconds of footage per foot of film.
Reel diameter
3″
Footage
50 ft
Approx. runtime
~4 min
Reel diameter
4″
Footage
100 ft
Approx. runtime
~8 min
Reel diameter
5″
Footage
200 ft
Approx. runtime
~17 min
Reel diameter
7″
Footage
400 ft
Approx. runtime
~33 min
Super 8
18 fpsSilent Super 8 at 18 fps. 72 frames per foot, so about 4 seconds of footage per foot. 50 ft Super 8 also came as a sealed plastic cartridge that loaded directly into the camera. Sound Super 8 runs 33 % shorter (24 fps).
Reel diameter
3″
Footage
50 ft
Approx. runtime
~3 min
Reel diameter
5″
Footage
200 ft
Approx. runtime
~13 min
Reel diameter
7″
Footage
400 ft
Approx. runtime
~27 min
9.5mm Pathé
16 fpsFilmed at 16 fps with the same 5 seconds per foot as Standard 8 — capacities match almost exactly.
Reel diameter
3″
Footage
50 ft
Approx. runtime
~4 min
Reel diameter
5″
Footage
200 ft
Approx. runtime
~17 min
Reel diameter
7″
Footage
400 ft
Approx. runtime
~33 min
16mm
24 fps24 fps sound speed (40 frames per foot, ~1.7 seconds per foot). Silent 16mm at 16 fps holds ~50 % longer per reel.
Reel diameter
3″
Footage
100 ft
Approx. runtime
~3 min
Reel diameter
5″
Footage
200 ft
Approx. runtime
~6 min
Reel diameter
7″
Footage
400 ft
Approx. runtime
~11 min
Reel diameter
10½″
Footage
1200 ft
Approx. runtime
~33 min
Reel diameter
13″
Footage
2400 ft
Approx. runtime
~67 min
Full lookup table
Every reel size from this page in one scannable list, in case you're comparing a stack of reels.
| Format | Reel | Footage | Runtime |
|---|---|---|---|
| Standard 8 (Regular 8 / 8mm) | 3″ | 50 ft | ~4 min |
| ↳ | 4″ | 100 ft | ~8 min |
| ↳ | 5″ | 200 ft | ~17 min |
| ↳ | 7″ | 400 ft | ~33 min |
| Super 8 | 3″ | 50 ft | ~3 min |
| ↳ | 5″ | 200 ft | ~13 min |
| ↳ | 7″ | 400 ft | ~27 min |
| 9.5mm Pathé | 3″ | 50 ft | ~4 min |
| ↳ | 5″ | 200 ft | ~17 min |
| ↳ | 7″ | 400 ft | ~33 min |
| 16mm | 3″ | 100 ft | ~3 min |
| ↳ | 5″ | 200 ft | ~6 min |
| ↳ | 7″ | 400 ft | ~11 min |
| ↳ | 10½″ | 1200 ft | ~33 min |
| ↳ | 13″ | 2400 ft | ~67 min |
How accurate is this?
These numbers are the standard frame-count math for each format. Real reels can run a minute or two short of the figure here because:
- Reels were often not loaded to capacity at the factory or by the user — a "200 ft" reel might hold 190 ft.
- Frame rate at capture can drift from the nominal value (especially on hand-wound cameras).
- Splices, leader and trailer eat a few feet at each end.
- Sound Super 8 was filmed at 24 fps instead of 18 fps, shortening runtime by a third.
For most home-movie purposes the figures above are within 5 % of reality. If you need the exact duration of a specific reel, the only way to know is to play it.
Ready to digitise your cine film?
We handle all four formats — Standard 8, Super 8, 9.5mm and 16mm — on broadcast-grade scanners with AI restoration included.
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