To find out how much 8mm film or 16mm film is on a reel, measure the diameter of the film reel (straight across the middle of the reel from one edge to the other).
For each reel size the amount of film it will contain is the same whether the film is regular 8mm or Super8 film. The most common 8mm film reel sizes can range from 3″ to 7″ in diameter.
Based on the diameter of the reel and assuming the reel is full, each 8mm film reel size can hold the following:
How many feet of 8mm film will fit on a DVD, usb or hard drive?
A DVD can hold up to 2 hours of film. That’s the equivalent of about 1,700-2,000 feet of 8mm film depending on whether it is regular 8mm or super 8 film. The following is based on 2 hours of film.
| Film Type | 2 hour DVD will hold up to: | File size – AVI or MOV | File size – MP4 |
| Regular 8 film | 1,700 feet | 26GB | 2.6GB |
| Super 8 film | 2,000 feet | 26GB | 2.6GB |
Learn more about transferring 8mm and super 8 film to DVD and digital
How many feet of 16mm film will fit on a DVD, usb or hard drive?
A DVD can hold up to 2 hours of film. That’s the equivalent of about 2,700-4,300 feet of 16mm film depending on the speed the film was recorded at. The following is based on 2 hours of film.
| Film Type | 2 hour DVD will hold up to: | File size – AVI or MOV | File size – MP4 |
| 16mm film | 2,700 – 4,300 feet | 26GB | 2.6GB |
The most common 16mm film reel sizes can range from 3″ to 15″ in diameter. Based on the diameter of the reel and assuming the reel is full, each 16mm film reel size can hold the following:
| Diameter (inches) | Length (# feet) |
| 3″ | 50 ft |
| 4″ | 100 ft |
| 5″ | 200 ft |
| 7″ | 400 ft |
| 9″ | 600 ft |
| 10.5″ | 800 ft |
| 12″ | 1,200 ft |
| 14″ | 1,600 ft |
| 15″ | 2,000-2,300 ft |
Learn more about transferring 16mm film to DVD and digital