Mipmap memory calculator with the full chain included.

See the base level, every smaller level, and the combined overhead across an uploaded texture set.

Open the texture set analyzer

Analyze a complete texture set or ZIP

Choose the real source files instead of entering every width, height, quantity, format, and mip setting by hand. The browser tool reads supported image headers, expands ZIP entries locally, hashes exact duplicates, samples decoded alpha where supported, and calculates each mip level with GPU block rounding.

  • Download size and expanded source bytes
  • RGBA8-equivalent uncompressed GPU memory and exact mipmap overhead
  • Desktop, Mobile, and VR / Quest recommendations
  • BC1, BC3, BC5, BC7, ASTC, ETC2, and KTX2 transcode comparisons
  • Unused alpha, duplicate, oversized-map, normal-format, and ORM packing checks

Run Mipmap Memory Calculator

How much memory do mipmaps add?

For a square power-of-two texture, a complete mip chain approaches one third more texels than the base level. The exact byte total still depends on dimensions, format blocks, and the smallest levels, so this calculator sums each level instead of applying a flat percentage.

Rule of thumb

+33.3% texels for a complete power-of-two chain

Exact method

Sum every level after format-specific block rounding

Streaming note

Resident mip count may be lower when the engine streams textures

Why exact mip math matters for compressed textures

The 33.3% rule is a good mental model, but block-compressed formats allocate complete blocks even when a mip becomes smaller than the block footprint.

  1. Read the base dimensions. The uploaded header supplies the real width, height, and declared mip count where available.
  2. Halve each level. Each dimension is reduced to a minimum of one texel until the chain reaches 1 by 1.
  3. Round compressed blocks. BC, ETC2, and ASTC levels are rounded to their required block dimensions before bytes are summed.

Mipmap Memory Calculator FAQ

Are the GPU-memory numbers exact?

They are deterministic estimates from the texture dimensions, mip chain, channel layout, and selected GPU compression. Engine import settings, platform support, streaming, virtual texturing, alignment, and driver behavior can change the final resident memory.

Do non-power-of-two textures still get mipmaps?

Modern GPUs and engines can mip non-power-of-two textures, but platform restrictions, import settings, and compression requirements still vary. The analyzer follows the actual dimensions down to 1 by 1.

Should I disable mipmaps to save memory?

Usually not for minified 3D textures. Mipmaps improve sampling stability and cache behavior. Disable them only for assets such as fixed-size UI where smaller levels will not be sampled.