What are the maximum playing times for each format?
These are the theoretical recording lengths for various disc formats and different types of music recording. The table lists guideline values for one side of the disc:
| Suitable for MOST COMMON types of music |
| Groove width |
40 µm |
Diameter |
At 33⅓rpm |
At 45rpm |
| Mirror size |
10 µm |
30cm / 12″ |
19.38 mins |
14.36 mins |
| Horizontal A. |
20 µm |
25cm / 10″ |
13.62 mins |
10.09 mins |
| Vertical A. |
10 µm |
17cm / 7″ |
6.92 mins |
5.13 mins |
| Suitable for TECHNO music |
| Groove width |
50 µm |
Diameter |
At 33⅓rpm |
At 45rpm |
| Mirror size |
10 µm |
30cm / 12″ |
11.45 mins |
8.48 mins |
| Horizontal A. |
70 µm |
25cm / 10″ |
8.05 mins |
5.96 mins |
| Vertical A. |
5 µm |
17cm / 7″ |
4.09 mins |
3.03 mins |
| Maximum TECHNICALLY POSSIBLE Values* |
| Groove width |
100 µm |
Diameter |
At 33⅓rpm |
At 45rpm |
| Mirror size |
10 µm |
30cm / 12″ |
7.20 mins |
5.33 mins |
| Horizontal A. |
100 µm |
25cm / 10″ |
5.06 mins |
3.75 mins |
| Vertical A. |
10 µm |
17cm / 7″ |
2.57 mins |
1.90 mins |
*PLEASE NOTE:
- This should be applied only in special cases, only when the frequency spectrum of the recording allows it or if it is not otherwise limited.
- A larger width of the groove than 70 μm is only feasible on the lacquer foil, and significantly impacts reproduction time.
- It also creates a certain dampening on the high frequencies, especially at the centre of the record, which is limited by the maximum possibilities of lacquer technology.
