km/h · mph · per km · per mile
Treadmill pace converter
Treadmills show speed; runners think in pace. Switch between the two, either way.
Result
Pace per kilometre
6:00/km
9:39 per mile
- Speed
- 10.00 km/h
6.21 mph - Pace
- 6:00 /km
9:39 /mi - 5K at this speed
- 30:00
- 10K at this speed
- 1:00:00
This speed is outside the range Jones & Doust tested (10.5–18 km/h), so the 1% incline figure is less certain here.
From speed to pace
Pace is speed turned upside down: 60 divided by the speed in km/h gives minutes per kilometre, so 12 km/h is 5:00 per km. For miles, the treadmill’s mph works the same way with minutes per mile. Pick Pace above to go the other way, from the pace you want to the speed to set.
The tables list common treadmill settings. The row nearest your speed is highlighted.
| km/h | mph | Pace /km | Pace /mi |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6.0 | 3.73 | 10:00 | 16:06 |
| 6.5 | 4.04 | 9:14 | 14:51 |
| 7.0 | 4.35 | 8:34 | 13:48 |
| 7.5 | 4.66 | 8:00 | 12:52 |
| 8.0 | 4.97 | 7:30 | 12:04 |
| 8.5 | 5.28 | 7:04 | 11:22 |
| 9.0 | 5.59 | 6:40 | 10:44 |
| 9.5 | 5.90 | 6:19 | 10:10 |
| 10.0 | 6.21 | 6:00 | 9:39 |
| 10.5 | 6.52 | 5:43 | 9:12 |
| 11.0 | 6.84 | 5:27 | 8:47 |
| 11.5 | 7.15 | 5:13 | 8:24 |
| 12.0 | 7.46 | 5:00 | 8:03 |
| 12.5 | 7.77 | 4:48 | 7:43 |
| 13.0 | 8.08 | 4:37 | 7:26 |
| 13.5 | 8.39 | 4:27 | 7:09 |
| 14.0 | 8.70 | 4:17 | 6:54 |
| 14.5 | 9.01 | 4:08 | 6:40 |
| 15.0 | 9.32 | 4:00 | 6:26 |
| 15.5 | 9.63 | 3:52 | 6:14 |
| 16.0 | 9.94 | 3:45 | 6:02 |
| 16.5 | 10.25 | 3:38 | 5:51 |
| 17.0 | 10.56 | 3:32 | 5:41 |
| 17.5 | 10.87 | 3:26 | 5:31 |
| 18.0 | 11.18 | 3:20 | 5:22 |
| 18.5 | 11.50 | 3:15 | 5:13 |
| 19.0 | 11.81 | 3:09 | 5:05 |
| 19.5 | 12.12 | 3:05 | 4:57 |
| 20.0 | 12.43 | 3:00 | 4:50 |
| mph | km/h | Pace /km | Pace /mi |
|---|---|---|---|
| 4.0 | 6.44 | 9:19 | 15:00 |
| 4.5 | 7.24 | 8:17 | 13:20 |
| 5.0 | 8.05 | 7:27 | 12:00 |
| 5.5 | 8.85 | 6:47 | 10:55 |
| 6.0 | 9.66 | 6:13 | 10:00 |
| 6.5 | 10.46 | 5:44 | 9:14 |
| 7.0 | 11.27 | 5:20 | 8:34 |
| 7.5 | 12.07 | 4:58 | 8:00 |
| 8.0 | 12.87 | 4:40 | 7:30 |
| 8.5 | 13.68 | 4:23 | 7:04 |
| 9.0 | 14.48 | 4:09 | 6:40 |
| 9.5 | 15.29 | 3:55 | 6:19 |
| 10.0 | 16.09 | 3:44 | 6:00 |
| 10.5 | 16.90 | 3:33 | 5:43 |
| 11.0 | 17.70 | 3:23 | 5:27 |
| 11.5 | 18.51 | 3:15 | 5:13 |
| 12.0 | 19.31 | 3:06 | 5:00 |
Should the treadmill be at 1%?
In a 1996 study by Jones and Doust, nine trained male runners ran on a treadmill at 0–3% incline and on a flat road outdoors at speeds of 2.92 to 5.0 m/s, about 10.5 to 18 km/h (6.5 to 11.2 mph, or 5:42 to 3:20 per km). A 1% incline came closest to the energy cost of running outdoors. They did not test slower speeds, so the study cannot say whether 1% is the best match for easier running.
Sources
- The 1% incline: Jones AM, Doust JH. A 1% treadmill grade most accurately reflects the energetic cost of outdoor running. Journal of Sports Sciences 14(4), 321–327 (1996).
- 1 mile = 1.609 344 km and 1 mph = 1.609 344 km/h: NIST Guide to the SI (Special Publication 811), Appendix B.8.
Questions
What treadmill speed is 5:00 per km?
12 km/h, which is 7.46 mph. The same pace per mile is 8:03.
What pace is 10 km/h?
6:00 per km, or 9:39 per mile. At that speed a 5K takes 30 minutes.
Why are mph and km/h paces so different?
A mile is 1.609344 km, so every pace per mile is 1.609344 times the pace per km, and 6 mph is a quicker setting than 6 km/h.