Kilometers per Hour to Meters per Second Converter (km/h to m/s)
1 km/h = 1/3.6 m/s, about 0.2778 m/s. Convert km/h to meters per second for physics problems, reaction distances and wind, with km/h and m/s charts.
Meter per Second (m/s) = Kilometer per Hour (km/h) × 0.277777777778
Kilometer per Hour (km/h): The kilometre per hour is the speed unit on road signs and speedometers in most of the world. Because 1 km is 1000 m and 1 hour is 3600 s, 1 km/h is exactly 5/18 m/s (about 0.2778 m/s).
Meter per Second (m/s): The metre per second is the SI unit of speed: an object at 1 m/s covers one metre every second. It is used in physics and engineering and for wind speeds in weather forecasts.
| Kilometer per Hour (km/h) | Meter per Second (m/s) |
|---|---|
| 1 | 0.277777777778 |
| 5 | 1.38888888889 |
| 10 | 2.77777777778 |
| 25 | 6.94444444444 |
| 50 | 13.8888888889 |
| 100 | 27.7777777778 |
Physics formulas work in SI units, so a car speed quoted in kilometers per hour has to become meters per second before it goes into an equation for kinetic energy, momentum or stopping distance. Dividing by 3.6 does the job: 1 km/h means 1,000 meters covered in 3,600 seconds, or 5/18 m/s, about 0.2778 m/s.
Meters per second also make road speeds easier to picture as distance. At 50 km/h a car covers about 13.9 m every second, so if the driver takes 1.5 seconds to react, it travels nearly 21 m before braking even starts. At 100 km/h the same delay costs about 42 m, which is why following distances are often taught in seconds rather than meters.
How to use this tool
- Type a value in the Kilometer per Hour box to see it in meters per second, or type in the Meter per Second box to convert the other way.
- Press ⇄ to swap the two units, or Load example for a typical value.
- Check the charts below for common values; for other units, open the Speed converter.
Formula
Meter per Second (m/s) = Kilometer per Hour (km/h) × 0.277777777778
Kilometer per Hour (km/h) = Meter per Second (m/s) × 3.6
Both factors come from exact definitions: 1 meter per second = 3.6 kilometers per hour and 1 kilometer per hour = 0.277777777778 meters per second (shown to 12 significant digits).
Example
Two conversions worked with the same factors the converter uses:
50 km/h × 0.277777777778 ≈ 13.8889 m/s
25 m/s × 3.6 = 90 km/h
Kilometer per Hour to Meter per Second chart
Common values from kilometers per hour to meters per second, rounded to four decimal places.
| Kilometer per Hour (km/h) | Meter per Second (m/s) |
|---|---|
| 1 | 0.2778 |
| 3.6 | 1 |
| 5 | 1.3889 |
| 10 | 2.7778 |
| 18 | 5 |
| 20 | 5.5556 |
| 30 | 8.3333 |
| 36 | 10 |
| 40 | 11.1111 |
| 50 | 13.8889 |
| 54 | 15 |
| 60 | 16.6667 |
| 72 | 20 |
| 80 | 22.2222 |
| 90 | 25 |
| 100 | 27.7778 |
| 108 | 30 |
| 110 | 30.5556 |
| 120 | 33.3333 |
| 130 | 36.1111 |
| 144 | 40 |
| 180 | 50 |
| 300 | 83.3333 |
| 1,000 | 277.7778 |
Meter per Second to Kilometer per Hour chart
The reverse direction for values people often look up.
| Meter per Second (m/s) | Kilometer per Hour (km/h) |
|---|---|
| 0.5 | 1.8 |
| 1 | 3.6 |
| 2 | 7.2 |
| 5 | 18 |
| 10 | 36 |
| 13.9 | 50.04 |
| 15 | 54 |
| 20 | 72 |
| 25 | 90 |
| 30 | 108 |
| 40 | 144 |
| 50 | 180 |
| 100 | 360 |
Road speeds in km/h
| Speed | Kilometer per Hour (km/h) | Meter per Second (m/s) |
|---|---|---|
| Walking pace, about | 5 | 1.3889 |
| School zone limit in Korea | 30 | 8.3333 |
| Urban speed limit in much of Europe | 50 | 13.8889 |
| Pit lane limit at most Formula 1 circuits | 80 | 22.2222 |
| Common expressway limit in Korea | 100 | 27.7778 |
| Motorway limit in Italy | 130 | 36.1111 |
Quick mental estimate
Halve twice, then add a tenth of what is left: 90 km/h → 45 → 22.5 → 22.5 + 2.25 = 24.75 m/s, against an exact 25 m/s. The shortcut multiplies by 0.275, about 1% low; dividing by 3.6 gives the exact figure.
Use the converter or the charts when the exact figure matters.
The two units
Kilometer per Hour (km/h): The kilometre per hour is the speed unit on road signs and speedometers in most of the world. Because 1 km is 1000 m and 1 hour is 3600 s, 1 km/h is exactly 5/18 m/s (about 0.2778 m/s).
Meter per Second (m/s): The metre per second is the SI unit of speed: an object at 1 m/s covers one metre every second. It is used in physics and engineering and for wind speeds in weather forecasts.
Frequently asked questions
What is 100 km/h in m/s?
About 27.8 m/s, exactly 250/9. A car at that speed covers the length of a soccer pitch, around 100 m, in under four seconds.
Why divide by 3.6 and not by 60?
Both units change: an hour is 3,600 seconds and a kilometer is 1,000 meters, so the factor is 3,600 ÷ 1,000 = 3.6. Dividing by 60 would only turn hours into minutes and leave the distance in kilometers.
How do I convert a wind forecast in km/h to m/s?
Divide by 3.6 as for any other speed: a 54 km/h wind is 15 m/s. Forecasts in Norway, Sweden and Finland give wind in m/s, so the same step lets travelers compare them with a km/h forecast from home.
How precise is the result?
The converter uses the exact definitions above with browser floating-point arithmetic and shows up to 12 significant digits. The charts round to four decimal places for reading.
Sources
Last updated:
Page address with these inputs: https://kakao.mobile/tools/kilometers-per-hour-to-meters-per-second-converter/
Cite or embed this tool
kakaoCalc. (2026, November 8). Kilometers per Hour to Meters per Second Converter (km/h to m/s). https://kakao.mobile/tools/kilometers-per-hour-to-meters-per-second-converter/
“Kilometers per Hour to Meters per Second Converter (km/h to m/s).” kakaoCalc, 8 Nov. 2026, kakao.mobile/tools/kilometers-per-hour-to-meters-per-second-converter/.
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