Treadmill Pace Converter
A treadmill talks in speed. Runners talk in pace. This converter translates between the two in both directions — mph and km/h on one side, minutes per mile and minutes per km on the other — so the number on the console and the number in your training plan finally mean the same thing.
Start from a belt speed to get its pace, or start from a goal pace to get the belt speed. The full table for every speed from 1 to 15 mph is printed below the tool.
Convert speed and pace
Pick a direction, set the number, and read the answer in every unit at once. Nothing is rounded away quietly: paces land on the nearest second and speeds keep two decimals.
Treadmill pace converter
Belt speed unit
Drag the slider or type the number your console shows.
Pace per mile
8:34 /mile
5:20 per km
Type a pace such as 8:00 or 5:30.
That pace is per
Belt speed
7.5 mph
12.07 km/h
One conversion never drifts: 1 mile = 1.609344 km exactly, by definition. Every figure on this page is built from that single constant.
Speed and pace are the same number, upside down
Pace is time divided by distance. Speed is distance divided by time. Converting between them is one reciprocal, plus one exact unit change.
The 3,600 is the number of seconds in an hour. If the belt moves at 7 mph, one mile takes 3,600 ÷ 7 = 514 seconds, which is written 8:34. Run the sum backwards and an 8:00 mile — 480 seconds — needs 3,600 ÷ 480 = 7.5 mph. Because a mile is exactly 1.609344 km, the same belt reads 11.27 km/h, and its pace per km is 3,600 ÷ 11.27, about 5:20. Metres per second, the unit most research papers use, is simply km/h divided by 3.6. There is no fitness model hidden in this page and no estimation: if two converters disagree with this one, at least one of them is rounding a constant it should not round, or quietly using 1.6 as the mile.
The reciprocal shape explains a pattern that surprises new runners. At slow speeds a small speed change moves pace a lot: stepping from 3 to 4 mph takes a full five minutes off your mile. At fast speeds the same 1 mph step is worth far less: from 10 to 11 mph the mile only improves by about 33 seconds. Equal steps on the console are never equal steps in pace, which is why the table below bunches up at the fast end.
Three conversions, done by hand
Each of these is worked with the formulas above, so you can check the tool — and your own console — against them.
Example 1 — speed to pace. The belt is set to 7.0 mph. Pace per mile is 3,600 ÷ 7.0 = 514 seconds = 8:34 per mile. In metric, 7.0 mph is 11.27 km/h, and 3,600 ÷ 11.27 gives 5:20 per km. The belt itself is travelling at 3.13 metres per second.
Example 2 — pace to speed. Your plan says 8:00 per mile. That is 480 seconds, and 3,600 ÷ 480 = 7.5 mph. This is the single most useful conversion in treadmill running: the round pace numbers in most plans land on untidy belt speeds, and this is the direction that finds them.
Example 3 — a metric pace. A plan written per km calls for 5:30 per km, which is 330 seconds. Speed is 3,600 ÷ 330 = 10.9 km/h, and dividing by 1.609344 gives 6.78 mph for a console that only speaks imperial.
Every belt speed from 1 to 15 mph
The complete lookup table, in half-mile steps. The 7.0 mph row from the first worked example is highlighted.
| Speed (mph) | Speed (km/h) | Pace per mile | Pace per km |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1.0 mph | 1.6 | 60:00 | 37:17 |
| 1.5 mph | 2.4 | 40:00 | 24:51 |
| 2.0 mph | 3.2 | 30:00 | 18:38 |
| 2.5 mph | 4.0 | 24:00 | 14:55 |
| 3.0 mph | 4.8 | 20:00 | 12:26 |
| 3.5 mph | 5.6 | 17:09 | 10:39 |
| 4.0 mph | 6.4 | 15:00 | 9:19 |
| 4.5 mph | 7.2 | 13:20 | 8:17 |
| 5.0 mph | 8.0 | 12:00 | 7:27 |
| 5.5 mph | 8.9 | 10:55 | 6:47 |
| 6.0 mph | 9.7 | 10:00 | 6:13 |
| 6.5 mph | 10.5 | 9:14 | 5:44 |
| 7.0 mph | 11.3 | 8:34 | 5:20 |
| 7.5 mph | 12.1 | 8:00 | 4:58 |
| 8.0 mph | 12.9 | 7:30 | 4:40 |
| 8.5 mph | 13.7 | 7:04 | 4:23 |
| 9.0 mph | 14.5 | 6:40 | 4:09 |
| 9.5 mph | 15.3 | 6:19 | 3:55 |
| 10.0 mph | 16.1 | 6:00 | 3:44 |
| 10.5 mph | 16.9 | 5:43 | 3:33 |
| 11.0 mph | 17.7 | 5:27 | 3:23 |
| 11.5 mph | 18.5 | 5:13 | 3:15 |
| 12.0 mph | 19.3 | 5:00 | 3:06 |
| 12.5 mph | 20.1 | 4:48 | 2:59 |
| 13.0 mph | 20.9 | 4:37 | 2:52 |
| 13.5 mph | 21.7 | 4:27 | 2:46 |
| 14.0 mph | 22.5 | 4:17 | 2:40 |
| 14.5 mph | 23.3 | 4:08 | 2:34 |
| 15.0 mph | 24.1 | 4:00 | 2:29 |
Speeds in km/h are rounded to one decimal in this table; the converter above keeps two decimals. Paces are rounded to the nearest second.
Pace to speed, for plan writers
The same relationship read the other way: pick the pace your plan asks for, read off the belt speed in both units. The 8:00 mile is highlighted.
| Pace per mile | Pace per km | Speed (mph) | Speed (km/h) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5:00 | 3:06 | 12.0 | 19.3 |
| 5:30 | 3:25 | 10.9 | 17.6 |
| 6:00 | 3:44 | 10.0 | 16.1 |
| 6:30 | 4:02 | 9.2 | 14.9 |
| 7:00 | 4:21 | 8.6 | 13.8 |
| 7:30 | 4:40 | 8.0 | 12.9 |
| 8:00 | 4:58 | 7.5 | 12.1 |
| 8:30 | 5:17 | 7.1 | 11.4 |
| 9:00 | 5:36 | 6.7 | 10.7 |
| 9:30 | 5:54 | 6.3 | 10.2 |
| 10:00 | 6:13 | 6.0 | 9.7 |
| 10:30 | 6:31 | 5.7 | 9.2 |
| 11:00 | 6:50 | 5.5 | 8.8 |
| 11:30 | 7:09 | 5.2 | 8.4 |
| 12:00 | 7:27 | 5.0 | 8.0 |
| 12:30 | 7:46 | 4.8 | 7.7 |
| 13:00 | 8:05 | 4.6 | 7.4 |
| 13:30 | 8:23 | 4.4 | 7.2 |
| 14:00 | 8:42 | 4.3 | 6.9 |
| 14:30 | 9:01 | 4.1 | 6.7 |
| 15:00 | 9:19 | 4.0 | 6.4 |
Paces run from 5:00 to 15:00 per mile in 30-second steps. Anything faster than 5:00 per mile is quicker than a 12 mph belt, which is beyond most home machines.
Converting is one job; planning is another
Use this converter when you already have one number and need it in the other language: a console in km/h and a plan in miles, a watch that reports pace and a belt that takes speed, a race result you want to reproduce indoors. It is the quick translation layer for the whole site, and it is where the treadmill pace calculator on the home page sends you when a session needs expressing four ways at once.
When the question starts from a finish time instead — what belt speed holds a 30-minute 5K together — skip the manual step and use the treadmill speed calculator, which divides distance by time for you. And when you want the whole landscape on one printable page rather than one conversion at a time, the treadmill pace chart prints both tables above alongside the incline equivalents. Conversion answers what a number means; the other two tools answer what to do with it.
Frequently asked questions
What pace is 7 mph on a treadmill?
7 mph is 8:34 per mile and 5:20 per km. The belt is moving at 11.27 km/h, or 3.13 metres per second. For many trained runners that is a steady tempo effort, and for beginners it is hard work, so judge it against your own recent runs rather than against any chart.
How do I convert pace to speed?
Divide 3,600 by the pace in seconds. An 8:00 mile is 480 seconds, and 3,600 divided by 480 is 7.5, so the belt speed is 7.5 mph. The same division works per km and returns km/h: a 5:00 km is 300 seconds, and 3,600 divided by 300 is 12.0 km/h.
What speed is an 8-minute mile?
An 8-minute mile needs 7.5 mph, which is 12.07 km/h. Hold it evenly and the mile takes exactly 8:00. Most consoles adjust in tenths, so set 7.5 rather than rounding up to 8, because 8 mph is a 7:30 mile and a very different workout.
How many km/h is 6 mph?
6 mph is 9.7 km/h, or 9.66 km/h before rounding. One mile is exactly 1.609344 km, so multiply any mph figure by 1.609344 to get km/h, and divide a km/h figure by the same number to get back to mph.
Why does my treadmill show a different pace from my watch?
The treadmill works from belt speed, while a watch estimates pace from arm swing, stride sensors or satellite positioning, and indoors there is no satellite signal to correct it. Belt speed also drifts as belts stretch and motors age, and a watch can be miscalibrated to your stride. A gap of a few seconds per mile is normal; a large gap usually means one of the two devices needs calibrating.
What this number cannot know
Paces here are rounded to the nearest second, so a pace shown as 8:34 may be 8:33.6 or 8:34.4 underneath — over a marathon that rounding is worth a few seconds either way, never minutes. The bigger limit is the machine itself: belt speed is what the console was told to deliver, and an uncalibrated or worn belt can run measurably fast or slow against its own display. Some consoles also round the speed you set to whole numbers or wide steps, in which case the pace you actually run is the pace of the speed it chose, not the one you typed. Treat the figures here as exact arithmetic on the number you entered, and your belt as an approximation of that number.
Every treadmill calculator
One machine, every question it raises — each tool does one job properly, with its method on the page.
Treadmill Pace Converter
Swap between pace and speed in mph, km/h, minutes per mile and minutes per km — plus the lookup table that answers what pace every belt speed is.
Treadmill Speed Calculator
Work backwards from a target: enter a distance and a finish time, or a goal pace, and get the exact belt speed to set in mph and km/h.
Treadmill Incline Pace Calculator
Grade-adjusted pace from the published Minetti energy-cost model — the flat-road pace your incline workout really equals, plus elevation gain.
Treadmill to Outdoor Pace Calculator
Translate any treadmill session into its outdoor equivalent with the 1% rule — and set a road pace on the belt the other way round.
Treadmill Distance Calculator
Distance from speed and time, time from speed and distance, presets for 5K, 10K and the 1.5-mile run test — and an honest step estimate.
Treadmill Walking Pace Calculator
Every walking speed from a stroll to a power walk, with pace per mile and per km, incline walking explained and a gentle beginners plan.
Treadmill Zone Calculator
Training zones 1 to 5 two ways: heart-rate zones from your age using the ACSM bands, and pace zones from your threshold pace. Estimates labelled.
Treadmill Pace Chart
The full reference: every belt speed in mph and km/h against pace per mile and per km, the incline chart and a beginners table. Printable.
See the chart →Formulas checked against Jones & Doust (1996) and Minetti et al. (2002) — every source is named on the Methodology page. Found a wrong number? Report an error.