# Walking pace converter: min/mile, min/km, mph

> To turn minutes a mile into minutes a kilometre, divide by 1.609; to turn a pace into a speed, divide 60 by it. A 15-minute mile is 9:19 a kilometre, 4 mph or 6.4 km/h. Thirty minutes of brisk walking five days a week makes the 150 minutes a week health guidelines ask for.

- URL: https://www.getstepup.app/tools/pace-converter (the calculator runs there, in the browser, and sends nothing anywhere)
- Updated: 2026-10-17

## How do I convert pace to speed?

Pace is time over distance and speed is distance over time, so each is 60 divided by the other: a pace of 12 minutes a kilometre is 60 ÷ 12 = 5 km/h. A mile is 1.609 kilometres, so divide a pace per mile by 1.609 for the pace per kilometre, or multiply a speed in mph by 1.609 for km/h. To work out the pace of a walk you’ve timed, use the [walking pace](https://www.getstepup.app/tools/walking-pace) calculator.

## How many minutes of walking do I need a week?

The CDC and the WHO ask adults for at least 150 minutes of moderate activity a week, such as brisk walking, spread across the week. Brisk means about 100 steps a minute or more, so 150 minutes is at least 15,000 brisk steps a week, on top of everything else you walk.

## Do short walks count?

Yes. Older guidelines counted only bouts of 10 minutes or more; the 2018 US guidelines dropped that, so every brisk minute counts. A 10-minute walk after each meal is 30 minutes a day. To check a walk is brisk enough, see your [heart rate zones](https://www.getstepup.app/tools/walking-heart-rate).

## In StepUp

StepUp's Tempo metric shows your walking cadence, so you can see when a walk passes 100 steps a minute and counts as brisk.

## Questions

### What is a 12-minute kilometre in miles?

A pace of 12:00 a kilometre is 19:19 a mile, or 5 km/h (3.1 mph).

### Is a 20-minute mile a good walking pace?

It's a moderate 3 mph (4.8 km/h). A brisk walk is usually 15 to 17 minutes a mile, 3.5 to 4 mph.

### How do I know my walk is brisk?

You're taking 100 steps a minute or more, breathing harder, and can talk but not sing. Count your steps for 15 seconds: 25 or more is brisk.

## Sources

- [Tudor-Locke C et al. Walking cadence (steps/min) and intensity in 21–40 year olds: CADENCE-adults. Int J Behav Nutr Phys Act, 2019](https://doi.org/10.1186/s12966-019-0769-6)
- [CDC: Physical activity guidelines for adults](https://www.cdc.gov/physical-activity-basics/guidelines/adults.html)
- [WHO: Physical activity fact sheet](https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/physical-activity)