# Walking pace calculator

> Most people walk at 3 to 4 miles an hour (5 to 6.5 km/h), which is a pace of 15 to 20 minutes a mile or 9 to 12 minutes a kilometre. Brisk walking, the kind that counts as moderate exercise, is about 100 steps a minute or more.

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

## How do I work out my walking pace?

Pace is the time a walk took divided by its distance: 55 minutes over 5 km is a pace of 11 minutes a kilometre. Speed is the other way round, distance over time: 5 km in 55 minutes is 5.5 km/h. To turn a pace you already know into a speed, or miles into kilometres, use the [pace converter](https://www.getstepup.app/tools/pace-converter).

## What counts as a brisk walk?

About 100 steps a minute or more. Research on walking cadence finds that’s where walking becomes moderate-intensity exercise for most adults, the kind health guidelines ask for 150 minutes of a week.

## In StepUp

StepUp's Pace and Tempo metrics come from the walking speed and cadence your iPhone records.

## Questions

### What's a normal walking pace?

Most people walk at 3 to 4 mph (5 to 6.5 km/h): 15 to 20 minutes a mile, or 9 to 12 minutes a kilometre.

### How long does it take to walk a mile?

About 20 minutes at an easy pace, 15 at a brisk one.

### How do I walk faster?

Take quicker steps rather than longer ones, and swing your arms. Cadence rises before step length does.

## 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)