Miles per Hour (mph)

Miles per hour measure speed as miles traveled in one hour. One mile equals 1,609.344 meters, so 1 mph equals approximately 0.44704 meters per second [bipm-si-brochure]. This unit is widely used for vehicle speed and speed limits in non-metric countries.

Origin

Miles per hour originated from the mile and hour units standardized in the British Imperial system. It became common in transportation with the rise of automobiles and was internationally recognized with the mile's 1959 definition [bipm-si-brochure].

Worldwide Use

The USA, United Kingdom, and several Commonwealth nations use mph for road speed limits and vehicle speeds. It remains standard in aviation and motorsports within these countries, despite metrication efforts [nist-sp-811].

Common References

  • Typical city driving speed (~30 mph)
  • Maximum speed limit on many US highways (~65 mph)
  • Speed of a fast cycling athlete (~25 mph)
  • Cruising speed of some small aircraft (~120 mph)
Miles per HourMeters per Second1 mph = 0.447 m/sMiles per HourKilometers per Hour1 mph = 1.6093 km/hMiles per HourFeet per Second1 mph = 1.4667 ft/sMiles per HourKnots1 mph = 0.869 knMiles per HourSpeed of Light1 mph = 0 cMiles per HourSpeed of Sound1 mph = 0.0013 MachMiles per HourCentimeters per Second1 mph = 44.704 cm/sMiles per HourMillimeters per Second1 mph = 447.04 mm/sMiles per HourInches per Second1 mph = 17.6 in/sMiles per HourYards per Second1 mph = 0.4889 yd/sMiles per HourKilometers per Second1 mph = 0.0004 km/sMiles per HourMiles per Second1 mph = 0.0003 mi/sMiles per HourMeters per Minute1 mph = 26.8224 m/minMiles per HourKilometers per Minute1 mph = 0.0268 km/minMiles per HourMiles per Minute1 mph = 0.0167 mi/minMiles per HourFeet per Minute1 mph = 88 ft/minMiles per HourInches per Minute1 mph = 1,056 in/minMiles per HourYards per Minute1 mph = 29.3333 yd/minMiles per HourMeters per Hour1 mph = 1,609.344 m/hMiles per HourMiles per Day1 mph = 24 mi/dMiles per HourKilometers per Day1 mph = 38.6243 km/dMiles per HourNautical Miles per Hour1 mph = 0.869 nmi/hMiles per HourFurlongs per Fortnight1 mph = 2,688 fur/fnMiles per HourFirst Cosmic Velocity1 mph = 0.0001 v1Miles per HourSecond Cosmic Velocity1 mph = 0 v2Miles per HourThird Cosmic Velocity1 mph = 0 v3Miles per HourEarth1 mph = 0 v⊕Miles per HourSpeed of Sound in Water1 mph = 0.0003 swMiles per HourMach (Sea Level)1 mph = 0.0013 MaMiles per HourBeaufort 1 (Light Air)1 mph = 0.5588 Bft 1Miles per HourBeaufort 6 (Strong Breeze)1 mph = 0.0363 Bft 6Miles per HourBeaufort 12 (Hurricane)1 mph = 0.0137 Bft 12Miles per HourLeagues per Hour1 mph = 0.0003 lea/hMiles per HourDekameters per Second1 mph = 0.0447 dam/sMiles per HourHectometers per Second1 mph = 0.0045 hm/sMiles per HourMegameters per Second1 mph = 0 Mm/sMiles per HourGigameters per Second1 mph = 0 Gm/sMiles per HourTerameters per Second1 mph = 0 Tm/s