Miles to Kilometers Calculator

Miles and kilometers are both units for measuring distance but they belong to different measurement systems. The mile is part of the yard-pound system and US customary units, and it is still used today for road distances and running in the United States and Great Britain. On the other hand, the kilometer is a unit of the metric system that is used in most of the rest of the world. This calculator allows you to convert miles into kilometers as well as vice versa, with results also shown in meters, yards, feet, centimeters and inches so that the same distance can be read out in different units if desired.

How to convert miles to kilometers:

One mile is exactly equal to 1.609344 kilometers. So in order to convert miles into kilometers, you multiply by 1.609344. Most everyday tools round this conversion factor to 1.60934 places after the decimal point, which is accurate enough for road distances and running.

For example, 5 miles is equivalent to 8.04672 kilometers when you multiply 5 by 1.609344. 20 miles would be equal to 32.18688 kilometers and half a mile is approximately 0.8047 kilometers.

How to convert kilometers to miles:

Conversely a kilometre is about 0.621371 miles. So to convert from kilometres to miles, multiply by 0.621371. This is the same as dividing by 1.609344.

Thus, 10 kilometers is approximately equal to 6.214 miles and 5 kilometers is approximately equal to 3.107 miles. Change the input unit on the calculator to km and read the result in miles.

Why is a mile equal to 1.609344 kilometers?

This value is exact and not an approximation. A mile is defined as being exactly 5280 feet, and since 1959 the international foot has been defined to be exactly 0.3048 meters. Multiplying 5280 by 0.3048 gives 1609.344 meters, which is equal to 1.609344 kilometers.

• A mile is equal to 5,280 feet and 1,760 yards.

• One mile is exactly equal to 1,609.344 meters or 1.609344 kilometers.

• 1 kilometer is equal to 1000 meters or 0.621371 miles.

• A kilometer is a little less than two thirds of a mile.

Miles, kilometers and running distances.

The distance of a race is often converted between different units, as races are run using the measuring system set by the event organizer. 5K stands for 5 kilometers and is approximately equal to 3.107 miles. 10K stands for 10 kilometers and is approximately equal to 6.214 miles.

A half marathon is 21.0975 kilometers or 13.1094 miles long. A marathon is 42.195 kilometers or 26.2188 miles, which rounds to the familiar distance of 26.2 miles. The calculator displays results in both kilometers and miles so you can plan your running training in either unit.

Display of kilometres and metres

Metric distances are usually expressed by an integer number of kilometers and a remaining number of meters, such as "one kilometer and six hundred meters". Since one kilometer is 1,000 meters, when you get a decimal number for the kilometers, keep the whole part and multiply the decimal part by 1,000 to convert it back into meters.

A mile is equal to 1.609344 kilometers, or 1 kilometer and 609.344 meters. The calculator will show this result next to the answer in decimal form.

Examples of conversions

Below are some examples of full conversions from start to finish.

• To convert miles to kilometers, multiply by 1.609344. In this instance, 1 x 1.609344 = 1.609344 km.

• To convert five miles to kilometers, multiply by 1.609344 to get the equivalent of 8.04672 km, which is roughly the same as 8 km and a good enough approximation.

• The result of multiplying 26.2 by 1.609344 is 42.1657808, which rounds to approximately 42.19 kilometers for the marathon distance.

• To convert in the opposite direction, multiply by 10 and 0.621371 to get approximately 6.214 miles for 10 kilometers.

Conversion table for miles to kilometers:

These are rough estimates for common distances. Multiply any number of miles by 1.609344 to get the equivalent number of kilometers, or read the table in reverse order to convert from kilometers to miles.

What is a mile?

A mile is a unit of length in the imperial and U.S. customary systems of measurement equal to exactly 5,280 feet, 1,760 yards or 1,609.344 meters. It is known as the statute mile or land mile, the one used in the United States and the United Kingdom for road distances and speed limits.

This word comes from the Roman term "mille passus" which means "a thousand paces". At that time it was about 1,480 meters. England set the legal mile to be 8 furlongs, which is 5,280 feet, and this regulation started in 1593. There is also another definition of a mile. The nautical mile used in shipping and aviation is 1,852 meters, so it's a much longer unit than the legal mile.

What is a kilometre?

A kilometre is equal to one thousand metres. The prefix "kilo-" means thousand in the metric system so a kilometre is a thousand times the base unit metre. The metre is defined as the distance travelled by light in a vacuum in 1/299,792,458 seconds which links the kilometre to a natural constant.

The kilometer is the official unit of measure for distances between land points in most regions of the world. In some countries, including the United States and Great Britain, miles are still used on roads, which explains why tools to convert from miles to kilometers are often useful.

Which unit is longer, miles or kilometers?

The mile is the longer unit. One mile equals 1.609344 kilometers, so a mile is about 60% longer than a kilometer. Conversely, one kilometer is approximately 0.621 miles, which is just under two thirds of a mile.

So a 60 miles per hour speed limit is about 97 kilometers per hour. This also explains why distances that seem small when given in miles turn out to be larger when converted into kilometers. When the same distance is stated in kilometers, it will always be larger than if it were stated in miles.

This is how this calculation tool works:

• Enter your distance into the input field.

• Use the switch to select the unit for distance. If you want to convert from miles to kilometers, then "Mile" is the default setting. You can choose between kilometers, meters, feet, yards, inches and centimeters if your starting unit is different.

• Read the kilometers result at the top, with the miles value shown beside it.

• The results chart shows the conversion results in meters, yards and feet, as well as the breakdown of kilometers into meters and results in centimeters, millimeters and inches which are suitable for short distances.

Conversion results are for general reference only. If used in technical, legal or safety related work, verify the values and required accuracy with recognized standards.