ft/s to mph Converter
Convert feet per second speeds into miles per hour
ft/s to mph FAQ
How do you convert ft/s to mph exactly?
The exact relationship comes from how far you travel in one hour. One mile is 5 280 feet and one hour is 3 600 seconds. That means one mile per hour is 3 600 ÷ 5 280 ≈ 0.681818 feet per second in reverse. To convert ft/s to mph, you multiply by 15 ÷ 22, which is the same as 3 600 ÷ 5 280. For example, 88 ft/s × 15/22 = 60 mph.
Why do people say 1 mph ≈ 1.47 ft/s?
If you invert the relationship you get 1 mph = 5 280 ft ÷ 3 600 s ≈ 1.46667 ft/s. Many physics and engineering texts round that to 1.47 ft/s for quick estimates. This converter instead works directly from the exact fraction 15 ÷ 22, so it stays consistent with more precise calculations, simulations and ballistics tables.
Where is feet per second used vs miles per hour?
Feet per second (ft/s) appears often in ballistics, sports timing, physics problems and simulation outputs. It is convenient when other measurements are already in feet. Miles per hour (mph) is more common for driving, vehicle performance specs and everyday speed discussions. Converting ft/s to mph helps you turn technical results into speeds that drivers, coaches and clients can understand at a glance.
Is this converter accurate enough for ballistics and engineering?
Yes. The converter uses the exact speed relationship based on 1 mile = 5 280 feet and 1 hour = 3 600 seconds. As long as your ft/s value is measured or calculated correctly, the mph result will be accurate enough for most ballistics work, physics homework, engineering estimates and simulation output checks. You can then round the mph value to the number of decimal places your project requires.
How many decimal places of mph should I keep?
For sports and driving-style speeds, whole mph numbers or one decimal place are typically enough. For example, 88 ft/s is exactly 60 mph, while 100 ft/s is about 68.18 mph, which you might report as 68.2 mph. For ballistics, aerospace or high-precision simulations, two to three decimal places may be appropriate. This converter keeps full precision internally and then prints a clean mph value that you can round as needed.
Can I use this for sports timing and jump or throw distances?
Definitely. If you estimate an athlete’s speed in ft/s from video or timing gates, this ft/s to mph converter lets you express the same performance in mph, which is often easier for athletes and coaches to interpret. You can do the same for launch speeds in throwing events, ball launches, or any other situation where speed is measured in feet per second.
What if my speed is in mph, m/s or km/h instead?
If you already have mph and want ft/s, use the dedicated mph to ft/s page via the “Swap Units” button. For other units such as metres per second or kilometres per hour, the speed conversion calculator lets you move between multiple speed units on one page without doing several intermediate conversions yourself.
From feet-per-second readings to familiar mph speeds
This ft/s to mph converter is made for situations where your measurements arrive in feet per second but you want to discuss them in miles per hour. That might be a ballistics table, a physics homework problem, launch speeds from a simulation, or sports timing data exported in ft/s. Instead of repeatedly multiplying by 0.681818 in your head, you type the ft/s value once and get a clear line such as “88 ft/s = 60 mph”.
1. One ft/s input, one mph result
The interface stays deliberately minimal: a single input for feet per second and a result card underneath. You can enter modest speeds for walking and running, or much higher values for vehicle tests, projectiles and other fast-moving objects. Behind the scenes the converter multiplies by 15/22 exactly and formats the mph result so it is easy to scan on phones, tablets and larger screens.
If you later need to reverse the conversion, from miles per hour back to feet per second, the “Swap Units” button takes you straight to the mph to ft/s page. The two tools are designed as a pair so you can move between engineering-style ft/s values and driver-friendly mph without changing your workflow.
2. Simple linear relationship between ft/s and mph
The relationship between ft/s and mph is linear: double the ft/s value and the mph doubles as well. The scale factor comes directly from the definitions of the units:
- 1 mile = 5 280 feet
- 1 hour = 3 600 seconds
That means a speed of 1 ft/s equals 3 600 ÷ 5 280 = 15 ÷ 22 ≈ 0.681818 mph, and 1 mph equals 5 280 ÷ 3 600 ≈ 1.46667 ft/s. The converter uses this exact relationship so that its results match textbooks, engineering references and trusted ballistics tables.
When you need to connect ft/s and mph to other speed units like metres per second or kilometres per hour, the speed conversion calculator gives you a single hub that keeps several units in sync at once.
3. Common ft/s to mph values at a glance
These example conversions match what the calculator outputs and help you build a feel for how feet-per-second speeds map onto mph:
| Feet per second (ft/s) | Miles per hour (mph) |
|---|---|
| 10 ft/s | ≈ 6.82 mph (slow jog) |
| 20 ft/s | ≈ 13.64 mph |
| 30 ft/s | ≈ 20.45 mph (fast sprint) |
| 44 ft/s | 30 mph (residential street) |
| 60 ft/s | ≈ 40.91 mph |
| 88 ft/s | 60 mph (typical road speed) |
| 100 ft/s | ≈ 68.18 mph |
| 132 ft/s | 90 mph |
A handy mental shortcut is to multiply ft/s by 0.68. For example, 100 ft/s × 0.68 ≈ 68 mph. That is usually close enough for quick reasoning. When you need the exact value for lab reports, simulation logs or safety documents, this converter uses the full 15 ÷ 22 factor so your results stay consistent and reproducible.
4. Where the ft/s to mph converter shines
You will most often reach for this tool in situations like:
- Ballistics and launch speeds — turning ft/s muzzle velocities or projectile speeds into mph for easier communication.
- Sports and performance analysis — converting timing-gate or video-derived speeds from ft/s into mph for athletes and coaches.
- Physics and engineering homework — double-checking manual ft/s to mph conversions in problem sets and lab write-ups.
- Simulation outputs — expressing feet-per-second results from CFD, FEA or custom code in miles per hour for reports.
- Vehicle and ride design — translating ft/s figures used in design constraints into mph for non-technical stakeholders.
Because it follows the official relationship between feet per second and miles per hour, you can come back to this ft/s to mph converter whenever you need clear, repeatable results that bridge technical calculations and everyday speed intuition.
References and further reading on speed units
These references explain how feet per second and miles per hour are defined and used:
- Foot per second — describes ft/s as a unit of speed, including its usage in physics and engineering.
- Miles per hour — covers the mph unit, common applications and exact conversion factors to ft/s and other speed units.
- NIST: SI Units — Length and derived units — provides official background on length units and derived quantities like speed in the International System of Units.
For critical engineering, safety or regulatory work, always follow your organisation’s official conversion and rounding procedures when moving between ft/s, mph and other speed units.