foot per second (ft/s)
1 foot per second = 0.3048 metres per second
What is foot per second?
Foot per second is a unit of speed in imperial and US customary systems. It is used in ballistics, sports science, and engineering calculations that rely on US customary units.
Notes: Imperial/USCS unit
Real-world uses
Feet per second is used in ballistics for bullet muzzle velocities (e.g., 2,800 fps for a rifle round), aerospace engineering for aircraft approach speeds, and fluid dynamics in American engineering contexts. Elevator speeds are sometimes specified in ft/s.
History
Feet per second has been used in English-language engineering since the 18th century, particularly in artillery and ballistics. It remains the standard velocity unit in American firearms and aerospace industries despite the broader shift toward metric units.
Common mistakes
Confusing feet per second with miles per hour. 1 ft/s ≈ 0.682 mph, so they are quite different. Also, using fps as an abbreviation for both "feet per second" and "frames per second" creates ambiguity in technical documents.
When is this conversion used?
Converting between foot per second and metre per second is common when working across metric and imperial systems, such as international trade, travel between countries with different measurement standards, or following instructions from a different region.
How to convert foot per second to metre per second
To convert foot per second to metre per second, multiply the value by 0.3048.
Conversion formula (from base unit)
x * 0.3048
Measurement standards
The SI unit of speed is metres per second (m/s), a derived unit requiring no independent definition. The knot is defined as exactly one nautical mile (1,852 metres) per hour and is sanctioned for maritime and aeronautical navigation by the International Civil Aviation Organization.
Did you know?
The fastest human-made object is the Parker Solar Probe, which reached 635,266 km/h (about 176 km/s) in 2024 during a close pass of the Sun — fast enough to travel from New York to Tokyo in under a minute.
| feet per second | metres per second |
|---|---|
| 0.1 | 0.03048 |
| 0.5 | 0.1524 |
| 1 | 0.3048 |
| 2 | 0.6096 |
| 5 | 1.524 |
| 10 | 3.048 |
| 25 | 7.62 |
| 50 | 15.24 |
| 100 | 30.48 |
| 250 | 76.2 |
| 500 | 152.4 |
| 1,000 | 304.8 |
Common values
| feet per second | metres per second | |
|---|---|---|
| Walking speed | 4.59317585 feet per second | 1.4 metres per second |
| City speed limit | 45.60367454 feet per second | 13.9 metres per second |
| Highway driving | 102.69028871 feet per second | 31.3 metres per second |
| Commercial aircraft | 820.20997375 feet per second | 250 metres per second |
| Speed of sound (sea level) | 1,116.43700787 feet per second | 340.29 metres per second |
Full foot per second conversion table
| Unit | Value | Factor |
|---|---|---|
| metre per second | 1 ft/s = 0.3048 m/s | × 0.3048 |
| kilometre per hour | 1 ft/s = 1.09728 km/h | × 1.09728 |
| mile per hour | 1 ft/s = 0.68181818 mph | × 0.68181818 |
| knot | 1 ft/s = 0.5924838 kn | × 0.5924838 |
| metre per minute | 1 ft/s = 18.288 m/min | × 18.288 |
| kilometre per second | 1 ft/s = 0.0003048 km/s | × 0.0003048 |
| mach (approx at sea level) | 1 ft/s = 0.00089571 Ma | × 0.00089571 |
| centimetre per second | 1 ft/s = 30.48 cm/s | × 30.48 |
| mile per minute | 1 ft/s = 0.01136364 mi/min | × 0.01136364 |