Treadmill speed to pace
The treadmill shows km/h. Your training plan is written in minutes per kilometre. This converts between them, both directions, and says when the 1% incline rule actually applies.
Full treadmill conversion table
Every speed from 6.0 to 18.0 km/h in 0.2 steps, with the pace it represents and what it finishes three common distances in. Server-rendered — it works with JavaScript off and prints onto one sheet.
| km/h | mph | Pace /km | Pace /mile | 5K | 10K | Half |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6.0 | 3.73 | 10:00 | 16:06 | 50:00 | 1:40:00 | 3:30:59 |
| 6.2 | 3.85 | 9:41 | 15:34 | 48:23 | 1:36:46 | 3:24:10 |
| 6.4 | 3.98 | 9:23 | 15:05 | 46:53 | 1:33:45 | 3:17:47 |
| 6.6 | 4.10 | 9:05 | 14:38 | 45:27 | 1:30:55 | 3:11:48 |
| 6.8 | 4.23 | 8:49 | 14:12 | 44:07 | 1:28:14 | 3:06:09 |
| 7.0 | 4.35 | 8:34 | 13:48 | 42:51 | 1:25:43 | 3:00:50 |
| 7.2 | 4.47 | 8:20 | 13:25 | 41:40 | 1:23:20 | 2:55:49 |
| 7.4 | 4.60 | 8:06 | 13:03 | 40:32 | 1:21:05 | 2:51:04 |
| 7.6 | 4.72 | 7:54 | 12:42 | 39:28 | 1:18:57 | 2:46:34 |
| 7.8 | 4.85 | 7:42 | 12:23 | 38:28 | 1:16:55 | 2:42:17 |
| 8.0 | 4.97 | 7:30 | 12:04 | 37:30 | 1:15:00 | 2:38:14 |
| 8.2 | 5.10 | 7:19 | 11:47 | 36:35 | 1:13:10 | 2:34:22 |
| 8.4 | 5.22 | 7:09 | 11:30 | 35:43 | 1:11:26 | 2:30:42 |
| 8.6 | 5.34 | 6:59 | 11:14 | 34:53 | 1:09:46 | 2:27:12 |
| 8.8 | 5.47 | 6:49 | 10:58 | 34:05 | 1:08:11 | 2:23:51 |
| 9.0 | 5.59 | 6:40 | 10:44 | 33:20 | 1:06:40 | 2:20:39 |
| 9.2 | 5.72 | 6:31 | 10:30 | 32:37 | 1:05:13 | 2:17:36 |
| 9.4 | 5.84 | 6:23 | 10:16 | 31:55 | 1:03:50 | 2:14:40 |
| 9.6 | 5.97 | 6:15 | 10:04 | 31:15 | 1:02:30 | 2:11:52 |
| 9.8 | 6.09 | 6:07 | 9:51 | 30:37 | 1:01:13 | 2:09:10 |
| 10.0 | 6.21 | 6:00 | 9:39 | 30:00 | 1:00:00 | 2:06:35 |
| 10.2 | 6.34 | 5:53 | 9:28 | 29:25 | 58:49 | 2:04:06 |
| 10.4 | 6.46 | 5:46 | 9:17 | 28:51 | 57:42 | 2:01:43 |
| 10.6 | 6.59 | 5:40 | 9:07 | 28:18 | 56:36 | 1:59:25 |
| 10.8 | 6.71 | 5:33 | 8:56 | 27:47 | 55:33 | 1:57:13 |
| 11.0 | 6.84 | 5:27 | 8:47 | 27:16 | 54:33 | 1:55:05 |
| 11.2 | 6.96 | 5:21 | 8:37 | 26:47 | 53:34 | 1:53:01 |
| 11.4 | 7.08 | 5:16 | 8:28 | 26:19 | 52:38 | 1:51:02 |
| 11.6 | 7.21 | 5:10 | 8:19 | 25:52 | 51:43 | 1:49:08 |
| 11.8 | 7.33 | 5:05 | 8:11 | 25:25 | 50:51 | 1:47:17 |
| 12.0 | 7.46 | 5:00 | 8:03 | 25:00 | 50:00 | 1:45:29 |
| 12.2 | 7.58 | 4:55 | 7:55 | 24:35 | 49:11 | 1:43:45 |
| 12.4 | 7.71 | 4:50 | 7:47 | 24:12 | 48:23 | 1:42:05 |
| 12.6 | 7.83 | 4:46 | 7:40 | 23:49 | 47:37 | 1:40:28 |
| 12.8 | 7.95 | 4:41 | 7:33 | 23:26 | 46:53 | 1:38:54 |
| 13.0 | 8.08 | 4:37 | 7:26 | 23:05 | 46:09 | 1:37:22 |
| 13.2 | 8.20 | 4:33 | 7:19 | 22:44 | 45:27 | 1:35:54 |
| 13.4 | 8.33 | 4:29 | 7:12 | 22:23 | 44:47 | 1:34:28 |
| 13.6 | 8.45 | 4:25 | 7:06 | 22:04 | 44:07 | 1:33:05 |
| 13.8 | 8.57 | 4:21 | 7:00 | 21:44 | 43:29 | 1:31:44 |
| 14.0 | 8.70 | 4:17 | 6:54 | 21:26 | 42:51 | 1:30:25 |
| 14.2 | 8.82 | 4:14 | 6:48 | 21:08 | 42:15 | 1:29:09 |
| 14.4 | 8.95 | 4:10 | 6:42 | 20:50 | 41:40 | 1:27:54 |
| 14.6 | 9.07 | 4:07 | 6:37 | 20:33 | 41:06 | 1:26:42 |
| 14.8 | 9.20 | 4:03 | 6:31 | 20:16 | 40:32 | 1:25:32 |
| 15.0 | 9.32 | 4:00 | 6:26 | 20:00 | 40:00 | 1:24:23 |
| 15.2 | 9.44 | 3:57 | 6:21 | 19:44 | 39:28 | 1:23:17 |
| 15.4 | 9.57 | 3:54 | 6:16 | 19:29 | 38:58 | 1:22:12 |
| 15.6 | 9.69 | 3:51 | 6:11 | 19:14 | 38:28 | 1:21:09 |
| 15.8 | 9.82 | 3:48 | 6:07 | 18:59 | 37:58 | 1:20:07 |
| 16.0 | 9.94 | 3:45 | 6:02 | 18:45 | 37:30 | 1:19:07 |
| 16.2 | 10.07 | 3:42 | 5:58 | 18:31 | 37:02 | 1:18:08 |
| 16.4 | 10.19 | 3:40 | 5:53 | 18:18 | 36:35 | 1:17:11 |
| 16.6 | 10.31 | 3:37 | 5:49 | 18:04 | 36:09 | 1:16:15 |
| 16.8 | 10.44 | 3:34 | 5:45 | 17:51 | 35:43 | 1:15:21 |
| 17.0 | 10.56 | 3:32 | 5:41 | 17:39 | 35:18 | 1:14:28 |
| 17.2 | 10.69 | 3:29 | 5:37 | 17:27 | 34:53 | 1:13:36 |
| 17.4 | 10.81 | 3:27 | 5:33 | 17:14 | 34:29 | 1:12:45 |
| 17.6 | 10.94 | 3:25 | 5:29 | 17:03 | 34:05 | 1:11:55 |
| 17.8 | 11.06 | 3:22 | 5:25 | 16:51 | 33:42 | 1:11:07 |
| 18.0 | 11.18 | 3:20 | 5:22 | 16:40 | 33:20 | 1:10:20 |
The 1% incline rule, and where it does not apply
The widely quoted advice to run treadmill sessions at a 1% gradient comes from a specific study: Jones and Doust, Journal of Sports Sciences (1996), which measured the oxygen cost of treadmill running against outdoor running and found that a 1% gradient made the two match. The important detail, almost always dropped when the advice is repeated, is the speed range they tested — roughly 2.92 to 5.0 metres per second, or about 10.5 to 18 km/h. If you are running at 8 km/h, the correction is smaller than the measurement error and you can leave the belt flat.
Two further honest caveats. A treadmill in a still, warm room is harder than the same speed outdoors in a breeze, because you lose the convective cooling that outdoor running gives you free — which is why treadmill sessions in an un-air-conditioned Indian gym in May feel disproportionately awful. And treadmill belts are rarely as accurate as their displays suggest; if your outdoor GPS pace and your treadmill pace disagree consistently at the same effort, trust the effort.
When the treadmill is the right choice in India
For a large part of the year, in a large part of the country, it simply is. Delhi and the NCR in December and January regularly record air in the poor to severe bands, and an hour of hard running moves several times more air through your lungs than an hour of sitting — the air quality guide covers what that means in practice. In May and June across the northern plains, an outdoor session after 07:00 is a genuine heat risk. A treadmill is not a compromise on those days. It is the session.
Questions
What pace is 10 km/h on a treadmill?
Exactly 6:00 per kilometre, which is 9:39 per mile. The sum is 3,600 divided by the speed in km/h: 3,600 ÷ 10 = 360 seconds per kilometre.
Why set the treadmill to 1% incline?
A treadmill belt does some of the work of moving your legs backwards and there is no air resistance indoors, so running at a given speed on a flat belt is slightly easier than running the same speed outdoors. Jones and Doust (1996) found that a 1% gradient made the energy cost of treadmill running match outdoor running at speeds from about 10.5 to 18 km/h. Below that speed the correction is unnecessary.
Is treadmill running easier than outdoor running?
At the same displayed speed, marginally — that is what the 1% adjustment is for. But treadmill running is also harder in ways the number does not show: no breeze to cool you, no pace variation, and no downhill sections. In Indian summers a treadmill in an air-conditioned room is often the more useful session, not the softer one.
How accurate are treadmill speed displays?
Less accurate than runners assume, particularly on well-used gym machines. If your treadmill pace and your outdoor pace disagree by more than about 10 seconds a kilometre at the same effort, believe your effort and your outdoor GPS rather than the console.
Every time, pace and physiological figure on this site is computed from a published formula, and the formula is named and shown on the method page. Nothing here is predicted by a model you cannot check. Race details change — always confirm dates, routes and entry with the official organiser. Training guidance is general information, not individual coaching or medical advice.