Treadmill Pace Chart: Convert km/h and mph to Pace

To convert treadmill speed into running pace, divide 60 by the speed. At 10 km/h, 60 ÷ 10 = 6, so your pace is 6:00 per km. At 6 mph, 60 ÷ 6 = 10, so your pace is 10:00 per mile. If the result has decimals, multiply the decimal part by 60 to get seconds: 60 ÷ 9 km/h = 6.67, and 0.67 × 60 ≈ 40, so 9 km/h is 6:40 per km.

The charts below save you the maths for the most common treadmill speeds, in both km/h and mph. For any other number, our running pace calculator converts pace, time and distance in either unit. Further down you will also find whether the famous 1% incline is worth using and why treadmill pace often feels different from outdoor pace.

The formula: speed to pace and back

Treadmills show speed (distance per hour). Runners usually think in pace (time per kilometre or mile). The two are simply the inverse of each other, so one division gets you from one to the other.

Speed to pace: pace in minutes = 60 ÷ speed

• 8 km/h → 60 ÷ 8 = 7.5 → 7:30 per km
• 11 km/h → 60 ÷ 11 = 5.45 → 0.45 × 60 ≈ 27 → 5:27 per km
• 5 mph → 60 ÷ 5 = 12 → 12:00 per mile

Pace to speed: speed = 60 ÷ pace in decimal minutes

First turn the pace into decimal minutes by dividing the seconds by 60. A pace of 6:30 is 6 + 30 ÷ 60 = 6.5 minutes.

• 6:30 per km → 60 ÷ 6.5 ≈ 9.2 km/h
• 7:15 per km → 60 ÷ 7.25 ≈ 8.3 km/h
• 10:00 per mile → 60 ÷ 10 = 6.0 mph

The unit always stays the same: km/h gives you a pace per kilometre, mph gives you a pace per mile. If you need to switch between the two, see the conversion section below.

Treadmill pace chart: km/h to pace

Most treadmills in Europe show km/h and change speed in steps of 0.1 or 0.5 km/h. Values are rounded to the nearest second.

Speed (km/h)	Speed (mph)	Pace per km	Pace per mile	5K time
6.0	3.7	10:00	16:06	50:00
6.5	4.0	9:14	14:51	46:09
7.0	4.3	8:34	13:48	42:51
7.5	4.7	8:00	12:52	40:00
8.0	5.0	7:30	12:04	37:30
8.5	5.3	7:04	11:22	35:18
9.0	5.6	6:40	10:44	33:20
9.5	5.9	6:19	10:10	31:35
10.0	6.2	6:00	9:39	30:00
10.5	6.5	5:43	9:12	28:34
11.0	6.8	5:27	8:47	27:16
11.5	7.1	5:13	8:24	26:05
12.0	7.5	5:00	8:03	25:00
13.0	8.1	4:37	7:26	23:05
14.0	8.7	4:17	6:54	21:26
15.0	9.3	4:00	6:26	20:00

The 5K column is plain arithmetic: the time you would need if you held that exact speed for 5 kilometres. It is not a target or a ranking. Many beginners run their easy sessions somewhere in the upper, slower half of this chart, and that is completely normal.

Treadmill pace chart: mph to pace

Treadmills in the US and the UK often show miles per hour, usually in steps of 0.1 mph.

Speed (mph)	Speed (km/h)	Pace per mile	Pace per km
4.0	6.4	15:00	9:19
4.5	7.2	13:20	8:17
5.0	8.0	12:00	7:27
5.5	8.9	10:55	6:47
6.0	9.7	10:00	6:13
6.5	10.5	9:14	5:44
7.0	11.3	8:34	5:20
7.5	12.1	8:00	4:58
8.0	12.9	7:30	4:40
9.0	14.5	6:40	4:09
10.0	16.1	6:00	3:44

Switching between km/h and mph

One mile is 1.609 kilometres. That gives you two quick rules:

• mph to km/h: multiply by 1.609. Example: 6 mph × 1.609 ≈ 9.7 km/h.
• km/h to mph: divide by 1.609. Example: 10 km/h ÷ 1.609 ≈ 6.2 mph.

This is handy when you travel, use a hotel gym, or follow a plan written in the other unit. Convert the speed first, then use the formula above to get your pace.

Does a 1% incline make the treadmill equal to running outside?

You may have heard that you should always set the treadmill to 1% to "make it like running outside". The idea comes from a study by Jones and Doust, published in the Journal of Sports Sciences in 1996 (abstract on PubMed). On a treadmill there is no air resistance, because you run on the spot instead of moving through the air. In that study, a 1% incline matched the energy cost of running on a level road.

Two details matter for beginners:

• The participants were trained runners running at speeds of roughly 10.5 to 18 km/h.
• At the slowest speeds tested, the difference was small. Air resistance grows with speed, so it matters less at easy jogging speeds.

In practice: if you run easy at 7–9 km/h, a 0% or 1% incline will feel very similar. Pick one setting and stay with it, so your sessions are comparable from week to week. If you prefer 1% because it feels more natural, that is perfectly fine too.

Why treadmill pace often feels different

Plenty of people find that the same pace feels harder on the treadmill, and some find it easier. Neither means anything is wrong. Common reasons:

• Heat: gyms and living rooms are warm, and there is no breeze to cool you down. Warm conditions make the same pace feel harder.
• Calibration: the speed on the display is only as accurate as the machine's calibration. Two treadmills set to 10 km/h can feel noticeably different.
• A new movement pattern: the moving belt changes how your stride feels for the first few sessions.
• No variety: outside, your pace drifts slightly with small slopes and turns. On a treadmill you hold one exact speed, which some people find tiring.
• Mental fatigue: staring at a timer can make minutes feel longer.

This is why the treadmill display is a helpful guide, not the final word. Your effort is what counts, especially on easy days. Our article on what a good running pace for beginners is explains why effort beats speed.

How to choose your treadmill speed

Instead of picking a speed from a chart and forcing yourself to hold it, start from effort and use the chart to understand the number afterwards.

1. Warm up with 5 minutes of brisk walking, for example at 5–6 km/h.
2. Increase the speed in small steps of 0.2–0.5 km/h until you are jogging.
3. Do the talk test after a few minutes: you should be able to speak in full sentences.
4. Adjust: if you can only manage short phrases, slow down by 0.5 km/h. If talking is effortless and you feel you are holding back a lot, you can go up a little.
5. Note the speed that felt right and look up the pace in the chart above.

If you train with a heart rate monitor, you can also stay within your easy zone. Our zone 2 training guide shows how slow easy running can feel at first, and the heart rate zones explained article covers all five zones.

Worked example: turning an outdoor plan into treadmill settings

Here is a hypothetical example. Sam runs three times a week. Outside, Sam's easy pace is about 7:15 per km, and the plan for the week includes one run-walk session. It is raining, so Sam moves to the treadmill.

• Easy pace: 7:15 per km is 7.25 minutes. 60 ÷ 7.25 ≈ 8.3 km/h. Sam starts at 8.0 km/h, checks the talk test and settles at 8.3 km/h.
• Incline: Sam picks 1% and keeps it for all treadmill runs, so the sessions stay comparable.
• Run-walk intervals: 1 minute running at 8.3 km/h, 2 minutes walking briskly at 5.5–6 km/h, repeated 8 times. The run walk method explains how to choose and progress these intervals.
• Reality check: after 15 minutes the room is warm and the talk test gets harder. Sam drops to 8.0 km/h. That is the right call: the effort stays easy, which is the purpose of the session.

At the end, Sam enters 30 minutes and the distance shown into the running pace calculator to log the average pace.

Common treadmill pace mistakes

• Setting the speed from a race goal. Easy runs should feel easy, even if that is far slower than your target race pace.
• Holding the handrails. It changes your posture and takes load off your legs, so your pace no longer reflects your effort. Slow down until you can run hands-free.
• Big jumps in speed. Increase in small steps and give your body a minute to settle at each new speed.
• Comparing treadmill and outdoor pace one to one. Different machines, heat and incline all shift the numbers. Compare treadmill runs with treadmill runs.
• Stepping off a moving belt. Slow down to a walk first, then stop the belt before you step off.

Quick reference

• Speed to pace: 60 ÷ speed. Pace to speed: 60 ÷ pace in decimal minutes.
• km/h gives pace per km, mph gives pace per mile. 1 mile = 1.609 km.
• 10 km/h = 6:00 per km. 8 km/h = 7:30 per km. 6 mph = 10:00 per mile.
• A 1% incline is optional. It matters most at faster speeds; at easy jogging speeds 0–1% feels similar.
• Choose your speed by effort first, then look up the pace.
• For any other numbers, use the running pace calculator.

The treadmill is a great option for dark evenings, bad weather or precise intervals. Once you know how speed and pace relate, you can follow any running plan indoors and keep your easy days genuinely easy.