Meters per Second to Feet per Second Converter | m/s to ft/s

What this converter does

A speed in metres per second is fine for science, but if you are working in US customary units, where distances are in feet, you need it as feet per second. This converter takes an m/s value and gives you ft/s, ready to sit alongside other measurements in feet. Enter the m/s figure and read off the ft/s.

The conversion factor

One metre per second is 3.28084 feet per second, so:

ft/s = m/s × 3.28084

This is the exact foot-to-metre relationship turned around, since a metre is 3.28084 feet. The ft/s figure always comes out larger than the m/s, because a foot is a shorter step than a metre, so it takes more than three of them to match one.

A quick estimate

The factor is close to 3.28, a little over three, so for a fast figure, just over triple the m/s value. Take 10 m/s, three times is 30, add a bit and you are near 33, and the exact answer is 32.8 ft/s. Tripling and nudging up is an easy way to bring a metric speed into feet per second when you only need a rough sense of it.

A worked example

A skydiver in a stable freefall reaches a terminal velocity of about 53 m/s, and say you want that in feet per second.

• 53 × 3.28084 = 173.9 ft/s

So terminal velocity is roughly 174 ft/s. In US customary terms that is the figure you would carry into a calculation built in feet, and it gives a vivid sense of the speed: covering nearly 174 feet, more than half a football field, every single second.

Common m/s speeds in ft/s

As anchors, 10 m/s is about 32.8 ft/s, and 30 m/s works out near 98.4 ft/s.

When you need it

This is the direction for taking a metric speed into a feet-based world. Engineers working in US customary units convert m/s data to ft/s so it matches the rest of a design, whether that is airflow, water flow, or the motion of a part. Physics done in feet wants speeds in ft/s for the working to stay consistent. And anyone comparing a scientific figure given in m/s against references quoted in feet per second needs them in the same unit first. Wherever feet are the working length, this puts a metric speed into the matching form.

Questions people ask

How do I convert m/s to ft/s?

Multiply the speed in m/s by 3.28084. For a quick estimate, just over triple the m/s figure.

What is 10 m/s in ft/s?

About 32.81 ft/s. It is a clean anchor to keep in mind.

Why is the ft/s figure bigger than the m/s?

A foot is shorter than a metre, so it takes more than three feet to cover the same distance, which makes the ft/s number larger.

References

1. National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), Special Publication 811, Guide for the Use of the International System of Units (unit conversion factors). https://www.nist.gov/pml/special-publication-811
2. International Bureau of Weights and Measures (BIPM), The International System of Units (SI) Brochure (metre per second as the SI unit of speed). https://www.bipm.org/en/publications/si-brochure