Kilometres to metres
Multiply kilometres by 1,000 to get metres.
10 km = 10,000 m
How to convert kilometres to metres
The metre is the SI base unit of length, defined since 1983 by fixing the speed of light at exactly 299 792 458 m/s. The kilometre is one thousand metres (10³ m).
Worked example — 10 km: 10 × 1,000 = 10,000 m.
Kilometres to metres table
| Kilometres | Metres |
|---|---|
| 0.5 km | 500 m |
| 1 km | 1,000 m |
| 2 km | 2,000 m |
| 5 km | 5,000 m |
| 10 km | 10,000 m |
| 21 km | 21,000 m |
| 42 km | 42,000 m |
| 50 km | 50,000 m |
| 100 km | 100,000 m |
Reverse and related
About kilometres and metres
Kilometre (km)
1 km = 1,000 mDefinition. One thousand metres (10³ m)
History and origin
The kilometre, one thousand metres, was defined along with the metric system in the 1790s as its unit for long distances. It spread across the world with the metric system through the nineteenth and twentieth centuries.
Current use
Kilometres are the standard unit for road distances and running races in most of the world; the United States and United Kingdom still post road distances in miles.
Source: BIPM, The International System of Units (SI), 9th ed. (2019)
Metre (m)
1 m = 0.001 kmDefinition. The SI base unit of length, defined since 1983 by fixing the speed of light at exactly 299 792 458 m/s
History and origin
The metre was defined in 1793 as one ten-millionth of the distance from the equator to the North Pole, later realised as a platinum bar. Since 1983 it has been defined by fixing the speed of light at exactly 299 792 458 metres per second, tying it to a constant of nature rather than an object.
Current use
The metre is the base unit of length across the metric world, used for everything from building plans to sports fields; the United States is the main country that still measures everyday length in feet and inches.
Source: BIPM, The International System of Units (SI), 9th ed. (2019)
Where people use this
Kilometres: road distances, running races. Metres: room and building dimensions, sports fields, fabric and rope. 1 km is exactly 1000 m.
Every value is carried to full double precision; the display is rounded.
Both units are defined in BIPM, The International System of Units (SI), 9th ed. (2019).
Questions people ask
How many metres are in a kilometre?
One kilometre is exactly 1000 metres.
How many metres is 5 km?
5 km is 5000 metres.
What is 0.5 km in metres?
Half a kilometre is 500 metres.