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Miles per hour to knots

Multiply miles per hour by 0.868976 to get knots.

1 mph = 0.868976 knNIST HB 44
mph
26.0693kn

30 mph = 26.0693 kn

How to convert miles per hour to knots

The knot is one nautical mile (exactly 1852 m) per hour, used in aviation and at sea. The mile per hour is miles travelled per hour, exactly 1.609344 km/h.

Worked example — 30 mph: 30 × 0.868976 = 26.0693 kn.

Miles per hour to knots table

Common conversions. The reverse table is on knots to miles per hour.
Miles per hourKnots
1 mph0.868976 kn
5 mph4.3449 kn
10 mph8.6898 kn
20 mph17.3795 kn
30 mph26.0693 kn
50 mph43.4488 kn
60 mph52.1386 kn
100 mph86.8976 kn
150 mph130.3464 kn

Reverse and related

About miles per hour and knots

Mile per hour (mph)

1 mph = 0.868976 kn

Definition. Miles travelled per hour, exactly 1.609344 km/h

History and origin

Miles per hour grew out of the English mile and the hour as roads and railways spread in the nineteenth century. It equals exactly 1.609344 kilometres per hour.

Current use

Miles per hour is the speed unit for road traffic in the United States and United Kingdom, and is common for running pace.

Source: NIST Handbook 44, Appendix C (Tables of Equivalents — international nautical mile); speeds derived from the exact mile, foot and hour

Knot (kn)

1 kn = 1.1508 mph

Definition. One nautical mile (exactly 1852 m) per hour, used in aviation and at sea

History and origin

The knot dates from sailing ships, where speed was measured by counting knots on a line let out over a set time. One knot is one nautical mile, exactly 1852 metres, per hour.

Current use

Knots are the standard speed unit in aviation and at sea, and are widely used for wind speed.

Source: NIST Handbook 44, Appendix C (Tables of Equivalents — international nautical mile); speeds derived from the exact mile, foot and hour

Where people use this

Miles per hour: vehicle speed in the US and UK, speed limits, running pace. Knots: aviation, sailing and shipping, wind speed. A 60 mph wind is about 52 knots.

How we know this is right
The factor is fixed by the standards that define the units, not chosen — so it is exact, not a measurement:
1 kn = 1.150779448 mph, so 1 mph = 1 ÷ 1.150779448 = 0.868976 kn.

Every value is carried to full double precision; the display is rounded.

Both units are defined in NIST Handbook 44, Appendix C (Tables of Equivalents — international nautical mile); speeds derived from the exact mile, foot and hour.

Questions people ask

How many knots is 60 mph?

60 mph is about 52 knots.

How many knots in a mph?

One mile per hour is about 0.869 knots.

How many knots is 100 mph?

100 mph is about 86.9 knots.

All mile per hour conversions