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Steps to miles calculator

How far 10,000 steps goes depends on your legs. Enter your height, or better, measure a step.

By Nabeel Mustafa. Updated .

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steps

Step length from

cm

Sex

Distance walked

4.36 mi

7.02 km

Steps per mile
2,292
Steps per km
1,424
Step length
70 cm

27.6 inches

Method
Height

An average. Measuring is closer.

Height gives an average, measuring gives your number

The height method uses the common rule of thumb: step length is about 0.413 of height for women and 0.415 for men. It is an average across many people. Your own step can be ten centimetres either side of it, which on 10,000 steps is the difference of about 0.6 miles.

Measuring takes a minute. Walk ten normal steps on a floor with a tape or a known length, measure from the heel of the first step to the heel of the last, and divide by ten. Walk the way you usually walk. People measuring themselves tend to stride out, and that makes the answer too long.

Why your watch disagrees

Step counters estimate distance with the same kind of formula, sometimes adjusted by pace and GPS. They also count steps you did not take: a bumpy bus, hands on a pram, washing up. If your watch says 4.8 miles and this page says 4.3, check the step count before the conversion. It is usually the steps that are off.

Stride also shortens on hills, in crowds and when you are tired. A step length measured on a flat hallway is a flat-hallway number.

Convert steps to distance

  1. Enter your step count

    From your phone, watch or pedometer.

  2. Choose height or a measured step

    Measured is more accurate. Height is faster.

  3. Read miles and kilometres

    Steps per mile and per km are shown too.

Questions people ask

How many miles is 10,000 steps?

For someone 170 cm tall, about 4.4 miles or 7 km using the height rule of thumb. Taller people cover more, and your measured step length gives a better answer.

How many steps are in a mile?

Roughly 2,000 to 2,500 for most adults walking. It depends on step length: divide 160,934 cm by your step length in centimetres.

How do I measure my step length?

Walk ten normal steps, measure heel to heel across all ten, and divide by ten. Do it twice and average the two.

Is step length the same as stride length?

Not quite. A stride is two steps, one with each foot. Some sites use the words interchangeably. This page uses step length throughout.

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