Convert Foot per Second to Knot (ft/s → kn)

Feet per second is the standard ballistics unit for projectile speeds and American sports analytics.

Foot per Second

Knot

0.592484

1 ft/s0.592484 knNIST · BIPM accuracy

Foot per Second to Knot Conversion Table

10 common values

Foot per Second	Knot
1 ft/s	0.592484 kn
5 ft/s	2.962419 kn
10 ft/s	5.924838 kn
25 ft/s	14.812095 kn
50 ft/s	29.62419 kn
100 ft/s	59.248381 kn
150 ft/s	88.872571 kn
200 ft/s	118.49676 kn
300 ft/s	177.74514 kn
500 ft/s	296.2419 kn

How to Convert Foot per Second to Knot Manually

Step by Step

Converting feet per second to knots is straightforward: multiply by the conversion factor. Follow these three steps to do it by hand or in your head.

1
Take your value in feet per second
Start with the number of feet per second (ft/s) you want to convert.
2
Multiply by 0.592484
The conversion factor from ft/s to kn is 0.592484. Multiply your value by this number.
3
Read the result in knots
The result is your value in knots (kn).

Practical Examples

1 ft/s

equals

0.592484 kn

5 ft/s

equals

2.962419 kn

10 ft/s

equals

5.924838 kn

25 ft/s

equals

14.812095 kn

100 ft/s

equals

59.248381 kn

Formula

Multiply the value in feet per second by 0.592484. For the reverse direction, multiply by 1.68781.

Forwardkn = ft/s × 0.592484

Reverseft/s = kn × 1.68781

Example: 10 ft/s × 0.592484 = 5.924838 kn

Tips

Use these in everyday conversions

1 ft/s = 0.3048 m/s = 1.097 km/h = 0.682 mph.
Multiplying ft/s by 0.682 gives mph.
US engineering often uses ft/s; metric countries use m/s.

Common Mistakes

Avoid these

Confusing ft/s with fps (frames per second in video/gaming).
Mixing ft/s with mph without conversion.
Using ft/s instead of m/s in international scientific contexts.

About Foot per Second and Knot

What is the Foot per Second?

Feet per second is the standard ballistics unit for projectile speeds, American sports analytics, and engineering. Bullet velocities are universally given in fps: a .22 LR bullet flies at about 1,200 fps, a 9 mm pistol round at 1,150 fps, and a high-velocity rifle round at 3,000 fps. American football and baseball analytics increasingly use fps for measuring throwing speed, ball exit velocity, and player movement. Engineering disciplines that retain US customary units (HVAC, civil engineering) often specify air or water flow speeds in fps. The unit relates to mph (1.467 fps = 1 mph), m/s (1 fps ≈ 0.305 m/s), and the knot (1 fps ≈ 0.592 kn). Outside ballistics and US sports, m/s and km/h dominate — but in their domains, fps remains entrenched in American technical practice.

US ballistics and firearms
US civil-engineering flow rates
Older US physics and engineering texts

Real-world examples

9mm bullet muzzle velocity: ~1150 ft/s. .308 rifle: ~2700 ft/s. Free fall terminal velocity: ~195 ft/s.

What is the Knot?

The knot equals exactly one nautical mile per hour (1.852 km/h or 0.5144 m/s) and is the universal speed unit for ships and aircraft worldwide. The name derives from the historical practice of measuring ship speed by counting knots tied at regular intervals along a 'log line' that was let out over the stern of a ship — the number of knots that passed in a given time gave the speed. International maritime regulations, aviation flight plans, and weather reports for sailors all use knots. A typical cruise ship sails at 18–22 knots, container ships at 18–25 knots, and commercial airliners at 470–500 knots cruise speed. The knot relates to km/h (1 knot ≈ 1.852 km/h), mph (1 knot ≈ 1.151 mph), m/s (1 knot ≈ 0.514 m/s), and the nautical mile (1 knot = 1 nmi/h). Wind speeds in aviation are also given in knots.