The quick answer
One kilometre is 1,000 metres. At the average adult step of 0.75 m that is 1,000 / 0.75, or about 1,333 steps. This is the same default our browser step counter uses for distance until you enter your height.
Steps per kilometre by height
Walking step length is commonly estimated as about 0.415 times height. The table applies that rule. Your real figure may differ by several percent depending on how fast you walk.
| Height | Step length | Steps per km |
|---|---|---|
| 150 cm (4 ft 11 in) | 0.62 m | 1,606 |
| 160 cm (5 ft 3 in) | 0.66 m | 1,506 |
| 170 cm (5 ft 7 in) | 0.71 m | 1,417 |
| 180 cm (5 ft 11 in) | 0.75 m | 1,339 |
| 190 cm (6 ft 3 in) | 0.79 m | 1,268 |
Steps for common distances
Here are popular walking and event distances turned into steps and time, using the tool's average step and a brisk 100 steps a minute.
| Distance | Steps | Walking time |
|---|---|---|
| 1 km | 1,333 | 13 min |
| 2 km | 2,667 | 27 min |
| 3 km | 4,000 | 40 min |
| 5 km | 6,667 | 1 h 7 min |
| 10 km | 13,333 | 2 h 13 min |
What changes your step length
Height sets the baseline, but it is not the whole story. People take longer steps when they walk faster, and shorter ones on hills, stairs, sand, snow or crowded pavements. Carrying a bag, pushing a buggy or walking a dog also shortens steps.
- Faster pace: longer steps, fewer per km.
- Uphill, rough ground or crowds: shorter steps, more per km.
- Running: much longer steps. At a 1 m running step, a km is 1,000 steps.
- Tired legs late in a long walk: steps often shorten slightly.
Turning a daily step goal into kilometres
Thinking in kilometres can make a step goal feel more concrete. For an average adult, 0.75 m step, 7,000 steps is about 5.3 km and 10,000 steps about 7.5 km. Most people collect a few kilometres just moving around the house, work and shops, so the planned walk only needs to cover the gap.
If your usual day gives you 4,000 steps and you want 7,000, the missing 3,000 is about 2.3 km, or roughly 30 min of brisk walking at 100 steps a minute.
Finding your own steps per km
Walk 400 m on a running track (one lap of the inside lane) at your usual pace and count the steps. Multiply by 2.5 and you have your steps per kilometre. Do it twice and average.
If you would rather not count, add your height in our step counter's settings. Its distance estimate then uses 0.415 x your height instead of the average. It is still an estimate, shown to one decimal place, because a step count cannot measure distance exactly.