Tools · Knots to KPH
Knots to KPH Converter
Enter any value in knots, see the equivalent in kilometers per hour. The conversion is exact, because the nautical mile is defined as exactly 1,852 meters.
1 knot = 1.852 kph (exact, by definition of the nautical mile)
An exact conversion, by definition
One nautical mile is exactly 1,852 meters. That is not a measured number, it is a defined number — set by the First International Extraordinary Hydrographic Conference in 1929 and adopted by all major maritime authorities since. So one knot, which is one nautical mile per hour, is exactly 1.852 kilometers per hour. No rounding, no measurement error, no ongoing revision.
The reason nautical miles exist at all comes from navigation geometry. One minute of latitude along any meridian is approximately one nautical mile. A speed in knots and a heading can be plotted on a chart with a ruler, no calculator required. That is also why airspeed and wind speed in aviation use knots rather than kph — the underlying coordinate system has not changed.
Knots to KPH reference
| Knots | KPH |
|---|---|
| 1 | 1.85 |
| 2 | 3.70 |
| 5 | 9.26 |
| 10 | 18.52 |
| 15 | 27.78 |
| 20 | 37.04 |
| 25 | 46.30 |
| 30 | 55.56 |
| 35 | 64.82 |
| 40 | 74.08 |
| 50 | 92.60 |
| 60 | 111.12 |
| 70 | 129.64 |
| 80 | 148.16 |
| 90 | 166.68 |
| 100 | 185.20 |
Related converters
- Knots to MPH — for miles per hour instead of kilometers.
- KPH to MPH — the standard road-speed converter.
- Live GPS speedometer — read your real speed in the browser.