Steps to km conversion
18,000 steps to km
18,000 steps is about 13.5 km for a woman of 1.65 m (5 ft 5 in) and 14.2 km for a man of 1.78 m (5 ft 10 in), the average heights of young adults in the UK, at a normal walking pace (5.5 km/h). That is 2 h 27 min to 2 h 35 min of walking. The distance depends mainly on your height and speed: from 12.1 km to 16.2 km when walking, and 18.2 km to 19.0 km when running at 10 km/h. As a daily total, 18,000 steps put an adult in the “highly active” category.
Woman · 1.65 m
13.5 km
2 h 27 min of walking
Man · 1.78 m
14.2 km
2 h 35 min of walking
Average heights of young adults in the UK, walking at a normal pace of 5.5 km/h.
By height
18,000 steps in km by height
Distance covered at a normal walking pace (5.5 km/h). At the same height, women take slightly shorter steps than men.
| Height | Woman | Man |
|---|---|---|
| 1.50 m | 13.0 km | 13.2 km |
| 1.55 m | 13.2 km | 13.4 km |
| 1.60 m | 13.3 km | 13.5 km |
| 1.65 m | 13.5 km | 13.7 km |
| 1.70 m | 13.7 km | 13.9 km |
| 1.75 m | 13.9 km | 14.1 km |
| 1.78 m | 14.0 km | 14.2 km |
| 1.80 m | 14.0 km | 14.3 km |
| 1.85 m | 14.2 km | 14.5 km |
| 1.90 m | 14.4 km | 14.7 km |
| 1.95 m | 14.6 km | 14.9 km |
Highlighted: average height of young adults in the UK.
By pace
18,000 steps walking or running
Distance and time for a woman of 1.65 m (5 ft 5 in) and a man of 1.78 m (5 ft 10 in). The faster you go, the longer each step, so the same number of steps covers more ground.
| Pace | Woman1.65 m | Man1.78 m |
|---|---|---|
| Relaxed walk4.8 km/h | 12.5 km2 h 37 | 13.1 km2 h 44 |
| Normal walk5.5 km/h | 13.5 km2 h 27 | 14.2 km2 h 35 |
| Brisk walk6.4 km/h | 14.6 km2 h 16 | 15.4 km2 h 24 |
| Jogging8 km/h | 14.9 km1 h 52 | 15.5 km1 h 56 |
| Running10 km/h | 18.2 km1 h 49 | 19.0 km1 h 54 |
| Fast running12 km/h | 21.3 km1 h 46 | 22.4 km1 h 52 |
Activity level
Is 18,000 steps a day enough?
With 18,000 steps a day, an adult falls into the “Highly active” category of the scale proposed by Tudor-Locke and colleagues (2011).
That is beyond the plateaus observed in the meta-analysis by Paluch and colleagues (2022, 47,471 adults): the risk of death levelled off at around 6,000 to 8,000 steps for people aged 60 and over, and at around 8,000 to 10,000 steps for those under 60.
These benchmarks describe averages observed in large studies, not a personal target. Talk to a health professional about your activity goals.
- SedentaryUnder 5,000
- Low active5,000 to 7,499
- Somewhat active7,500 to 9,999
- Active10,000 to 12,499
- Highly active12,500 and moreYou are here
Calories
How many calories do 18,000 steps burn?
Estimate at a normal walking pace (5.5 km/h) for a woman of 1.65 m (5 ft 5 in) and a man of 1.78 m (5 ft 10 in), based on the MET values of the Compendium of Physical Activities. Weight matters far more than height.
| Weight | Woman1.65 m | Man1.78 m |
|---|---|---|
| 50 kg | 490 kcal | 510 kcal |
| 60 kg | 590 kcal | 620 kcal |
| 70 kg | 690 kcal | 720 kcal |
| 80 kg | 780 kcal | 820 kcal |
| 90 kg | 880 kcal | 930 kcal |
| 100 kg | 980 kcal | 1,030 kcal |
Key distances
From 18,000 steps to a marathon
Walking steps needed for the reference distances at 5.5 km/h, for a woman of 1.65 m (5 ft 5 in) and a man of 1.78 m (5 ft 10 in), and how many remain after 18,000 steps.
| Distance | Woman1.65 m | Man1.78 m |
|---|---|---|
| 5 km | 6,670reached | 6,340reached |
| 10 km | 13,340reached | 12,680reached |
| Half marathon | 28,13010,130 to go | 26,7608,760 to go |
| Marathon | 56,27038,270 to go | 53,51035,510 to go |
Your personal result
Calculate 18,000 steps for your height
The calculator is already set to 18,000 steps. Enter your height, sex and pace to get your own distance, time and calories.
Steps → km
Km → steps
Only used for the calorie estimate.
Distance covered
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Enter your number of steps to see the distance.
Steps per km
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Step length
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Time
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Calories
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Step length is estimated from your height, sex and pace with the equations published by Hoeger and colleagues in ACSM's Health & Fitness Journal (2008), which measured the number of steps needed to cover one mile at six walking and running speeds. Calories use the MET values of the Compendium of Physical Activities. Both are listed in the sources at the bottom of the page. Results are estimates: terrain, shoes, fatigue and your own way of walking all change your step length.
Method
How these figures are calculated
Distance is the number of steps multiplied by the length of one step. At 5.5 km/h, one step covers about 75.0 cm for a woman of 1.65 m (5 ft 5 in) and 78.9 cm for a man of 1.78 m (5 ft 10 in). 18,000 × 75.0 cm ≈ 13.5 km, and 18,000 × 78.9 cm ≈ 14.2 km.
Step length comes from the equations published in 2008 by Hoeger and colleagues in ACSM's Health & Fitness Journal, derived from adults who walked and ran on a treadmill at six speeds. It increases with height and with speed.
The reference heights are the average heights of young adults in the UK published by the NCD Risk Factor Collaboration in the journal eLife (2016), rounded up to the nearest centimetre. Feet and inches are rounded to the nearest inch.
Frequently asked questions
18,000 steps: your questions answered
About 13.5 km for a woman of 1.65 m (5 ft 5 in) and 14.2 km for a man of 1.78 m (5 ft 10 in), at a normal walking pace (5.5 km/h). At a brisk pace (6.4 km/h), the distance rises to 14.6 km and 15.4 km. For your own height, use the table or the calculator.
About 8.4 miles for a woman of 1.65 m (5 ft 5 in) and 8.8 miles for a man of 1.78 m (5 ft 10 in), at a normal walking pace (5.5 km/h), that is 13.5 km and 14.2 km.
About 2 h 27 min to 2 h 35 min at a normal pace (5.5 km/h), and 2 h 16 min to 2 h 24 min at a brisk pace (6.4 km/h), for a woman of 1.65 m (5 ft 5 in) and a man of 1.78 m (5 ft 10 in).
About 18.2 km for a woman of 1.65 m (5 ft 5 in) and 19.0 km for a man of 1.78 m (5 ft 10 in) at 10 km/h, in 1 h 49 min to 1 h 54 min. When running, one step is about 106 cm for a man of 1.78 m (5 ft 10 in), compared with 79 cm when walking.
About 590 kcal for a woman of 1.65 m (5 ft 5 in) weighing 60 kg and 820 kcal for a man of 1.78 m (5 ft 10 in) weighing 80 kg, at a normal pace. These estimates use the MET value of 3.8 for moderate walking from the Compendium of Physical Activities.
Other conversions
Other step counts in km
- 1,000 steps
- 1,500 steps
- 2,000 steps
- 2,500 steps
- 3,000 steps
- 3,500 steps
- 4,000 steps
- 4,500 steps
- 5,000 steps
- 5,500 steps
- 6,000 steps
- 6,500 steps
- 7,000 steps
- 7,500 steps
- 8,000 steps
- 8,500 steps
- 9,000 steps
- 9,500 steps
- 10,000 steps
- 10,500 steps
- 11,000 steps
- 11,500 steps
- 12,000 steps
- 12,500 steps
- 13,000 steps
- 13,500 steps
- 14,000 steps
- 14,500 steps
- 15,000 steps
- 15,500 steps
- 16,000 steps
- 16,500 steps
- 17,000 steps
- 17,500 steps
- 18,000 steps
- 18,500 steps
- 19,000 steps
- 19,500 steps
- 20,000 steps
- 25,000 steps
- 30,000 steps
Sources
The research behind these figures
- Hoeger et al., One-Mile Step Count at Walking and Running Speeds, ACSM's Health & Fitness Journal (2008)
- Paluch et al., Daily steps and all-cause mortality: a meta-analysis of 15 international cohorts, The Lancet Public Health (2022)
- Banach et al., The association between daily step count and all-cause and cardiovascular mortality, European Journal of Preventive Cardiology (2023)
- Tudor-Locke et al., How many steps/day are enough? For adults, IJBNPA (2011)
- Compendium of Physical Activities (MET values used for the calorie estimate)
- NCD Risk Factor Collaboration, A century of trends in adult human height, eLife (2016)
Estimates for information only, not medical advice.