Steps to km conversion

4,500 steps to km

4,500 steps is about 3.4 km for a woman of 1.65 m (5 ft 5 in) and 3.5 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 37 min to 39 min of walking. The distance depends mainly on your height and speed: from 3.0 km to 4.0 km when walking, and 4.5 km to 4.8 km when running at 10 km/h. As a daily total, 4,500 steps put an adult in the “sedentary” category.

Woman · 1.65 m

3.4 km

37 min of walking

Man · 1.78 m

3.5 km

39 min of walking

Average heights of young adults in the UK, walking at a normal pace of 5.5 km/h.

By height

4,500 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.

HeightWomanMan
1.50 m3.2 km3.3 km
1.55 m3.3 km3.3 km
1.60 m3.3 km3.4 km
1.65 m3.4 km3.4 km
1.70 m3.4 km3.5 km
1.75 m3.5 km3.5 km
1.78 m3.5 km3.5 km
1.80 m3.5 km3.6 km
1.85 m3.6 km3.6 km
1.90 m3.6 km3.7 km
1.95 m3.7 km3.7 km

Highlighted: average height of young adults in the UK.

By pace

4,500 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.

PaceWoman1.65 mMan1.78 m
Relaxed walk4.8 km/h3.1 km39 min3.3 km41 min
Normal walk5.5 km/h3.4 km37 min3.5 km39 min
Brisk walk6.4 km/h3.6 km34 min3.8 km36 min
Jogging8 km/h3.7 km28 min3.9 km29 min
Running10 km/h4.5 km27 min4.8 km29 min
Fast running12 km/h5.3 km27 min5.6 km28 min

Activity level

Is 4,500 steps a day enough?

With 4,500 steps a day, an adult falls into the “Sedentary” category of the scale proposed by Tudor-Locke and colleagues (2011). It takes another 500 steps to reach the “Low active” level, roughly 4 min more walking.

That is above the 3,967 steps a day from which a 2023 meta-analysis of 226,889 people (Banach and colleagues) measured a benefit for all-cause mortality. In the meta-analysis by Paluch and colleagues (2022, 47,471 adults), the risk of death kept falling as daily steps rose, up to about 6,000 to 8,000 steps for people aged 60 and over, and 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.

  1. SedentaryUnder 5,000You are here
  2. Low active5,000 to 7,499
  3. Somewhat active7,500 to 9,999
  4. Active10,000 to 12,499
  5. Highly active12,500 and more

Calories

How many calories do 4,500 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.

WeightWoman1.65 mMan1.78 m
50 kg120 kcal130 kcal
60 kg150 kcal150 kcal
70 kg170 kcal180 kcal
80 kg200 kcal210 kcal
90 kg220 kcal230 kcal
100 kg240 kcal260 kcal

Key distances

From 4,500 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 4,500 steps.

DistanceWoman1.65 mMan1.78 m
5 km6,6702,170 to go6,3401,840 to go
10 km13,3408,840 to go12,6808,180 to go
Half marathon28,13023,630 to go26,76022,260 to go
Marathon56,27051,770 to go53,51049,010 to go

Your personal result

Calculate 4,500 steps for your height

The calculator is already set to 4,500 steps. Enter your height, sex and pace to get your own distance, time and calories.

Steps → km

Your height
Sex

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). 4,500 × 75.0 cm ≈ 3.4 km, and 4,500 × 78.9 cm ≈ 3.5 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

4,500 steps: your questions answered

About 3.4 km for a woman of 1.65 m (5 ft 5 in) and 3.5 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 3.6 km and 3.8 km. For your own height, use the table or the calculator.

About 2.1 miles for a woman of 1.65 m (5 ft 5 in) and 2.2 miles for a man of 1.78 m (5 ft 10 in), at a normal walking pace (5.5 km/h), that is 3.4 km and 3.5 km.

About 37 min to 39 min at a normal pace (5.5 km/h), and 34 min to 36 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 4.5 km for a woman of 1.65 m (5 ft 5 in) and 4.8 km for a man of 1.78 m (5 ft 10 in) at 10 km/h, in 27 min to 29 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 150 kcal for a woman of 1.65 m (5 ft 5 in) weighing 60 kg and 210 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.