Verification: factors follow standard unit definitions; round for display only.

Feet per second to meters per second

Convert ft/s to m/s when US piping manuals, ballistics tables, or HVAC face-velocity specs quote feet per second but your CFD model, SI lab report, or metric equipment datasheet expects meters per second.

Feet per second (ft/s, fps) and meters per second (m/s) express the same scalar speed with different length units in the numerator. The international foot is defined as 1 ft = 0.3048 m, which yields the catalog factor:

m/s = ft/s × 0.3048  ·  equivalently   1 ft/s = 0.3048 m/s exactly

This site anchors speed to Meter per second = 1 and Foot per second = 0.3048. The conversion is exact—not a measured approximation—because the foot length was fixed in the 1959 international yard-and-pound agreement.

Step-by-step conversion (worked example — HVAC face velocity)

A duct schedule lists 800 ft/min; first convert to ft/s (÷ 60 = 13.33 ft/s), then to m/s:

1. ft/s = 800 ÷ 60 = 13.333 ft/s
2. m/s = 13.333 × 0.3048 = 4.064 m/s
3. Compare to metric spec: many filters rate at 2.5 m/s face velocity—this duct is faster

Second worked example (100 ft/s muzzle velocity band)

Convert 100 ft/s from a low-speed ballistics reference:

1. 100 × 0.3048 = 30.48 m/s
2. Cross-check mph: 30.48 m/s ÷ 0.44704 ≈ 68.2 mph for road-speed intuition

Third worked example (5 ft/s groundwater seepage)

A hydrogeology report cites 5 ft/s in a confined channel:

1. 5 × 0.3048 = 1.524 m/s
2. Context: well above typical porous-media Darcy velocities—confirm whether ft/s or ft/day was intended

Quick mental estimate (no calculator)

Multiply ft/s by 0.3 for a fast estimate (~1.6% low). Example: 20 ft/s → 6 m/s (exact: 6.096 m/s). Reverse: multiply m/s by 3.28 (catalog exact ≈ 3.28084).

Ft/s to m/s conversion chart (catalog exact)

Where ft/s → m/s comes up

• HVAC & plumbing: US duct velocity tables often cite ft/min or ft/s; European fan curves and filter ratings use m/s.
• Ballistics & sports: US hunting and sports references use ft/s for projectile or pitch speeds; international biomechanics papers use m/s.
• Open-channel hydraulics: US Army Corps and legacy USGS publications mix ft/s with SI revisions—normalize before combining reach segments.
• Wind & ventilation: Stack-effect and natural-ventilation spreadsheets may list ft/s face velocities while energy models expect m/s boundary layers.

Meters per second to feet per second

Convert m/s to ft/s when a wind sensor, SI physics solution, or metric pump curve reports meters per second but US equipment manuals, ballistics charts, or legacy HVAC tables expect feet per second.

Reverse the ft/s-to-m/s relationship by dividing by 0.3048. Because 1 ft = 0.3048 m, one meter per second equals 3.280840 feet per second.

ft/s = m/s ÷ 0.3048  ·  equivalently   ft/s = m/s × 3.280840

Step-by-step conversion (worked example)

Convert 10 m/s—a strong wind gust—to ft/s:

1. Divide: 10 ÷ 0.3048 = 32.808 ft/s
2. Round for display: 32.8 ft/s on a US field worksheet

Second worked example (3 m/s indoor airflow)

A lab specifies 3 m/s face velocity for a fume hood:

1. 3 ÷ 0.3048 = 9.843 ft/s
2. In ft/min: 9.843 × 60 ≈ 591 ft/min for US duct schedule comparison

Quick mental estimate (reverse)

Multiply m/s by 3.28. Example: 5 m/s → 16.4 ft/s (exact: 16.404 ft/s).

Quick reference (m/s → ft/s)

Reverse conversion is essential when importing SI anemometer data into US HVAC software that expects ft/min or ft/s internally.

Ft/s vs m/s, ft/min note, common mistakes, and related tools

The ft/s–m/s factor 0.3048 is exact via the international foot. Watch ft/min versus ft/s, and do not confuse fps speed with frames per second in video.

Ft/s vs m/s at a glance

Ft/min versus ft/s

Duct velocity schedules almost always list ft/min (fpm), not ft/s. Divide fpm by 60 to obtain ft/s, then multiply by 0.3048 for m/s. Example: 600 fpm → 10 ft/s → 3.048 m/s. Skipping the ÷60 step is a common order-of-magnitude error.

Common mistakes to avoid

• Using 0.305 instead of 0.3048 — close for site checks, but the international definition is exactly 0.3048 m per foot.
• Confusing ft/s with frames per second (video) — both abbreviate fps in informal writing; confirm context before converting.
• Forgetting ft/min → ft/s — always divide fpm by 60 before applying 0.3048.
• Mixing US survey foot history — modern commerce and engineering use 0.3048 m/ft; legacy survey foot (~0.30480061 m) is retired for new work.
• Equating ft/s speed with mph without converting — use ft/s to mph when road-speed intuition is needed.

Exactness and round-trip verification

Converting 10 ft/s → m/s → ft/s should recover 10 within floating-point limits. Anchor checks: 1 ft/s = 0.3048 m/s; 1 m/s = 3.280839895 ft/s; 3.048 m/s = 10 ft/s exactly.

Related speed converters

For the inverse of this page, open m/s to ft/s. Nearby workflows: mph to m/s, ft/s to mph, m/s to km/h, and feet to meters for the underlying length definition.