Gait Speed Calculator
Choose a 4-meter, 10-meter or middle-6-meter protocol, enter one or two timed trials, and get average gait speed in m/s, km/h and mph, compared with the normal speed for your age and sex, the 0.8 and 1.0 m/s cut-offs, and your previous test.
A gait speed calculator divides the timed walking distance by the time taken: gait speed (m/s) = distance (m) ÷ time (s), averaged across trials.
Use the Gait Speed Calculator
Walk Test Parameters
Use the distance between the start and stop timing marks.
Start at the first timing mark and stop at the last. The timer remains only in this browser tab.
Enter distance and time, then press Calculate.
Descriptive context
Post-stroke walking classification (m/s)
These bands come from post-stroke research and are not universal normal ranges or a diagnosis.
Compared with healthy adults of the same age and sex
Mean comfortable walking speed of healthy adults, Bohannon & Andrews 2011 meta-analysis (23,111 people, 3–30 m walks).
Published gait-speed cut-offs
| Cut-off | Used for | This result |
|---|
Cut-offs assume a usual (comfortable) pace and the stated walk distance; they are screening thresholds, not a diagnosis.
Change since previous test
Meaningful change in older adults: about 0.05 m/s small, 0.10 m/s substantial (Perera et al. 2006).
Calculation Summary
Method, sources and privacy
Speed is distance divided by time. If two trials are entered, this calculator reports the arithmetic mean of the two trial speeds. The walking-category labels are specific to post-stroke research; they are not universal normal ranges or a diagnosis.
- RehabMeasures: 10 Meter Walk Test protocol
- Bohannon & Andrews 2011: normal walking speed by age and sex (meta-analysis)
- Bowden et al.: post-stroke walking categories
- Cruz-Jentoft et al. 2019: EWGSOP2 sarcopenia consensus (≤ 0.8 m/s)
- Chen et al. 2020: AWGS 2019 consensus (< 1.0 m/s, 6 m)
- Studenski et al., JAMA 2011: gait speed and survival
- Perera et al. 2006: meaningful change in gait speed
- FHWA MUTCD: 3.5 ft/s walking speed for pedestrian signal timing
Privacy: calculations and stopwatch timing run locally in this browser tab. This tool does not ask for a name or store patient records.
Quick answer
A gait speed calculator divides the timed walking distance by the time taken: gait speed (m/s) = distance (m) ÷ time (s), averaged across trials. It covers the 10-meter walk test (full 10 m or middle 6 m) and the 4-meter walk test, in m/s, km/h and mph.
Example: 10-meter walk test, trials of 8.0 s and 7.6 s: 10 ÷ 8.0 = 1.250 m/s and 10 ÷ 7.6 = 1.316 m/s, average 1.283 m/s (4.62 km/h)
Time each trial with the built-in stopwatch and get speed in m/s, km/h, mph.
Summary
Gait speed equals measured distance divided by elapsed time. This calculator supports one or two trials and makes the timed distance explicit—important because a 10-meter walkway may time all 10 meters or only the middle 6 meters after acceleration. Results are descriptive, not a diagnosis or a stand-alone fall-risk assessment. Keep protocol, pace, footwear, assistance and walking aid consistent when comparing sessions.
How it works
- Choose the distance actually timed, not necessarily the total walkway length.
- Record whether the walk used a comfortable or fast pace and any walking aid.
- Enter trial 1 and optionally trial 2; the calculator computes distance divided by time for each.
- When two trials are entered, their speeds are averaged.
- Results are shown in m/s, km/h and mph with a protocol record for repeat testing.
- Optionally add age and sex to compare with healthy-adult norms, and a previous result to see whether the change is meaningful (0.05 m/s small, 0.10 m/s substantial).
Use cases
- Physiotherapists scoring 4-Meter or 10-Meter Walk Test results.
- Geriatric clinicians assessing fall risk and community mobility.
- Rehabilitation teams tracking patient progress over time.
- Researchers converting timed walk test data to standardized speed units.
- Patients and caregivers monitoring walking speed at home.