Convert Feet Per Second (ft/s) to Meters Per Second (m/s)

What Is a Foot per Second?

The foot per second (ft/s or fps) is an imperial/US customary unit of speed equal to one foot traveled in one second. It is commonly used in the United States for ballistics (muzzle velocity), fluid flow rates, wind speed in some contexts, and engineering calculations in imperial systems.

What Is a Meter per Second?

The meter per second (m/s) is the SI base unit of speed, derived from the meter (length) and the second (time). It is the standard unit for scientific measurements, physics problems, and engineering specifications worldwide. The speed of light is exactly 299,792,458 m/s.

Feet per Second to Meters per Second Formula

The conversion is exact by definition:

m/s = ft/s × 0.3048 exact

Since 1 foot is defined as exactly 0.3048 meters (international foot, 1959), this conversion factor is exact — no rounding involved.

Worked Example

Convert 2,800 ft/s (typical rifle muzzle velocity) to m/s:

1. Multiply: 2,800 × 0.3048 = 853.4 m/s

So 2,800 fps ≈ 853 m/s — about Mach 2.5 at sea level.

Quick Estimation

1 ft/s ≈ 0.3 m/s — roughly divide by 3. This undershoots by about 1.6%. Example: 100 fps ÷ 3 ≈ 33 m/s (exact: 30.48 m/s). For better accuracy, multiply by 0.305.

Common ft/s to m/s Conversions

Which Is Bigger: m/s or ft/s?

A meter per second is about 3.28 times larger than a foot per second (since 1 meter = 3.2808 feet). A speed of 1 m/s = 3.28 ft/s. The m/s is the larger unit, so values in m/s are always smaller numbers than in ft/s.

When You Need This Conversion

• Ballistics: US ammunition specifications list muzzle velocity in fps. A .308 Winchester at 2,820 fps = 859 m/s. International ballistics data uses m/s.
• Engineering: US fluid dynamics problems may use ft/s for pipe flow velocity. Converting to m/s enables use of SI-based formulas (Reynolds number, etc.).
• Physics: US physics textbooks increasingly use m/s, but legacy problems and US-made instruments may still display ft/s.