Units
Miles and kilometres
Miles and kilometres, both ways, using the international mile.
How to use it
- Choose the direction. Kilometres are listed first on the Irish site.
- Enter the distance.
- Read the other unit. One mile is 1.609344 km.
The international mile
The mile used on road signs is the international mile of 1,609.344 metres, so 1.609344 km. Five miles is 8.047 km, which is 8.0 km to one decimal. Ten kilometres is 6.214 miles.
UK road signs and speed limits are in miles and miles per hour. Irish road signs and speed limits are in kilometres and kilometres per hour. A UK driver in Ireland, and an Irish driver in Britain, is the usual reason this conversion gets done at the side of the road. The fuel economy page uses the same mile when it turns mpg into litres per 100 km.
Maps, pace and the figure to keep
A minute per mile and a minute per kilometre are different paces. Eight kilometres an hour is a brisk walk, about 5 miles an hour. The all-units page will convert a speed. This page stays with distance, which is the number on the sign.
Older Irish miles and the statute mile’s history are a different subject. Modern maps and signs use the international mile defined above.
Questions
How many kilometres in a mile?
1.609344 km.
Are Irish distances in miles?
Irish road signs are in kilometres. UK road signs are in miles. The conversion is the same mile either way.