Feet per Second to Metres per Second Converter — Built for Canada's Metric System
Free fps to m/s converter made for Canada's metric system. Convert US ammunition data, paintball field limits, and engineering velocities from feet per second to metres per second — instant, exact, no signup.
Canadian Speed ConverterThe quick answer for 1 Feet per Second — type any value below for the exact result
Feet per Second
Meters per Second
fps to m/s Conversion Formula
To convert feet per second to metres per second, multiply the fps value by 0.3048. This is exact, because the international foot — agreed upon by Canada, the US, and the UK in 1959 — is defined as precisely 0.3048 metres.
Feet per Second and Meters per Second Explained
Feet per Second (fps)
The foot per second (fps, ft/s) is the speed of covering one international foot each second, equal to exactly 0.3048 m/s and about 0.681818 mph. It is the native unit of US shooting sports, and it is what Canadians see on US-made ammunition boxes and chronographs: airgun pellets leave the muzzle at 500-900 fps, handgun rounds at 900-1350 fps, and full-power rifle bullets at 2500-3200 fps, with the sound barrier near 1125 fps in mild air.
Where it is used: It dominates American ammunition packaging, chronograph readouts, airsoft and paintball field rules, and US engineering handbooks — meaning nearly every fps figure a Canadian shooter or engineer encounters arrives from the other side of the border.
Origin: It builds on the foot, whose length varied across jurisdictions until the 1959 international agreement — signed by Canada, the US, and the UK — fixed it at exactly 0.3048 metres.
Meters per Second (ms)
The metre per second (m/s) is the SI derived unit of velocity — metres travelled per second — with 1 fps equal to 0.3048 m/s and 1 m/s equal to 3.28084 fps. Its scale covers the physics of flight and machinery: a 91.44 m/s paintball, a 381 m/s pistol round, an 853.44 m/s rifle bullet, and a 343 m/s sound wave in air all read naturally in m/s, which is why Canadian science education, ballistic coefficient tables, and drag models are computed in SI.
Where it is used: It is standard in Canadian scientific work — from university physics labs to CSA standards, ISO engineering documents, and Measurement Canada's metrology framework — as well as in SI-based ballistic references worldwide.
Origin: It rests on the metre, born in 1790s France and redefined in 1983 via the distance light travels in 1/299,792,458 of a second — the definition underpinning Canada's official weights and measures system.
fps to m/s Conversion Table
| Feet per Second (fps) | Meters per Second (ms) |
|---|---|
| 10 fps | 3.048 ms |
| 25 fps | 7.62 ms |
| 50 fps | 15.24 ms |
| 100 fps | 30.48 ms |
| 200 fps | 60.96 ms |
| 250 fps | 76.2 ms |
| 300 fps | 91.44 ms |
| 350 fps | 106.68 ms |
| 400 fps | 121.92 ms |
| 500 fps | 152.4 ms |
| 700 fps | 213.36 ms |
| 900 fps | 274.32 ms |
| 1000 fps | 304.8 ms |
| 1125 fps | 342.9 ms |
| 1250 fps | 381 ms |
| 1500 fps | 457.2 ms |
| 2000 fps | 609.6 ms |
| 2500 fps | 762 ms |
| 2800 fps | 853.44 ms |
| 3200 fps | 975.36 ms |
Meters per Second to Feet per Second Conversion Table
| Meters per Second (ms) | Feet per Second (fps) |
|---|---|
| 1 ms | 3.280839895 fps |
| 5 ms | 16.4041994751 fps |
| 10 ms | 32.8083989501 fps |
| 30 ms | 98.4251968504 fps |
| 50 ms | 164.0419947507 fps |
| 91.4 ms | 299.8687664042 fps |
| 100 ms | 328.0839895013 fps |
| 200 ms | 656.1679790026 fps |
| 250 ms | 820.2099737533 fps |
| 300 ms | 984.2519685039 fps |
| 343 ms | 1125.3280839895 fps |
| 500 ms | 1640.4199475066 fps |
| 1000 ms | 3280.8398950131 fps |
Feet per Second to Meters per Second in Everyday Objects
Common real-world examples that make Feet per Second and Meters per Second easy to picture at a glance.
| Feet per Second (fps) | Meters per Second (ms) | |
|---|---|---|
| Paintball field velocity limit | 300 fps | 91.44 ms |
| Airsoft site velocity limit | 350 fps | 106.68 ms |
| Full-power air rifle pellet | 900 fps | 274.32 ms |
| Speed of sound in air | 1125 fps | 342.9 ms |
| 9mm pistol muzzle velocity | 1250 fps | 381 ms |
| .308 rifle muzzle velocity | 2800 fps | 853.44 ms |
| .223 rifle muzzle velocity | 3200 fps | 975.36 ms |
When You Need Feet per Second to Meters per Second Conversions
Meeting paintball and airgun limits
Paintball fields across Canada cap at roughly 300 fps (91.44 m/s), and Canadian law classifies air guns as firearms once they exceed 152.4 m/s (500 fps) with more than 5.7 joules of muzzle energy. Converting fps to m/s keeps your gear compliant whether the spec sheet prints American or metric units.
Cross-referencing reloading manuals
US manuals list a .308 load at 2800 fps while metric editions print 853.44 m/s. Whether you are loading for whitetail in Ontario or moose in Alberta, converting fps to m/s lets Canadian handloaders compare charge tables and chrono logs across publishers without guesswork.
Setting up high-speed photography
Bullet-photography rigs trigger a flash microseconds after a sound sensor fires. Knowing a 1250 fps round travels 381 m/s sets the sensor-to-frame distance, since timing geometry in Canadian labs is computed in metres.
Converting US engineering references
American fluid and piping handbooks quote velocities like 5 fps (1.524 m/s) for drain self-cleansing, while the National Plumbing Code of Canada and ISO documents work in m/s. Converting keeps hydraulic and pneumatic calculations dimensionally consistent on cross-border projects.
Related Speed Conversions
How to Use
-
1
Enter fps Value
Type the speed in feet per second — typical entries include airgun pellets (500-900 fps), pistol rounds (900-1350 fps), or rifle loads (2500-3200 fps). Most ammunition sold in Canada arrives in US-made boxes that list fps only
-
2
View m/s Result
The equivalent m/s value appears instantly. For example, a heritage .303 British load at 2440 fps converts to 743.7 m/s
-
3
Copy or Swap
Copy the result or click Swap to convert m/s back to fps
-
4
Compare With the Sound Barrier
Check your value against the speed of sound — 343 m/s at 20°C, but only about 313 m/s (1027 fps) on a -30°C prairie winter morning. Loads below the line are subsonic with a softer muzzle report; anything above cracks supersonic
Why Use Be Converter?
Instant Conversion
Get precise fps to m/s results in real-time as you type — handy when your chronograph reads fps but the range rulebook or spec sheet is in metric
High Accuracy
Uses the exact definition 1 fps = 0.3048 m/s, fixed by the 1959 international yard-and-pound agreement that Canada shares with the US and UK
Conversion Table
Quick reference for common limits: 300 fps = 91.44 m/s (paintball), 350 fps = 106.68 m/s (airsoft caps), 500 fps = 152.4 m/s (Canadian airgun classification line), and 1125 fps = 342.9 m/s (sound at 20°C)
Bidirectional
Easily swap between fps and m/s with one click for reverse conversions
Free & No Signup
No registration required. Unlimited conversions. Completely free, coast to coast to coast
Privacy First
All calculations happen in your browser. No data is sent to any server
Frequently Asked Questions
What is 1000 fps in m/s?
How do I convert fps to m/s?
What is 300 fps in m/s?
What is the speed of sound in fps?
Is this tool free to use?
What is 1250 fps in m/s?
What is 2800 fps in m/s?
Why do metric ballistic tables use m/s instead of fps?
About fps to m/s Converter
Our free online fps to m/s converter bridges US-sourced speeds and Canada's officially metric measurement system. Whether you are checking a 300 fps paintball limit at a field near Toronto, confirming whether an airgun crosses Canada's 152.4 m/s (500 fps) classification threshold, comparing chronograph readings with SI-based reloading data, timing a high-speed camera trigger against the sound barrier, or converting American piping velocities of 5 fps (1.524 m/s) for CSA and ISO engineering calculations, this tool applies the exact definition 1 fps = 0.3048 m/s. Feet per second governs US ammunition boxes; metres per second governs Canadian science and standards — this converter joins them instantly.
Expert Tips for fps to m/s Conversion
Multiply by 0.3048 exactly: 343 m/s sound speed converts back to 1125.33 fps, so any supersonic rifle load at 3000 fps is running 914.4 m/s — 2.67 times the barrier
Limit anchors: 300 fps = 91.44 m/s (typical paintball cap from BC to the Maritimes), 350 fps = 106.68 m/s (common airsoft cap), and 500 fps = 152.4 m/s — one half of Canada's air-gun test: pair this velocity with more than 5.7 joules of muzzle energy and the device is legally a firearm
Winter ballistics: the speed of sound drops from 343 m/s (1125 fps) at 20°C to about 313 m/s (1027 fps) at -30°C, so loads that clear the barrier in July can sit right at the line during a Winnipeg January
Engineering crossover: US references size drains around 2 fps (0.61 m/s) minimum self-cleansing velocity, while the National Plumbing Code of Canada and ISO documents quote m/s directly — converting keeps hydraulic calcs consistent on both sides of the border
High-speed photography: freezing a 1250 fps (381 m/s) bullet needs a flash around 1/50,000 s; knowing the m/s value sets your sound-trigger delay, since lab benches from Vancouver to Halifax are laid out in metres