Average Stride Length by Height: The Complete Chart
Average walking step length is about 2.1–2.6 ft (25–32 in) for adults 5′0″–6′4″; a stride (two steps) is twice that. Chart by height and gender, calculator and sources.
Average walking step length is about 41% of your height: roughly 63 cm (25 in) at 5′0″, 67 cm (26.5 in) at 5′4″, 74 cm (29 in) at 5′10″ and 80 cm (31.5 in) at 6′4″. A stride is two steps, so the average walking stride is about 126–160 cm (50–63 in, or 4.1–5.3 ft) for adults between 5′0″ and 6′4″. These are estimates for walking at a comfortable pace on flat ground.
Enter your height in the Stride Length Calculator below to get your own step and stride length for walking and running.
Step Length vs. Stride Length
The two terms are often mixed up, which is why you see "2.3 ft" on one site and "4.6 ft" on another for the same person:
- Step length: the distance from the heel strike of one foot to the heel strike of the other foot.
- Stride length: the distance from the heel strike of one foot to the next heel strike of the same foot. One stride = 2 steps.
Pedometers and phones count steps, not strides. If a device asks for your "stride length", it almost always means step length. The chart below shows both.
Step and Stride Length by Height: Chart in cm and Inches
Walking at a comfortable, self-selected pace on flat ground. Step length = height × 0.415 (men) or × 0.413 (women); stride length = 2 × step length.
| Height | Men: step length | Men: stride length | Women: step length | Women: stride length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4′10″ (147 cm) | 61 cm / 24.1 in | 122 cm / 48.1 in | 61 cm / 24.0 in | 122 cm / 47.9 in |
| 4′11″ (150 cm) | 62 cm / 24.5 in | 124 cm / 49.0 in | 62 cm / 24.4 in | 124 cm / 48.7 in |
| 5′0″ (152 cm) | 63 cm / 24.9 in | 126 cm / 49.8 in | 63 cm / 24.8 in | 126 cm / 49.6 in |
| 5′1″ (155 cm) | 64 cm / 25.3 in | 129 cm / 50.6 in | 64 cm / 25.2 in | 128 cm / 50.4 in |
| 5′2″ (157 cm) | 65 cm / 25.7 in | 131 cm / 51.5 in | 65 cm / 25.6 in | 130 cm / 51.2 in |
| 5′3″ (160 cm) | 66 cm / 26.1 in | 133 cm / 52.3 in | 66 cm / 26.0 in | 132 cm / 52.0 in |
| 5′4″ (163 cm) | 67 cm / 26.6 in | 135 cm / 53.1 in | 67 cm / 26.4 in | 134 cm / 52.9 in |
| 5′5″ (165 cm) | 69 cm / 27.0 in | 137 cm / 53.9 in | 68 cm / 26.8 in | 136 cm / 53.7 in |
| 5′6″ (168 cm) | 70 cm / 27.4 in | 139 cm / 54.8 in | 69 cm / 27.3 in | 138 cm / 54.5 in |
| 5′7″ (170 cm) | 71 cm / 27.8 in | 141 cm / 55.6 in | 70 cm / 27.7 in | 141 cm / 55.3 in |
| 5′8″ (173 cm) | 72 cm / 28.2 in | 143 cm / 56.4 in | 71 cm / 28.1 in | 143 cm / 56.2 in |
| 5′9″ (175 cm) | 73 cm / 28.6 in | 145 cm / 57.3 in | 72 cm / 28.5 in | 145 cm / 57.0 in |
| 5′10″ (178 cm) | 74 cm / 29.1 in | 148 cm / 58.1 in | 73 cm / 28.9 in | 147 cm / 57.8 in |
| 5′11″ (180 cm) | 75 cm / 29.5 in | 150 cm / 58.9 in | 74 cm / 29.3 in | 149 cm / 58.6 in |
| 6′0″ (183 cm) | 76 cm / 29.9 in | 152 cm / 59.8 in | 76 cm / 29.7 in | 151 cm / 59.5 in |
| 6′1″ (185 cm) | 77 cm / 30.3 in | 154 cm / 60.6 in | 77 cm / 30.1 in | 153 cm / 60.3 in |
| 6′2″ (188 cm) | 78 cm / 30.7 in | 156 cm / 61.4 in | 78 cm / 30.6 in | 155 cm / 61.1 in |
| 6′3″ (190 cm) | 79 cm / 31.1 in | 158 cm / 62.2 in | 79 cm / 31.0 in | 157 cm / 61.9 in |
| 6′4″ (193 cm) | 80 cm / 31.5 in | 160 cm / 63.1 in | 80 cm / 31.4 in | 159 cm / 62.8 in |
Why are men and women almost the same at the same height? Because the formula scales with height, and the two factors differ by less than 1%. Women take shorter steps on average mainly because they are shorter on average, not because of a large sex effect at equal height. In the Mayo Clinic gait study of adults over 70, the sex difference in walking speed disappeared once it was normalised to height (Hollman et al., 2011).
Steps per Mile and per Kilometre by Height
Steps per mile = 1,609 m ÷ step length; steps per km = 1,000 m ÷ step length.
| Height | Steps per mile (men) | Steps per mile (women) | Steps per km (men) | Steps per km (women) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4′10″ (147 cm) | 2,632 | 2,645 | 1,636 | 1,644 |
| 5′0″ (152 cm) | 2,545 | 2,557 | 1,581 | 1,589 |
| 5′2″ (157 cm) | 2,462 | 2,474 | 1,530 | 1,538 |
| 5′4″ (163 cm) | 2,386 | 2,397 | 1,482 | 1,489 |
| 5′6″ (168 cm) | 2,313 | 2,324 | 1,437 | 1,444 |
| 5′8″ (173 cm) | 2,245 | 2,256 | 1,395 | 1,402 |
| 5′10″ (178 cm) | 2,181 | 2,192 | 1,355 | 1,362 |
| 6′0″ (183 cm) | 2,120 | 2,131 | 1,318 | 1,324 |
| 6′2″ (188 cm) | 2,063 | 2,073 | 1,282 | 1,288 |
| 6′4″ (193 cm) | 2,009 | 2,019 | 1,248 | 1,254 |
Use the Steps to Miles Calculator to convert your own step count.
The Formula: Step Length from Height
Step length = height × 0.415 (men) or height × 0.413 (women)
Stride length = 2 × step length
Example, 5′10″ man:
- Height = 70 in (178 cm)
- Step length = 70 × 0.415 = 29.1 in (74 cm)
- Stride length = 2 × 29.1 = 58.1 in (148 cm), about 4.8 ft
- Steps per mile = 63,360 in ÷ 29.1 in ≈ 2,180
Example, 5′5″ woman:
- Height = 65 in (165 cm)
- Step length = 65 × 0.413 = 26.8 in (68 cm)
- Stride length = 53.7 in (136 cm), about 4.5 ft
- Steps per mile ≈ 2,360
Running Stride Length by Height
Running steps are much longer than walking steps, and they grow with speed. Cavanagh and Kram found that as runners sped up from 3.15 to 4.12 m/s (about 8:30 to 6:30 per mile), stride length rose by 28% while stride frequency rose by only 4%. Body dimensions predicted running stride length poorly (r ≤ 0.36) (Cavanagh & Kram, 1989). So treat any "running stride by height" chart as a rough starting point: at running speeds, pace matters more than height.
The table uses the running factor in our calculator (step ≈ height × 0.65), which fits a moderate training pace:
| Height | Running step length | Running stride length |
|---|---|---|
| 5′0″ (152 cm) | 99 cm / 39 in | 198 cm / 78 in |
| 5′2″ (157 cm) | 102 cm / 40 in | 205 cm / 81 in |
| 5′4″ (163 cm) | 106 cm / 42 in | 211 cm / 83 in |
| 5′6″ (168 cm) | 109 cm / 43 in | 218 cm / 86 in |
| 5′8″ (173 cm) | 112 cm / 44 in | 225 cm / 88 in |
| 5′10″ (178 cm) | 116 cm / 46 in | 231 cm / 91 in |
| 6′0″ (183 cm) | 119 cm / 47 in | 238 cm / 94 in |
| 6′2″ (188 cm) | 122 cm / 48 in | 244 cm / 96 in |
| 6′4″ (193 cm) | 125 cm / 49 in | 251 cm / 99 in |
To get your actual running step length, divide your speed by your cadence: at 10 km/h (167 m/min) and 170 steps/min, each step is 167 ÷ 170 ≈ 0.98 m.
How Walking Speed Changes Step Length
Step length also changes with walking speed. These are rough guides, not measured norms:
| Walking speed | Step length vs. comfortable pace |
|---|---|
| Slow (2 mph / 3.2 km/h) | about 10–15% shorter |
| Comfortable (3 mph / 4.8 km/h) | baseline |
| Brisk (4 mph / 6.4 km/h) | about 10–15% longer |
| Very brisk (5 mph / 8 km/h) | about 20–30% longer |
For reference, a meta-analysis of 41 studies (23,111 people) found comfortable walking speeds from 143 cm/s (about 3.2 mph) in men aged 40–49 down to 94 cm/s (about 2.1 mph) in women aged 80–99 (Bohannon & Andrews, 2011).
Other Factors Affecting Step Length
Height is the main predictor of walking step length, but not the only one:
- Age: step and stride length fall in later life. In 294 healthy adults over 70, mean step length was 66 cm for men and 57 cm for women, and step and stride were longer at 70–79 than at 80 and older (Hollman et al., 2011). That is several centimetres below what the height formula predicts for an adult of average height.
- Fitness and leg length: two people of the same height can differ in leg length and hip mobility.
- Terrain: uphill walking shortens steps; downhill slightly lengthens them.
- Footwear: high heels and unstable shoes shorten steps.
- Health conditions: joint pain, injury or neurological conditions can shorten steps a lot.
Why This Matters for Steps-to-Miles Conversion
"2,000 steps = 1 mile" only holds for a person around 6′4″. For shorter people, 2,000 steps cover less than a mile, so the rule of thumb overestimates distance:
| Height | Steps per mile | Distance of 2,000 steps | Error of "2,000 steps = 1 mile" |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5′0″ woman | 2,557 | 0.78 mi | overestimates by about 28% |
| 5′4″ woman | 2,397 | 0.83 mi | overestimates by about 20% |
| 5′9″ man | 2,213 | 0.90 mi | overestimates by about 11% |
| 6′0″ man | 2,120 | 0.94 mi | overestimates by about 6% |
| 6′4″ man | 2,009 | 1.00 mi | accurate |
A height-based step length gets you much closer. Measuring your own step length (below) is closer still.
How to Measure Your Own Step Length
- Mark a straight, flat distance of 20 m or 66 ft (a track straight or a measured hallway).
- Walk it at your normal pace, starting a few steps before the line, and count your steps.
- Divide the distance by the number of steps. That is your step length; double it for stride length.
- Repeat two or three times and take the average.
Methodology and Sources
How the chart was built: step length = height × 0.415 (men) or × 0.413 (women), rounded to the nearest cm and 0.1 in; stride length = 2 × step length; heights converted at 2.54 cm per inch. These factors are the rule of thumb used by most pedometer apps and step-length calculators. We could not trace them to a single primary gait study, so we checked them against measured data. Measured step lengths in older adults (Hollman 2011) come in below the formula, as expected for people over 70. The formula is an estimate for healthy adults walking at a comfortable pace, not a clinical norm. Our stride length calculator uses 0.413 for everyone, which differs from the men's factor by less than 1 cm at any height in the chart.
Sources:
- Hollman JH, McDade EM, Petersen RC. Normative spatiotemporal gait parameters in older adults. Gait & Posture 2011;34(1):111-118. doi:10.1016/j.gaitpost.2011.03.024
- Bohannon RW, Williams Andrews A. Normal walking speed: a descriptive meta-analysis. Physiotherapy 2011;97(3):182-189.
- Cavanagh PR, Kram R. Stride length in distance running: velocity, body dimensions, and added mass effects. Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise 1989;21(4):467-479.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the average stride length for a woman?
For a woman of 5′4″ (163 cm), average walking step length is about 67 cm (26.4 in) and a full stride (two steps) is about 134 cm (52.9 in, 4.4 ft). That works out to about 2,400 steps per mile.
What is the average stride length for a man?
For a man of 5′9″ (175 cm), average walking step length is about 73 cm (28.6 in) and a full stride is about 145 cm (57.3 in, 4.8 ft). That is about 2,210 steps per mile.
What is the average step length in cm?
For adults between 150 cm and 190 cm tall, average walking step length is about 62–79 cm. Multiply your height in cm by 0.415 (men) or 0.413 (women).
Is stride length the same as step length?
No. A stride is two steps: heel strike to the next heel strike of the same foot. Stride length is twice your step length.
How do I measure my own stride length?
Walk a measured 20 m (66 ft) at your normal pace and count your steps. Divide the distance by the step count to get step length, then double it for stride length.