Pitch speed converter: mph, km/h and distance
Enter a speed in mph or km/h and pick the distance it was thrown from. The converter gives the speed in both units, the speed that would reach the plate in the same time from another distance, and how long the ball takes to get there.
By Adelyons Software LLC · Published 2026-10-16
The formula
Equivalent speed = speed × (target distance ÷ actual distance). Time to the plate = distance in feet ÷ (mph × 5280 ÷ 3600).
Both treat the ball as travelling the whole rubber-to-plate distance at the speed measured. They ignore the release point a few feet in front of the rubber and the speed the ball loses on the way, which is how equivalent-speed charts are usually worked out.
Pitching speed chart by distance
What a speed from each shorter distance equals at 60 feet 6 inches, rounded to whole mph.
| Speed | From 46 ft | From 50 ft | From 43 ft |
|---|---|---|---|
| 40 mph | 53 mph | 48 mph | 56 mph |
| 45 mph | 59 mph | 54 mph | 63 mph |
| 50 mph | 66 mph | 61 mph | 70 mph |
| 55 mph | 72 mph | 67 mph | 77 mph |
| 60 mph | 79 mph | 73 mph | 84 mph |
| 65 mph | 85 mph | 79 mph | 91 mph |
| 70 mph | 92 mph | 85 mph | 98 mph |
Pitching distances by age
Pitch Smart gives a typical distance of 46 feet for 8 and under, 46 to 50 feet for 9 to 12, and 60 feet from 13 up; the regulation distance is 60 feet 6 inches. High school and college fastpitch softball is pitched from 43 feet. Leagues set their own distances, so check yours.
How fast is fast for an age? See pitching velocity by age and softball pitching speed by age. A worked example: 50 mph from 46 feet is about 65.8 mph at 60 feet 6 inches.
Questions
- How do you convert Little League pitch speed to MLB?
- Multiply the speed by 60.5 and divide by the Little League distance, 46 feet. A 60 mph pitch from 46 feet reaches the plate in the same time as about 79 mph from 60 feet 6 inches.
- How do you convert mph to km/h?
- Multiply by 1.609344, the number of kilometres in a mile. 90 mph is about 144.8 km/h. To go back, divide km/h by 1.609344.
- Is the equivalent speed exact?
- No. The formula assumes the ball covers the whole distance from the rubber at the measured speed. In fact it is released a few feet in front of the rubber and slows on the way, so read the result as a comparison, not a measurement.
Measure yours free with Baseball Tracker
Film a pitch, a swing or a run to first on your phone and the app reads the pitch speed, bat speed or sprint speed from the video, keeps every reading, and shows how it changes over a season. The readings are estimates from video, not a radar gun.
More free tools
- Pitching velocity by age: chart and percentilePick an age from 9 to 18, enter a pitch speed, and see the estimated percentile from a published study of 420 pitchers.
- Exit velocity by age: baseball and softball rangesEnter an exit velocity and see where it sits against published average, goal and top-10% ranges for the age.
- Softball pitching speed by age: ranges from 10 to collegeEnter a fastpitch speed and see it against two published sets of ranges for the age.
- Pitch count rules by age: Pitch Smart limits and rest daysThe daily pitch limit for an age and the days of rest a day’s count calls for, from MLB and USA Baseball’s Pitch Smart.
Where the numbers come from
The conversions are arithmetic, worked out on this page. The distances are from the guideline and rule named below.
- MLB and USA Baseball, Pitch Smart pitching guidelines by age (8 and under, 9-12, 13-14, 15-18, 19-22): https://www.mlb.com/pitch-smart/pitching-guidelines. Read on 2026-10-16.
- NFHS softball rule change 1-1-2b, as published by the Ohio High School Athletic Association: fastpitch pitching distance 43 feet from 2010-11: https://ohsaa.org/sports/sb/girls/2010/10rulechanges.htm. Read on 2026-10-16.