# Orders of magnitude (speed)

To help compare different orders of magnitude, the following list describes various speed levels between approximately 2.2×10$^{−18}$ m/s and 3.0×10$^8$ m/s (the speed of light). Values in bold are exact.

## List of orders of magnitude for speed

| Factor (m/s) | Value (m/s) | Value (km/h) | Value (mph) | Value (c) | Item |
| 10$^{−18}$ | 2.2×10$^{−18}$ | 7.8×10$^{−18}$ | 4.9×10$^{−18}$ | 7.3×10$^{−27}$ | Expansion rate between 2 points in free space 1 m apart under Hubble's law. |
| 10$^{−14}$ | 1.4×10$^{−14}$ | 5.0×10$^{−14}$ | 3.1×10$^{−14}$ | 4.7×10$^{−23}$ | Cave of the Crystals gypsum crystals' growth rate, the slowest directly measured normal growth rate for any crystal growth process. |
| 10$^{−14}$ | 3.169×10$^{−14}$ | 1.141×10$^{−13}$ | 7.089×10$^{−14}$ | 1.057×10$^{−22}$ | 1 Bubnoff unit (1 μm/yr) |
| 10$^{−13}$ | 1×10$^{−13}$ | 3×10$^{−13}$ | 2×10$^{−13}$ | 3×10$^{−22}$ | Rate of erosion of bedrock. |
| 10$^{−12}$ | 4.12×10$^{−12}$ | 1.48×10$^{−11}$ | 9.21×10$^{−12}$ | 1.37×10$^{−20}$ | Average growth rate of a limestone stalactite. |
| 10$^{−11}$ | 9.8×10$^{−11}$ | 3.5×10$^{−10}$ | 2.2×10$^{−10}$ | 3.2×10$^{−19}$ | Rate of global sea level rise in 1993–2003 (3.1 mm/yr). |
| 10$^{−10}$ | 3×10$^{−10}$ to 3×10$^{−9}$ | 1×10$^{−9}$ to 1×10$^{−8}$ | 7×10$^{−10}$ to 7×10$^{−9}$ | 1×10$^{−18}$ to 1×10$^{−17}$ | Typical relative speed of continental drift. |
| 10$^{−9}$ | 1.3×10$^{−9}$ | 4.7×10$^{−9}$ | 2.9×10$^{−9}$ | 4.3×10$^{−18}$ | Average rate of the Moon receding from the Earth (approx. 38 mm/yr). |
| 10$^{−9}$ | 4.8×10$^{−9}$ | 1.7×10$^{−8}$ | 1.1×10$^{−8}$ | 1.6×10$^{−17}$ | Human hair growth (average rate—note that there is a great range of variation). |
| 10$^{−7}$ | 3×10$^{−7}$ to 1.11×10$^{−5}$ | 1.08×10$^{−6}$ to 4×10$^{−5}$ | 6.7×10$^{−7}$ to 2.5×10$^{−5}$ | 1×10$^{−15}$ to 3.7×10$^{−14}$ | Calculated speed of an amoeba. |
| 10$^{−6}$ | 1.52×10$^{−6}$ | 5.4×10$^{−6}$ | 3.4×10$^{−6}$ | 5.1×10$^{−15}$ | Speed of a cellular vesicle propelled by a motor protein. |
| 10$^{−5}$ | 1.02×10$^{−5}$ | 3.67×10$^{−5}$ | 2.28×10$^{−5}$ | 3.40×10$^{−14}$ | Speed of the tip of a 7 cm (2.8 in)-long hour hand on a clock. |
| 10$^{−5}$ | 1.4×10$^{−5}$ | 5.0×10$^{−5}$ | 3.1×10$^{−5}$ | 4.6×10$^{−14}$ | Growth rate of bamboo, the fastest-growing woody plant, over 24 hours. |
| 10$^{−4}$ | 4.0×10$^{−4}$ | 1.4×10$^{−3}$ | 8.9×10$^{−4}$ | 1.3×10$^{−12}$ | Speed of Jakobshavn Isbræ, one of the fastest glaciers, in 2003. |
| 10$^{−4}$ | 6×10$^{−4}$ | 2.2×10$^{−3}$ | 1.3×10$^{−3}$ | 2×10$^{−12}$ | Typical speed of Thiovulum majus, the fastest-swimming bacterium. |
| 10$^{−3}$ | 0.00178 | 0.00641 | 0.00398 | 5.94×10$^{−12}$ | The speed of a particle orbiting a ball of lead of radius 1 m near its surface under its gravity (that is, the first cosmic speed for this ball). |
| 10$^{−3}$ | 0.00275 | 0.00990 | 0.00615 | 9.17×10$^{−12}$ | World record speed of the fastest snail in the Congham, UK. |
| 10$^{−2}$ | 0.0476 | 0.171 | 0.106 | 1.58×10$^{−10}$ | Compact cassette tape speed. |
| 10$^{−2}$ | 0.080 | 0.29 | 0.18 | 2.6×10$^{−10}$ | The top speed of a sloth. |
| 10$^{−1}$ | 0.2778 | 1 | 0.6214 | 9.2657×10$^{−10}$ | 1 km/h. |
| 10$^{−1}$ | 0.44704 | 1.609344 | 1 | 1.4912×10$^{−9}$ | 1 mph. |
| 10$^{−1}$ | 0.5144 | 1.852 | 1.151 | 1.716×10$^{−9}$ | 1 knot (nautical mile per hour) |
| 10$^0$ | 1.2 | 4.32 | 2.68 | 4×10$^{−9}$ | Typical scanning speed of an audio compact disc; the speed of signals (action potentials) traveling along axons in the human cortex. |
| 10$^0$ | 1–1.5 | 3.6–5.4 | 2.2–3.4 | 3.3–5.0×10$^{−9}$ | Average walking speed—below a speed of about 2 m/s, it is more efficient to walk than to run, but above that speed, it is more efficient to run. |
| 10$^0$ | 2.39 | 8.53 | 5.35 | 7.97×10$^{−9}$ | World record time 50m freestyle swim |
| 10$^0$ | 5.78 | 20.81 | 12.93 | 1.928×10$^{−8}$ | World record time marathon |
| 10$^0$ | 6–7 | 20–25 | 12–15 | 1.8–2.3×10$^{−8}$ | Comfortable bicycling speed. |
| 10$^1$ | 10.438 | 37.578 | 23.35 | 3.48×10$^{−8}$ | Average speed of Jamaican athlete Usain Bolt while setting the 100m world record in Berlin on 16 August 2009. |
| 10$^1$ | 12.42 | 44.72 | 27.78 | 4.14×10$^{−8}$ | Top speed reached by Bolt during the same race. |
| 10$^1$ | 8–14 | 30–50 | 18–31 | 2.7–4.7×10$^{−8}$ | Typical residential speed limit; top speed of a running cat or dog. |
| 10$^1$ | 14 | 50 | 31 | 4.7×10$^{−8}$ | Typical speed of road-race cyclist. |
| 10$^1$ | 17 | 60 | 37 | 5×10$^{−8}$ | Typical speed of thoroughbred racehorse or racing greyhound. |
| 10$^1$ | 5–25 | 18–90 | 11–56 | 1.7–8.3×10$^{−8}$ | Speed of propagation for unmyelinated sensory neurons. |
| 10$^1$ | 30 | 110 | 70 | 1×10$^{−7}$ | Typical speed of car (freeway); cheetah—fastest of all terrestrial animals; sailfish—fastest fish; speed of go-fast boat. |
| 10$^1$ | 40 | 140 | 90 | 1.3×10$^{−7}$ | Typical peak speed of a local service train (or intercity on lower standard tracks). |
| 10$^1$ | 40.05 | 144.17 | 89.59 | 1.335×10$^{−7}$ | Land speed record for a human powered vehicle. |
| 10$^1$ | 54 | 195 | 122 | 1.8×10$^{−7}$ | Maximum speed a human can attain during a face-down free-fall. |
| 10$^1$ | 67 | 240 | 149 | 2.2×10$^{−7}$ | The top speed of the world's fastest roller coaster, Formula Rossa. |
| 10$^1$ | 90 | 320 | 200 | 3×10$^{−7}$ | Typical speed of a modern high-speed train (e.g. latest generation of production TGV); a diving peregrine falcon—fastest bird; 320 km/h or 200 mph is a parameter sometimes used in defining a supercar. |
| 10$^1$ | 91 | 328 | 204 | 3.04×10$^{−7}$ | Fastest recorded ball (a golf ball) in sports. |
| 10$^2$ | 100.67 | 362.4 | 225.18 | 3.3×10$^{−7}$ | Maximum speed recorded by a MotoGP motorcycle. Set by Johann Zarco during the 2021 Qatar Grand Prix at Losail International Circuit in a Ducati Desmosedici GP21 and Brad Binder during the 2021 Italian Grand Prix at Mugello Circuit in a KTM RC16. |
| 10$^2$ | 103 | 370 | 230 | 3.44×10$^{−7}$ | Speed of super torpedo VA-111 Shkval. |
| 10$^2$ | 103.5 | 372.6 | 231.5 | 3.452×10$^{−7}$ | Maximum speed recorded by a Formula One car. Set by Juan Pablo Montoya during the 2005 Italian Grand Prix at Monza in a McLaren MP4-20. |
| 10$^2$ | 105.5 | 379.8 | 236 | 3.52×10$^{−7}$ | Maximum speed of a Ferrari F50 GT1. |
| 10$^2$ | 113 | 408 | 254 | 3.77×10$^{−7}$ | Fastest non-tornadic wind gust recorded on Earth - at Barrow Island, Australia on April 10, 1996, during Severe Tropical Cyclone Olivia. |
| 10$^2$ | 120 | 432 | 270 | 4.0×10$^{−7}$ | Speed of propagation for mammalian motor neurons. |
| 10$^2$ | 124.219 | 447.19 | 277.87 | 4.1×10$^{−7}$ | Maximum speed of the Koenigsegg Agera RS (currently the fastest production car in the world). |
| 10$^2$ | 126–143 | 452–517 | 281–321 | 4.2–4.8×10$^{−7}$ | The fastest wind speed ever recorded on Earth, caused by the 1999 Bridge Creek–Moore tornado. |
| 10$^2$ | 150.6 | 539 | 337 | 5×10$^{−7}$ | Top speed of an internal-combustion-powered NHRA Top Fuel Dragster. |
| 10$^2$ | 154 | 554.4 | 344.5 | 5.1×10$^{−7}$ | Speed of the fastest crossbow arrow. |
| 10$^2$ | 157 | 575 | 351 | 5.2×10$^{−7}$ | Top speed of experimental test TGV train in 2007. |
| 10$^2$ | 161 | 580 | 360 | 5.4×10$^{−7}$ | Top speed of JR-Maglev in 2003. |
| 10$^2$ | 250 | 900 | 560 | 8.3×10$^{−7}$ | Typical cruising speed of a modern jet airliner, e.g. an Airbus A380. |
| 10$^2$ | 314 | 1,130 | 702 | 1×10$^{−6}$ | Top speed of any World War II-era aircraft, the Me 163B V18 set on July 6, 1944. |
| 10$^2$ | 320 | 1,200 | 720 | 1.07×10$^{−6}$ | The speed of a typical .22 LR bullet. |
| 10$^2$ | 340.3 | 1,225 | 761 | 1.135×10$^{−6}$ | Speed of sound in standard atmosphere (15 °C and 1 atm). |
| 10$^2$ | 344.66 | 1,240.77 | 770.98 | 1.15×10$^{−6}$ | Max speed reached by the jet-propelled car ThrustSSC in 1997—Land speed record. |
| 10$^2$ | 373 | 1,342.8 | 833.9 | 1.2×10$^{−6}$ | Highest speed recorded during a free fall set by Felix Baumgartner. |
| 10$^2$ | 428 | 1,540.8 | 957 | 1.4×10$^{−6}$ | Max speed of Bell X-1. |
| 10$^2$ | 464 | 1,670 | 1,040 | 1.55×10$^{−6}$ | Speed of Earth's rotation at the equator. |
| 10$^2$ | 603 | 2,170.8 | 1,350 | 2×10$^{−6}$ | Speed of the Concorde airliner. |
| 10$^2$ | 975 | 3,510 | 2,180 | 3.25×10$^{−6}$ | Muzzle velocity of M16 rifle. |
| 10$^2$ | 981 | 3,532 | 2,194 | 3.27×10$^{−6}$ | SR-71 Blackbird, the fastest aircraft driven by a mechanical jet engine. |
| 10$^3$ | 1,022 | 3,679 | 2,286 | 3.41×10$^{−6}$ | Mean orbital velocity of the Moon around Earth. |
| 10$^3$ | 1,400 | 5,040 | 3,100 | 4.6×10$^{−6}$ | Speed of the Space Shuttle when the solid rocket boosters separate. |
| 10$^3$ | 1,422 | 5,119.2 | 3,181.2 | 4.7×10$^{−6}$ | The speed of fastest commercial cartridge. (.220 Swift, 1.9 grams (29 gr) bullet and 2.7 grams (42 gr) of 3031 powder.) |
| 10$^3$ | 1,500 | 5,400 | 3,400 | 5×10$^{−6}$ | Speed of sound in water or in soft tissue. |
| 10$^3$ | 1,789 | 6,443 | 4,002 | 6×10$^{−6}$ | Speed of BrahMos II hypersonic cruise missile |
| 10$^3$ | 2,000 | 7,200 | 4,500 | 6.7×10$^{−6}$ | Estimated speed of a thermal neutron. |
| 10$^3$ | 2,019 | 7,268.4 | 4,516 | 6.7×10$^{−6}$ | Speed of the North American X-15 rocket plane. |
| 10$^3$ | 2,375 | 8,550 | 5,345 | 7.9×10$^{−6}$ | Escape velocity from Moon. |
| 10$^3$ | 2,700 | 9,600 | 6,000 | 9×10$^{−6}$ | Speed of wind on exoplanet HD 189733 b. |
| 10$^3$ | 2,885 | 10,385 | 6,453 | 9.6×10$^{−6}$ | Top speed of the fastest rocket sled. |
| 10$^3$ | 3,373 | 12,144 | 7,546 | 1.125×10$^{−5}$ | Speed of the unmanned X-43 rocket/scramjet plane. |
| 10$^3$ | 4,500 | 16,000 | 10,000 | 1.5×10$^{−5}$ | A typical value for the specific impulse of current rockets. |
| 10$^3$ | 7,700 | 27,700 | 17,200 | 2.57×10$^{−5}$ | Speed of International Space Station and typical speed of other satellites such as the Space Shuttle in low Earth orbit. |
| 10$^3$ | 7,777 | 28,000 | 17,400 | 2.594×10$^{−5}$ | Speed of propagation of the explosion in a detonating cord. |
| 10$^4$ | 10,600 | 38,160 | 23,713.65 | 0.00004 | Speed of propagation of the explosion of Octanitrocubane (ONC). |
| 10$^4$ | 11,107 | 39,985.2 | 24,846 | 0.00004 | Speed of Apollo 10 – high speed record for human-crewed vehicle. |
| 10$^4$ | 11,200 | 40,320 | 25,100 | 0.00004 | Escape velocity from Earth. |
| 10$^4$ | 16,100 | 57,900 | 36,000 | 0.00005 | Fastest projectile velocity (1994). |
| 10$^4$ | 16,210 | 58,356 | 36,261 | 0.00005 | Escape speed from Earth by NASA New Horizons spacecraft—Fastest escape velocity. |
| 10$^4$ | 17,000 | 61,000 | 38,000 | 0.00006 | The approximate speed of the Voyager 1 probe relative to the Sun, when it exited the Solar System. |
| 10$^4$ | 29,800 | 107,280 | 66,700 | 0.00010 | Speed of the Earth in orbit around the Sun. |
| 10$^4$ | 47,800 | 172,100 | 106,900 | 0.00016 | Atmospheric entry speed of the Galileo atmospheric probe—Fastest controlled atmospheric entry for a human-made object. |
| 10$^4$ | 66,000 | 240,000 | 150,000 | 0.00022 | Lower speed bound of the steel plate cap from the Pascal-B nuclear test of Operation Plumbbob. |
| 10$^4$ | 70,220 | 252,800 | 157,100 | 0.00023 | Speed of the Helios 2 solar probe. |
| 10$^4$ | 73,800 | 265,000 | 165,000 | 0.00023 | Estimated top speed of the Juno spacecraft (mass ~3600 kg) relative to Earth before insertion into Jupiter's orbit — second fastest human-made technical object. |
| 10$^5$ | 100,000 | 360,000 | 224,000 | 0.0003 | Dust particles in dust accelerators can exceed this speed. |
| 10$^5$ | 140,000 | 540,000 | 313,170 | 0.00047 | Approaching velocity of Messier 98 to our galaxy. |
| 10$^5$ | 192,000 | 690,000 | 430,000 | 0.00064 | Predicted top speed of the Parker Solar Probe at its closest perihelion in 2024. |
| 10$^5$ | 200,000 | 700,000 | 450,000 | 0.00070 | Orbital speed of the Solar System in the Milky Way galaxy. |
| 10$^5$ | 308,571 | 1,080,000 | 694,288 | 0.001 | Approaching velocity of Andromeda Galaxy to our galaxy. |
| 10$^5$ | 440,000 | 1,600,000 | 980,000 | 0.0015 | Typical speed of the stepped leader of lightning (cf. return stroke below). |
| 10$^5$ | 445,000 | 1,600,000 | 995,000 | 0.0015 | Max velocity of the remaining shell (mass about 0.1 mg) of an inertial confinement fusion capsule driven by the National Ignition Facility for the 'Bigfoot' capsule campaign. Current fastest macroscopic human-made system. |
| 10$^5$ | 450,000 | 1,600,000 | 1,000,000 | 0.0015 | Typical speed of a particle of the solar wind, relative to the Sun. |
| 10$^5$ | 552,000 | 1,990,000 | 1,230,000 | 0.0018 | Speed of the Milky Way, relative to the cosmic microwave background. |
| 10$^5$ | 617,700 | 2,224,000 | 1,382,000 | 0.0021 | Escape velocity from the surface of the Sun. |
| 10$^6$ | 1,000,000 | 3,600,000 | 2,200,000 | 0.0030 | Typical speed of a Moreton wave across the surface of the Sun. |
| 10$^6$ | 1,610,000 | 5,800,000 | 3,600,000 | 0.0054 | Speed of hypervelocity star PSR B2224+65, which currently seems to be leaving the Milky Way. |
| 10$^6$ | 5,000,000 | 18,000,000 | 11,000,000 | 0.017 | Estimated minimum speed of star S2 at its closest approach to Sagittarius A*. |
| 10$^7$ | 14,000,000 | 50,000,000 | 31,000,000 | 0.047 | Typical speed of a fast neutron. |
| 10$^7$ | 30,000,000 | 100,000,000 | 70,000,000 | 0.1 | Typical speed of an electron in a cathode-ray tube. |
| 10$^8$ | 100,000,000 | 360,000,000 | 220,000,000 | 0.3 | Typical speed of the return stroke of lightning (cf. stepped leader above). |
| 10$^8$ | 124,000,000 | 447,000,000 | 277,000,000 | 0.4 | Speed of light in a diamond (Refractive index 2.417). |
| 10$^8$ | 150,000,000 | 540,000,000 | 330,000,000 | 0.5 | The escape velocity of a neutron star. |
| 10$^8$ | 200,000,000 | 720,000,000 | 440,000,000 | 0.7 | Speed of a signal in an optical fiber. |
| 10$^8$ | 299,792,456 | 1,079,252,840 | 670,615,282 | 1 − 9×10$^{−9}$ | Speed of the 7 TeV protons in the Large Hadron Collider at full power. |
| 10$^8$ | 299,792,457.996 | 1,079,252,848.786 | 670,616,629.38 | 1 − 1×10$^{−11}$ | Maximal speed of an electron in LEP (104.5 GeV). |
| 10$^8$ | 299,792,458 − 1.5×10$^{−15}$ | 1,079,252,848.8 − 5.4×10$^{−15}$ | 670,616,629.4 | 1 − 4.9×10$^{−24}$ | Speed of the Oh-My-God particle ultra-high-energy cosmic ray. |
| 10$^8$ | 299,792,458 | 1,079,252,848.8 | 670,616,629.4 | 1 | Speed of light or other electromagnetic radiation in a vacuum or massless particles. |
| 10$^8$ | >299,792,458 | >1,079,252,848.8 | >670,616,629.4 | >1 | Expansion rate of the universe between objects farther apart than the Hubble radius |