The two common rules
NFHS (US high school)
“Hand-held times must be rounded up before adding a conversion. The conversion factor of .24 seconds … must be used (MT + .24 = FAT).” Applied to all events.
World Athletics scoring tables
Add 0.24 s for sprints and hurdles up to 200 m, and 0.14 s for 300 m, 400 m and 400 m hurdles. Hand times are not valid for records.
This calculator rounds the hand time up to the next tenth (hand times are normally recorded in tenths) before adding the correction.
Hand to FAT chart (NFHS, +0.24)
| Hand | FAT | Hand | FAT | Hand | FAT |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10.5 | 10.74 | 11.5 | 11.74 | 12.5 | 12.74 |
| 10.6 | 10.84 | 11.6 | 11.84 | 12.6 | 12.84 |
| 10.7 | 10.94 | 11.7 | 11.94 | 12.7 | 12.94 |
| 10.8 | 11.04 | 11.8 | 12.04 | 12.8 | 13.04 |
| 10.9 | 11.14 | 11.9 | 12.14 | 12.9 | 13.14 |
| 11.0 | 11.24 | 12.0 | 12.24 | 13.0 | 13.24 |
| 11.1 | 11.34 | 12.1 | 12.34 | 13.1 | 13.34 |
| 11.2 | 11.44 | 12.2 | 12.44 | 13.2 | 13.44 |
| 11.3 | 11.54 | 12.3 | 12.54 | 13.3 | 13.54 |
| 11.4 | 11.64 | 12.4 | 12.64 | 13.4 | 13.64 |
Yards to metres (NFHS)
For old or yard-based marks, the NFHS lists fixed adjustments:
| From | To | Adjustment |
|---|---|---|
| 100 yards | 100 m | add 0.9 s |
| 220 yards | 200 m | subtract 0.1 s |
| 440 yards | 400 m | subtract 0.3 s |
| 880 yards | 800 m | subtract 0.7 s |
| Mile run | 1600 m | subtract 1.6 s |
| Two-mile run | 3200 m | subtract 3.4 s |
| 440 yd relay | 4x100 m | subtract 0.2 s |
| 880 yd relay | 4x200 m | subtract 0.5 s |
| Mile relay | 4x400 m | subtract 1.1 s |
| Two-mile relay | 4x800 m | subtract 2.8 s |
| 120 yd HH | 110 m HH | same time |
Sources: NFHS, “Converting Times: Manual to FAT and from English to Metric Distances”; IAAF Scoring Tables of Athletics (2017), introduction.
Why hand times are faster
A timer reacts to the flash or smoke of the gun a fraction of a second after it fires, but stops the watch in anticipation of the runner crossing the line. Both errors make the hand time shorter than the true time, which is why a correction is added.
Related: 1600 to mile and other conversions, NCAA indoor conversions.
Last reviewed: September 2026 · Health disclaimer