How this time converter works
Time is measured in a chain of units that each build on the last: seconds make minutes, minutes make hours, hours make days, and days make weeks, months and years. To convert accurately between them, this tool turns whatever you type into a single base unit — seconds — and then expresses that base value in every other unit. Converting through a base avoids the rounding errors that creep in when you chain conversions one after another.
The exact factors used are: 1 minute = 60 seconds, 1 hour = 3,600 seconds, 1 day = 86,400 seconds, and 1 week = 604,800 seconds. Months and years are not fixed lengths, so this tool uses averages: a year is taken as 365.25 days = 31,557,600 seconds (the 0.25 accounts for leap years), and a month is one twelfth of that year, about 30.44 days. Real calendar months range from 28 to 31 days, so treat month and year results as approximations.
Common conversions
| From | Equals |
|---|---|
| 1 hour (hr) | 60 minutes (min) |
| 1 day (day) | 24 hours (hr) |
| 1 week (week) | 168 hours (hr) |
| 1 year (avg) | 525,600 minutes (min) |
Reference note: 1 year = 525,600 minutes is based on the common 365-day year. This converter uses an average year of 365.25 days to account for leap years, so year and month figures are rounded for readability.
Frequently asked questions
- How many seconds in an hour?
- There are 3,600 seconds in one hour, because an hour is 60 minutes and each minute is 60 seconds (60 × 60 = 3,600).
- How do I convert minutes to hours?
- Divide the number of minutes by 60 to get hours, since one hour is 60 minutes. For example, 90 minutes ÷ 60 = 1.5 hours. This converter does it instantly the moment you type a value.
- How many hours in a week?
- There are 168 hours in a week, because a week is 7 days and each day has 24 hours (7 × 24 = 168).
- How long is a month in days (average)?
- An average month is about 30.44 days. We define a month as one twelfth of an average year of 365.25 days, so calendar months that are 28 to 31 days long average out to roughly 30.44 days.
- How many minutes in a year?
- A common 365-day year has 525,600 minutes (365 × 24 × 60). This converter uses an average year of 365.25 days, which is about 525,960 minutes, to account for leap years.
- How do I convert days to seconds?
- Multiply the number of days by 86,400, because one day is 24 hours × 60 minutes × 60 seconds = 86,400 seconds. For example, 3 days × 86,400 = 259,200 seconds.