KM Radius Map

Draw a radius in kilometers on any map. Metric-first for users outside the US and UK.

Radius Map in Kilometers

Draw a kilometer-radius circle on any map worldwide. This tool is built for metric-system users — Europeans, Australians, Canadians, and anyone outside the US or UK who thinks in kilometers rather than miles. Enter an address in any language, set a distance in km, and the circle appears instantly. Address search works globally; the map tiles and geocoding cover every country.

Why Kilometers Are the Global Standard

Over 95% of the world's population lives in countries that use the metric system. Only three countries — the United States, Liberia, and Myanmar — officially use miles as their primary unit of distance.

Global Distance Unit Usage

Metric (kilometers)95.5%
Imperial (miles)4.5%

Based on country population and official measurement systems

This tool is designed for users in Europe, Australia, Canada, Asia, Africa, and South America — anywhere the metric system is standard. If you need miles, switch to the miles version.

How Different Regions Use KM Radius Maps

Distance conventions vary by country and regulatory regime. Below are the kilometer radii that appear most often in local planning, compliance, and everyday use:

EU (European Union)

  • 5 km: COVID-era lockdown travel limits (many countries); still referenced in mobility studies
  • 10 km: Air quality enforcement zones in major German cities (Umweltzone)
  • 50 km: Cross-border commuter tax-relief eligibility in several EU states
  • 150 km: EU short-haul flight ban threshold being debated in France and Austria

United Kingdom

  • 1.6 km (1 mile): “15-minute neighborhood” planning threshold
  • 8 km: Average UK commute distance (ONS 2024 data)
  • 40 km (25 mi): Travel-to-work area definition (UK ONS)
  • 100 km: London Low Emission Zone outer reference

Australia

  • 5 km: COVID lockdown limit (Victoria 2020–2021, widely referenced in property searches)
  • 10 km: Typical school zone radius in metro areas
  • 25 km: Metropolitan planning zone (Sydney, Melbourne)
  • 100 km: Regional development boundary for grant eligibility

Canada

  • 2 km: Walk Score “walkable neighborhood” threshold
  • 5 km: Common school catchment area
  • 25 km: Commuter rail service area (GO Transit, AMT)
  • 100 km: Statistics Canada metropolitan area definition

Germany

  • 10 km: Fire department response radius standard
  • 20 km: Rural medical coverage obligation
  • 50 km: Pendlerpauschale (commuter tax allowance) effective range
  • 500 km: High-speed rail “short-haul” definition

Japan

  • 500 m: Standard station walking radius for property listings
  • 2 km: School walking zone (tsugakku)
  • 30 km: Tokyo 23-ku outer boundary approximation
  • 100 km: Shinkansen station coverage threshold

Common Kilometer Radius Reference

Use this table to understand what different kilometer radii look like in practice:

RadiusAreaReal-World EquivalentCommon Uses
1 km3.14 km²10–12 city blocks in a grid layoutWalking distance, neighborhood scale
2 km12.6 km²Central Paris within the 6th arrondissementCycling radius, primary school zones
5 km78.5 km²From Central Park's south end to Battery ParkUrban delivery, parkrun coverage
10 km314 km²Diameter of central Paris within the PériphériqueDaily commuting zone, metro service area
15 km707 km²Central Barcelona plus inner suburbsEmergency response, suburban coverage
25 km1,963 km²Roughly the area of Hong Kong Island regionRegional retail catchment, commuter rail
50 km7,854 km²Half the distance London to OxfordDay-trip range, regional distribution
100 km31,416 km²Roughly the area of BelgiumSales territories, national media markets

How Far Is That? Walking Time Reference

To put kilometer distances in perspective, here's how long it takes to walk each distance at an average pace of 5 km/h (a comfortable walking speed):

DistanceWalking TimeCycling Time (15 km/h)Driving Time (City)
500 m6 minutes2 minutes2 minutes
1 km12 minutes4 minutes3 minutes
2 km24 minutes8 minutes5 minutes
5 km60 minutes20 minutes12 minutes
10 km2 hours40 minutes20-30 minutes

Note: Actual travel times vary based on terrain, traffic, and route. For accurate travel time analysis, use our drive time map or walking radius map.

Converting KM to Miles

If you need to communicate distances with US or UK colleagues, multiply kilometers by 0.62 to get miles, or divide by 1.6.

1 km
≈ 0.62 mi
5 km
≈ 3.1 mi
10 km
≈ 6.2 mi
100 km
≈ 62 mi

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I embed this tool in a European website? Is it GDPR compliant?
Yes. Map With Radius sets no tracking cookies, stores no personal data on our servers, and uses OpenStreetMap tiles rather than Google Maps — which means no user data is sent to Google when the map loads. The tool is GDPR-compliant out of the box. For embedding, you can link to any configuration via URL (coordinates and radius are encoded in the address), so your users don't leave your site until they click through.
Does address search work outside the US?
Yes. The search is powered by OpenStreetMap's Nominatim, which supports addresses worldwide in any language. You can search in German, Japanese, Arabic, or any other language — the system will find the location.
How accurate is a kilometer radius over long distances?
For radii under 100 km, the circle is accurate to within a few meters using the Haversine formula. For larger radii (500 km or more), the Earth's curvature causes the drawn circle on a flat map to diverge slightly from a true geodesic circle — the visual shape will look oval on Web Mercator projection, but the underlying distance calculation remains correct. If you need true geodesic accuracy for aviation or maritime planning, consult a specialized GIS tool.
Can I use this for COVID lockdown radius checks?
Yes. This tool was heavily used during 2020-2021 lockdowns when many countries imposed 5 km or 10 km travel limits. The radius shows straight-line (“as the crow flies”) distance, which is typically how these regulations were defined.
Does the tool work in countries with slow internet or mobile data?
The map loads progressively — the tile requests are small (around 10 KB each) and the app works on 3G connections common in rural EU and developing markets. Once the map has loaded, drawing and adjusting the radius happens entirely in your browser with zero server round-trips, so a weak connection doesn't slow down the interaction.
Can I export the circle for use in local GIS software?
Yes. The KML export works with Google Earth, QGIS (popular in EU academic and municipal GIS), ArcGIS, and Mapbox Studio. The PNG export is a flat image suitable for reports or presentations. Coordinates in the exported KML are in standard WGS84 — the same datum used by OpenStreetMap, Google Maps, and most national mapping agencies in Europe (including INSPIRE-compliant data).
Can I switch between km and miles without losing my circle?
Yes. Changing the unit converts the radius value automatically — a 10 km circle becomes 6.2 miles when you toggle to imperial, and the visible circle on the map stays the same size. This is handy for sharing maps with US or UK colleagues without recreating the search.
Why does my circle look oval-shaped when I zoom out?
This is due to the Web Mercator map projection, which distorts shapes and sizes increasingly as you move away from the equator. The circle is actually accurate on Earth's surface — it just appears distorted on the flat map. This effect is most noticeable for very large radii or at high latitudes.

Related Tools

Radius Map (Miles)
Same tool with miles as default
Drive Time Map
See how far you can drive in X minutes
Walking Radius Map
Calculate actual walking distances
Distance Calculator
Measure between two points
← Main radius tool (miles)·Drive time map →