Divide by 3,600
hours = seconds ÷ 3,600
One hour is 60 minutes of 60 seconds, so 3,600 seconds make an hour. The most common slip is dividing by 60, which lands you on minutes. To go the other way, multiply hours by 3,600.
Quick reference
| Seconds | Hours | h:m:s |
|---|---|---|
| 60 | 0.0167 | 0:01:00 |
| 600 | 0.1667 | 0:10:00 |
| 1,800 | 0.5 | 0:30:00 |
| 3,600 | 1 | 1:00:00 |
| 5,400 | 1.5 | 1:30:00 |
| 7,200 | 2 | 2:00:00 |
| 36,000 | 10 | 10:00:00 |
| 86,400 | 24 | 24:00:00 |
A fractional result splits cleanly: 0.5 h is 30 min, 0.25 h is 15 min. For any decimal hour, multiply the fractional part by 60 to read the minutes.
Common questions
How many seconds are in an hour?
Exactly 3,600. That is 60 minutes times 60 seconds per minute.
How do I convert 7,200 seconds to hours?
Divide by 3,600. 7,200 divided by 3,600 is 2 hours exactly.
Why divide by 3,600 and not 60?
Dividing by 60 gives minutes, not hours. To reach hours you divide by 60 twice, which is 3,600 in one step.
