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Rowing Pace Converter

Turn your erg split time into power output and speed.

How it is calculated

The field takes the split as a number of seconds for 500 m, not as minutes and seconds, so a 1:45 split is entered as 105. The tool converts it to seconds per metre, pace = split ÷ 500, then applies the Concept2 power relation watts = 2.80 ÷ pace3. Speed is (500 ÷ split) × 3.6, in kilometres per hour. Watts are rounded to a whole number and speed to one decimal. A split of zero or less gives no result, and typing a time with a colon (such as 1:45) also gives none. Because of the cube, a small change in split moves the wattage a lot.

Worked example

An erg shows a 1:45 split, which is 105 seconds per 500 m. Pace is 105 ÷ 500 = 0.21 seconds per metre. Cubed, that is 0.009261, so watts = 2.80 ÷ 0.009261 ≈ 302.3, shown as 302 W. Speed is 500 ÷ 105 = 4.762 m/s, times 3.6 gives 17.1 km/h. For comparison, a 2:00 split (120 seconds) gives only 203 W, so those 15 seconds are worth about 99 watts.

Try this example →

Common mistakes

  • Typing the split as 1:45 or 1.45. The field wants seconds, so 1:45 must be entered as 105.
  • Entering the time for the whole piece, such as 7:00 for 2000 m, instead of the time per 500 m.
  • Assuming a 5 second improvement always adds the same watts. Because of the cube, the same 5 seconds at 1:30 adds far more power than at 2:10.
  • Treating the figure as the power of a different machine. The 2.80 constant is the Concept2 relation and other ergs or on-water boats read differently.
  • Reading the speed as water speed in a boat. It is the equivalent speed of the 500 m pace, not a measured speed.

About this calculator

Rowing machines (ergs) measure effort with a 500 m split — the time it would take to cover 500 metres at your current pace — and convert that split into power output using the widely adopted Concept2 formula: watts = 2.80 divided by the split time in seconds per metre, cubed. Because the relationship is cubic, small changes in split time swing your wattage dramatically — shaving just a few seconds off a 2:00 split produces a much bigger jump in watts than the same shave off a 1:40 split.

Rowers use this conversion to set training zones by power rather than time, compare erg scores across different distances and durations on a common scale, and translate a coach’s wattage target into the split time they need to hold on the monitor.

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