How Many Seconds Are in an Hour?

There are 3,600 seconds in an hour. The math is simple:

• 60 seconds in a minute × 60 minutes in an hour = 3,600 seconds

Here's how that scales up to other units of time:

• 1 minute = 60 seconds
• 1 hour = 3,600 seconds
• 1 day = 86,400 seconds
• 1 week = 604,800 seconds

This number comes from the ancient Babylonians, who used a base-60 (sexagesimal) counting system. That's why we still divide hours and minutes into 60 parts today, rather than into tens like the metric system.