Speed symbol chart
Every speed symbol in speed order and again alphabetically, with the ZR and bracketed-symbol notes printed alongside rather than in a footnote.
About 1 page printed. Every figure on this sheet is free to read on the speed symbol chart, with its sources.
What the sheet looks like
Real rows from the sheet, rendered for everyone, so the layout can be judged before buying.
| Symbol | km/h | mph |
|---|---|---|
| S | 180 | 112 |
| T | 190 | 118 |
| H | 210 | 130 |
| V | 240 | 149 |
| W | 270 | 168 |
| Y | 300 | 186 |
Speed symbol chart
| Symbol | km/h | mph | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| A1 | 5 | 3 | |
| A2 | 10 | 6 | |
| A3 | 15 | 9 | |
| A4 | 20 | 12 | |
| A5 | 25 | 16 | |
| A6 | 30 | 19 | |
| A7 | 35 | 22 | |
| A8 | 40 | 25 | |
| B | 50 | 31 | |
| C | 60 | 37 | |
| D | 65 | 40 | |
| E | 70 | 43 | |
| F | 80 | 50 | |
| G | 90 | 56 | |
| J | 100 | 62 | There is no I in the sequence. It is skipped to keep it from being read as a 1. |
| K | 110 | 68 | |
| L | 120 | 75 | |
| M | 130 | 81 | Common on temporary spare tires. |
| N | 140 | 87 | Common on temporary spare tires. |
| P | 150 | 93 | The speed symbol P has nothing to do with the P that prefixes a P-metric size. Same letter, different position on the sidewall, different meaning. |
| Q | 160 | 99 | |
| R | 170 | 106 | The speed symbol R has nothing to do with the R that marks radial construction in a size. 225/65R17 is a radial; 225/65R17 100R is a radial with a 170 km/h speed symbol. |
| S | 180 | 112 | |
| T | 190 | 118 | |
| U | 200 | 124 | |
| H | 210 | 130 | Out of alphabetical order on purpose. H was once the top rating; the letters above it were added later and H was left where it was. |
| V | 240 | 149 | Before the service description was introduced, V on its own meant above 210 km/h with no ceiling. In a modern service description it means 240 km/h exactly. |
| W | 270 | 168 | |
| Y | 300 | 186 | |
| (Y) | above 300 | above 186 | Open ended. The tire was tested above 300 km/h and no ceiling is published in the marking. Where a maximum exists, the tire manufacturer states it. |
ZR is not a speed symbol. It sits inside the size (255/40ZR18), not in the service description, and marks a tire built for sustained use above 240 km/h. When a ZR tire also prints a service description, the letter in that service description is the rating: 255/40ZR18 95Y is a 300 km/h tire. A ZR size with no service description carries no published ceiling on this table, and the tire manufacturer is the only authority on its maximum.
This is geometry, not fitment approval. It says what a size measures, never whether it fits a vehicle.
SidewallRef · sidewall reference · figures cross-checked against the sources listed on /speed-rating/
What stays free
Every size page, the size decoder, the comparison tool, the load index table, the speed symbol table and every marking reference stay free forever, with no account and no limit.
Where these figures come from
Published values here were read from 8 independent sources:
- Tire Speed Rating Chart: Speed Symbols and Maximum Speeds - AmesWeb, undated reference chart (read 2026-08-27)Speed symbols A1 to Y, kilometres per hour
- Speed Ratings - CJ Tire, undated reference chart (read 2026-08-27)Speed symbols A1 to Y in km/h and mph, plus Z, (W) and (Y)
- Tire Speed Rating Chart (A1 to Y) - Your Auto Vision, 2026 revision (read 2026-08-27)Speed symbols A1 to Y in km/h and mph, plus Z, ZR and (Y)
- Tire Speed Rating Chart - TireGuide.org, undated reference chart (read 2026-08-27)Speed symbols L to Y in km/h and mph, plus ZR
- Tire Speed Rating Chart & Meaning - TireReference, undated reference guide (read 2026-08-27)Speed symbols L to Y in km/h and mph; ZR handling
- Tire Speed Rating Chart - Santa Ana Wheel, undated reference article (read 2026-08-27)Speed symbols L to Y in km/h and mph, plus (Y) and the ZR designation
- Load Index & Weight Ratings - rimlist, undated reference article (read 2026-08-27)Speed symbols L to Y in km/h and mph, plus (Y) and ZR
- How to Read Speed Rating, Load Index and Service Descriptions - HP Wizard, reproduces Tire Rack tire tech information (read 2026-08-27)Speed symbols L to Y in km/h and mph; ZR and bracketed symbols with worked sidewall examples
These are independent publishers, not independent measurements. Each one reproduces a table originally set by a standards body, so agreement between them shows a value was transcribed correctly, not that the underlying table is right. Where a figure is safety relevant, check it against the tire manufacturer's own data before relying on it.