K Value

K value, abbreviated as K, is the horizontal distance required to achieve a 1% change in the slope of the vertical curve.

 

K Value formula

\(\large{ K =  \frac{  L  }{ A  }  }\)

Where:

Units	English	Metric
\(\large{ K }\) = rate of vertical curvature	\(\large{ft}\)	\(\large{m}\)
\(\large{ L }\) = length of vertical curve	\(\large{ft}\)	\(\large{m}\)
\(\large{ A }\) = algebric difference in grade (%)	\(\large{dimensionless}\)