Walking speed as a variable in manual spray application was investigated. Trials were conducted to evaluate people's perception of the walking speeds 0.5, 1.0 and 1.5 ms−1. The largest difference between the target speed and the speed actually walked occurred at 1.5 m s−1. although there was a large variation in actual speeds walked for each target speed. Training did not significantly improve the ability of individuals to walk at a given speed, but decreased the variation around the mean. The results are discussed in relation to the use and effect of walking speed as a parameter in manual spray application.