diff --git a/docs/configuration/template_reference.md b/docs/configuration/template_reference.md
index 67e37e0d3..4b3bc5580 100644
--- a/docs/configuration/template_reference.md
+++ b/docs/configuration/template_reference.md
@@ -74,6 +74,7 @@ versions.
 | reReplaceAll  | pattern, replacement, text | string | [Regexp.ReplaceAllString](https://golang.org/pkg/regexp/#Regexp.ReplaceAllString) Regexp substitution, unanchored. |
 | graphLink  | expr | string | Returns path to graph view in the [expression browser](https://prometheus.io/docs/visualization/browser/) for the expression. |
 | tableLink  | expr | string | Returns path to tabular ("Table") view in the [expression browser](https://prometheus.io/docs/visualization/browser/) for the expression. |
+| parseDuration | string | string | Parses a duration string such as "1h" into the integer number of seconds it represents. |
 
 ### Others
 
diff --git a/template/template.go b/template/template.go
index 138aa74e4..f3e62ca9f 100644
--- a/template/template.go
+++ b/template/template.go
@@ -304,6 +304,14 @@ func NewTemplateExpander(
 			"externalURL": func() string {
 				return externalURL.String()
 			},
+			"parseDuration": func(d string) (string, error) {
+				v, err := model.ParseDuration(d)
+				if err != nil {
+					return "", err
+				}
+				dur := int64(time.Duration(v) / time.Second)
+				return fmt.Sprintf("%d", dur), nil
+			},
 		},
 		options: options,
 	}
diff --git a/template/template_test.go b/template/template_test.go
index 8f7fd0a5c..3080455d4 100644
--- a/template/template_test.go
+++ b/template/template_test.go
@@ -449,6 +449,11 @@ func TestTemplateExpansion(t *testing.T) {
 			text:   "{{ externalURL }}",
 			output: "http://testhost:9090/path/prefix",
 		},
+		{
+			// parseDuration.
+			text:   "{{ parseDuration \"1h2m10ms\" }}",
+			output: "3720",
+		},
 	}
 
 	extURL, err := url.Parse("http://testhost:9090/path/prefix")