Feet and Inches to CM Height Converter

How to convert feet and inches to centimeters

Formula: centimeters = feet × 30.48

The constant is exact by definition: 1 foot = 30.48 centimeters. It is not a rounded approximation.

A foot is exactly 30.48 centimeters and an inch is exactly 2.54 centimeters, so a height with inches is converted in two steps: centimeters = (feet × 30.48) + (inches × 2.54). For 5 ft 3 in, the feet give 152.4 cm and the inches give 7.62 cm, which total 160.02 cm.

A meter is 100 centimeters, so the same height in meters is the centimeter figure divided by 100: 160.02 cm is 1.6002 m. The converter shows both at once.

Worked example: 5 ft 3 in to centimeters

The feet and inches are converted separately, and the results are added.

This result is complete, not rounded.

5 ft 3 in

5 ft × 30.48 = 152.4 cm
3 in × 2.54 = 7.62 cm
152.4 + 7.62 = 160.02 cm = 1.6002 m

Common feet to centimeters conversions

Selected heights in centimeters and meters

Heights in steps of 3 inches, each converted as its feet plus its inches. For every inch from 4 ft 10 in to 6 ft 6 in, see the height chart on the Inches to CM Converter. For a height in between, enter it in the calculator above.

Why 5 ft 3 in is not 5.3 feet

A foot has 12 inches, so the digits after a decimal point are tenths of a foot, not inches. Three inches is 3/12 of a foot, which is 0.25, so 5 ft 3 in is the same height as 5.25 ft. Reading it as 5.3 ft gives 161.544 cm, which is taller than the real 160.02 cm. The same trap catches 5.5: half a foot is 6 inches, so 5.5 ft is 5 ft 6 in, not 5 ft 5 in.

Typing a combined measurement

There are three ways to enter a height. Put the feet in the Feet box and the inches in the Inches box beside it. Or type the whole height into the Feet box with its units, as 5 ft 3 in or 5'3". Or enter only a number of feet, such as 6, and leave the Inches box empty.

A decimal in the Feet box on its own, such as 5.5, is read as decimal feet. The inches have to be less than 12, because 12 inches make a foot, so write 6 ft 0 in rather than 5 ft 12 in. If a value cannot be read, the converter says why under the boxes.

To go the other way, type centimeters into the Centimeters box. The Feet box then shows decimal feet, and the line under the result gives the height in feet and inches. For example, 175.26 cm is 5.75 ft, and that line reads 5 ft 9 in.

When you need to convert feet and inches to centimeters

• Height fields on forms and apps that ask for centimeters or meters, such as 5 ft 9 in = 175.26 cm.
• Matching a height given in feet and inches to a metric size guide for clothing or sports equipment.
• Checking a measurement from a US or UK source: a US interior door is commonly 6 ft 8 in, which is 203.2 cm.
• Comparing a height quoted in feet and inches with a tape or a record in centimeters.

Things worth knowing

• The converter shows the exact result, for example 5 ft 9 in = 175.26 cm. A form that wants whole centimeters needs you to round it yourself, and the rounding rule differs from form to form.

Converting back and related converters

To go from centimeters to feet and inches, type the centimeters into the Centimeters box of the calculator above. The CM to Inches Converter converts centimeters to inches alone. For any other pair of units, open the Unit Converter, or browse every unit converter.

• Feet to Meters Converter: for a length in decimal feet, such as a room or a board, in meters.
• Inches to CM Converter: for inches on their own, with a chart of fractions of an inch.
• Meters to Feet Converter: to turn a height in meters back into feet and inches.

Frequently asked questions