ConverterHub

Feet & Inches to cm Converter

Turns a height in feet and inches into centimetres and metres.

How it is calculated

The tool first turns the height into total inches, then multiplies by the exact factor of 2.54 cm per inch: cm = (feet × 12 + inches) × 2.54. The metre figure is simply cm ÷ 100. Both values are shown with two decimals, so the metres line is rounded more coarsely than the centimetres line. Inches may be left empty (treated as 0), may be decimal (10.5 is allowed), and are not required to be below 12: 5 feet 14 inches is accepted and works out as 6 feet 2 inches. Negative values give no result.

Worked example

A person is 5 feet 11 inches tall. Total inches: 5 × 12 + 11 = 71. Convert: 71 × 2.54 = 180.34 cm. In metres that is 180.34 ÷ 100 = 1.8034, shown as 1.80 m. Using a half inch, 5 feet 10.5 inches, gives 70.5 × 2.54 = 179.07 cm, so each inch changes the result by 2.54 cm. For comparison, 6 feet with the inches left empty gives 182.88 cm.

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Common mistakes

  • Typing 5.11 in the feet box for 5 feet 11 inches: that is read as 5.11 feet, which is 155.75 cm, not 180.34 cm.
  • Entering 5.5 feet as five feet five inches: the half foot is six inches, so 5.5 feet is 5 feet 6 inches (167.64 cm).
  • Putting the whole height in inches into the inches field and leaving feet at 0: that works only if you really mean total inches, so 71 in the inches field and 0 feet also gives 180.34.
  • Rounding the height before converting: 5 feet 10.5 inches is not the same as 5 feet 11 inches, and the difference is 1.27 cm.
  • Using the metre figure for a form that wants centimetres: the metres line is rounded to two decimals, so copy the centimetre value.

About this calculator

Since 1959, the international inch has been defined as exactly 2.54 cm, which fixes a foot at exactly 30.48 cm. Converting a height given in feet and inches follows directly: cm = ((feet × 12) + inches) × 2.54 — so 5 feet 9 inches (69 total inches) works out to 175.26 cm.

This conversion comes up constantly for anyone moving between imperial-height countries (the US, and informally the UK) and the metric world: filling out a visa or immigration form, entering height on a medical or fitness intake form outside the US, or simply describing your height to someone who grew up on centimetres.

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