Hands to Centimetres Converter

How it is calculated

The tool reads the value in horse-height notation, not as an ordinary decimal. The number before the point is whole hands and the single digit after the point (or a comma, 15,2 works too) is extra inches, 0 to 3. One hand is 4 inches, so inches = hands × 4 + extra inches and cm = inches × 2.54, both shown to two decimals. For example 15.2 means 15 hands and 2 inches, not 15.2 hands. A digit of 4 to 9 after the point, more than one digit after it, a negative number or a total of zero all give no result. Only the withers height, the high point between the shoulder blades, is measured this way. Other countries and registries may state horse heights in centimetres instead.

Common mistakes

• Treating 15.2 as a decimal that lies between 15 and 16 hands in tenths. It is 15 hands plus 2 inches, which is 62 inches; 15.2 as a decimal would be 60.8 inches.
• Typing 15.5 for "fifteen and a half hands". The digit after the point counts inches (0 to 3), so 15.4 and 15.5 are refused. Half a hand is 2 inches, written 15.2.
• Entering two digits after the point, such as 15.25 for 15 hands 1 inch. The tool accepts one digit only; write 15.1.
• Measuring to the top of the head or the ears. A horse's height in hands is taken at the withers.