Convert Feet and Inches to CM Icon

Convert Feet and Inches to CM

Convert feet and inches to centimeters instantly

  • Created by Emily Rodriguez
  • Reviewed by Ramesh Agarwal
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Why Convert CM to Feet and Inches

Nowadays, we use a mix of Metric and Imperial measurements to describe properties such as length, distance and weight. Since we haven't fully adopted one specific system, this leads to complexity in understanding the properties of objects, places and things.

Whether you are more comfortable with calculating measurements in the Imperial or Metric systems is often dependant on our age and birth place.

As a result we often need to convert between Metric and Imperial measurements. This is why there is a need to convert ft and inches to cm.

Understanding Conversion From Feet to CM

You can easily convert the length from foot and inches to centimeters by inputting the length into the calculator fields. Simply add the length then press "Calculate" to get the result returned in centimeters.

How Do You Convert Feet to CM?

One foot is equal to 30.48 centimeters in length. We can easily calculate the length in centimeters by converting the values entered into inches, then dividing by 2.54.

Let's look at an example of this in action:
5 ft 10 inches = (5 * 12 + 10) / 2.54 = 177.8cm.

Measuring tape showing feet and inches to cm

An alternative approach is to measure the feet as a decimal, then simply multiply by 30.48 to get the value in centimeters.

For example in decimal, a height of 5"10 would be 5.833331 feet. Therefore we can calculate the equation as follows:

5.833331 (ft) * 30.48 = 177.79cm.

Understanding Metric vs Imperial Units

In 1824 the British Imperial System was introduced in the United Kingdom as a measurement for weights, lengths and distances. However, nowadays most countries around the world use the metric system to calculate measurements.

The Metric System uses standardised prefixes for calculating numbers, for example Milli (thousandth), Kilo (one thousand), Mega (million) and Giga (billion).

Why use a Feet and Inches Converter?

When doing conversion between foot and inches, it is often easier to use a conversion calculator. When converting foot and inches to decimal, you simply need to input the length in feet and inches and the converter will do the rest.

We also have a cm to foot and inches converter to quickly do conversions from cm to feet.