Length Converter

Written byOleh Soloninupdated 25 September 2026

Value (feet, for feet and inches)

From

Result

Result2.54
In feet and inches0′ 1″

Metric and imperial length, converted exactly

Turn inches into centimetres, feet into metres or kilometres into miles with the exact factors, not the rounded ones people quote from memory.

Length is where metric and imperial collide most often: furniture listed in inches, a running route in kilometres, a ceiling height in feet. This converter handles the six units those situations actually use.

The factors here are the defined ones. An inch is exactly 2.54 cm and a mile is exactly 1.609344 km, so distances stay accurate even when you scale them up.

How to use

Enter a number and choose the 'from' and 'to' units — inches to centimetres, for example.
For a height written the American way, choose 'feet and inches' and enter the two parts separately: 5′7″ is 5 and 7.
The result appears at once, and for shorter lengths the same length is also shown in feet and inches.

Inches to centimetres

An inch has been exactly 2.54 cm since the 1959 international yard and pound agreement, so every row below is exact rather than rounded from a measurement. Screen sizes are the everyday case: a 55-inch diagonal is 139.7 cm.

Every row comes from the calculator on this page.
Inches	Centimetres	Inches	Centimetres
1	2.54	24	60.96
2	5.08	32	81.28
6	15.24	55	139.7
12	30.48	65	165.1

Feet, heights and race distances

A foot is 0.3048 m exactly. Heights are the common case — 5′7″ is 170.18 cm — and in the other direction running distances: a marathon is 26.22 miles, which is why it is quoted as 26.2.

Every row comes from the calculator on this page.
From	To
1 ft	0.3048 m
6 ft	1.8288 m
10 ft	3.048 m
5′4″	162.56 cm
5′7″	170.18 cm
6′0″	182.88 cm
5 km	3.107 mi
10 km	6.214 mi
Half marathon, 21.0975 km	13.109 mi
Marathon, 42.195 km	26.219 mi

What this calculator shows

The converted length with enough precision for cutting, fitting and measuring
Millimetres through kilometres alongside inches, feet and miles
A live result, so you can nudge the input and watch the answer move

What to keep in mind

Uses international units: 1 inch = 2.54 cm exactly, 1 mile = 1.609344 km exactly.
US survey feet, still used in some American land records, differ very slightly and are not covered here.

FAQs

How many centimetres is 6 feet?

182.88 cm. Six feet is 72 inches, and each inch is 2.54 cm exactly. Height charts usually round this to 183 cm.

How do I convert 5 feet 7 inches to cm?

Choose 'feet and inches' and enter 5 and 7: the answer is 170.18 cm. 5′4″ is 162.56 cm; in the other direction 170 cm is 5′ 6.9″.

Why is 1 mile 1.609 km and not 1.6?

The mile was fixed at exactly 1609.344 metres in 1959. Rounding to 1.6 costs you nine metres per mile, which is a full 90 metres over a 10-mile route.

What is the quickest mental conversion between km and miles?

Multiply kilometres by 0.6 for a rough mile figure, or divide miles by 0.6 going the other way. It is about 3 percent off: 10 km is 6.21 miles, not 6.

How is a nautical mile different?

A nautical mile is exactly 1,852 metres against the statute mile's 1,609.344. Ships and aircraft use it because it is roughly one minute of latitude.

Does it handle very small measurements?

Yes, millimetres are included, which is the practical floor for tape measures and printing. Below that you are into microns, which this tool does not cover.

Worked example

A 5K in miles

Input: 5 kilometres → miles

Output: 3.107 miles

Note: That is why a 5K is often advertised as 'just over three miles' — the extra 0.107 mile is about 172 metres.

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Length Converter

Result

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