Feet and Inches to Meters Converter

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Enter feet and inches to find the matching length in meters, with centimeters and decimal feet to help check your measurement.

Length in meters
m
This is the direct metric equivalent of the entered length.
Length in centimeters
cm
This is the same length shown in a smaller metric unit.
Length in decimal feet
ft
This combines the feet and inches into one decimal-foot value.
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How to use our Feet and Inches to Meters Converter

  1. Enter the full-foot part of the measurement in "Feet (whole feet)."
  2. Enter the remaining amount in "Inches (0 to less than 12)." You can enter decimal inches, such as 10.5.
  3. If the measurement has no feet or no inches, leave that one field blank.
  4. Select "Calculate" to see "Length in meters" first, followed by centimeters and decimal feet.
  5. If inches total 12 or more, move each group of 12 inches into the feet field before calculating.
Example inputs for Feet and Inches to Meters Converter
Example inputs for Feet and Inches to Meters Converter

Definitions

Meter (m): The main metric unit used for the converted length.

Centimeter (cm): One hundredth of a meter. One meter equals 100 centimeters.

Decimal feet: A length written as one number of feet. For example, 5 feet 6 inches equals 5.5 decimal feet.

Whole feet: The complete-foot part of a feet-and-inches measurement. Any remaining part belongs in the inches field.

Common mistakes and quick fixes

Mistake: Entering 5.5 in "Feet (whole feet)."
Fix: Enter 5 feet and 6 inches. The feet field accepts whole feet only.

Mistake: Entering 12 or more in "Inches (0 to less than 12)."
Fix: Carry each 12 inches into the feet field. For example, enter 6 feet 0 inches instead of 5 feet 12 inches.

Mistake: Leaving both measurement fields blank.
Fix: Enter feet, inches, or both. One blank part counts as zero only if the other part has a value.

Limitations & Key Assumptions / Boundary Conditions

  • This converter changes length units only. It does not check how a height, distance, or object was measured.
  • Inches must be from 0 to less than 12 because they are the remainder after whole feet.
  • Meters and decimal feet display four decimal places, while centimeters display two. Calculations use the unrounded value.

Methodology

Conversion method

A blank feet or inches entry counts as zero when the other entry is supplied. At least one entry is required. Feet must be a nonnegative whole number, and inches must be from 0 to less than 12.

The international foot equals exactly 0.3048 meter, and the inch equals exactly 0.0254 meter.

meters = feet * 0.3048 + inches * 0.0254

centimeters = meters * 100

decimal feet = feet + inches / 12

Worked example

For 5 feet 10 inches, the calculation is 5 * 0.3048 + 10 * 0.0254 = 1.778 meters. This is 177.80 centimeters and 5.8333 decimal feet after display rounding.